Former Group Editors employee copes in China

OUDTSHOORN NEWS - Stephen Swigelaar, a former employee of George Herald (sister publication of Oudtshoorn Courant) now lives in Dangtu, China, with his wife, Candice and their two boys.

Stephen and his family come from Oudtshoorn. They moved to China in 2018, where Stephen and Candice teach English.

He writes the following about their experience with the coronavirus in China.

"I think China is handling the situation very well. Cities are being demarcated and no transport is allowed in or out. All shops are closed except for supermarkets for people's day-to-day requirements.

"Everyone is asked to stay at home. We all live in blocks or flats in security complexes called a 'community'. All communities are now very strict. We heard today that only one person per household is allowed to go out for shopping and we are allowed to go out only once every two days.

"No people from outside are allowed in. Even residents of a complex must sign in and their temperature is checked. Temperature checks are done everywhere.

"If you leave the house, you have to wear a mask. My children have been housebound for two weeks now. I'm the only one who usually goes out and only if it is absolutely necessary."

Stephen and Candice Swigelaar with their two boys, Nicolas (left) and Skylar.

"When I return, I remove my shoes immediately and leave them outside. My hands are washed straight away. The bags in which I carried the food are thrown away. Everything, every product, is wiped off with a disinfectant. Candice is so paranoid that she sometimes rinses me off with a can of Dettol water. But it is serious.

"We've been told that the virus can live on various types of surfaces for a long time, such as door handles, buttons and cell phones, so it's important to disinfect everything, especially after you've been out.

"The worst is that you can be infected without knowing about it. The symptoms only manifest after two weeks. That is why temperatures are tested daily.

"The new year's holiday was extended and the government has said that all schools will remain closed until the situation improves. Our holiday in Qingdao in January was cut short abruptly. On the day after we arrived, we had gone out. While we were in a large shopping centre, all the shops were suddenly closed and the centre evacuated in all urgency.

"The one minute the mall was full, the next moment there was a deathly quiet. For the rest of our holiday we had to remain inside at my wife's sister where we were visiting. Suddenly the whole city's shops were closed."

Stephen and Candice Swigelaar during their visit to Maurice and Cassandra (Candice's sister) Gelderbloem who live in Qingdau."Our school let us know we had to return home as soon as possible, otherwise we would have to remain in Qingdao till the situation normalised. We couldn't stay there. Our dog and cat were in the kennels and our children had to do homeschooling. And nobody knew how long this epidemic would last.

"We changed our home flight for an earlier flight, but after booking, it was cancelled three times. The last cancellation was while we were on our way to the airport, but we decided to go to the airport anyway and try to find a flight. We were fortunate to get a booking.

"Many other teachers are still struggling to return home, but most flights have been cancelled.

"Trains are still going, but it's not a good idea to travel now. All public transport here in Dangtu has been halted - no buses, no taxis. So we walk.

"We try to buy enough supplies when we go grocery shopping. Last week, my wife and I went to town with a suitcase and backpacks to really stock up. On the way home, the suitcase was so loaded that its one wheel literally disappeared. It was impossible to carry everything home. We contacted the police and they arrived in a big black minibus.

'I thought it was the SWAT team! Almost 10 policemen got out and walked over the road in our direction. In my thoughts I was starting to wonder if we were somehow in the wrong, but they only wanted to help us load the bags into the bus. They were very friendly and even took photos with us.

"I'm sure the people who drove past at that moment must have been thinking that some foreigners were being quarantined!"

Stephen with Dangtu policemen who helped them when the wheels of their suitcase loaded with groceries broke on the way home.