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The moment I arrived at the subway station my Algerian friend Leila gave me a voice call.She is studying for a PhD degree in literature in China and has now left Wuhan and is on vacation with her family.Her voice trembled, “Adham, leave Wuhan immediately!”
I am still immersed in thinking.At first, I didn’t pay much attention to her nervous tone, because my attention to exploring virus memories distracted me.I was thinking: Did I take adequate precautions in the previous period? I have not left university in the past 20 days, but is this enough? Will I be one of the infected?
Therefore, when Leila asked me to leave Wuhan quickly, I was a little puzzled.“Why? Is there any reason?” She became anxious.“The Chinese government decided to have Wuhan closed tomorrow at ten o’clock.Hurry up! Go to the train station right away!”
By this time, I had arrived at the checkpoint inside the subway station.Inside, three female security checkers had put on protective equipment.Leila is still talking to me on WeChat.I hesitate to take the subway.My concern is that there is very little information about this virus.I have experienced many dangerous situations such as devastating wars, political and economic crises, but I have never experienced the spread of viruses.
I said to her, “I will call you back as soon as possible.” I called my Chinese friend Mei again and asked her what happened.She said, “The epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said the day before yesterday that the virus seems to be spreading more widely, and it can be transmitted from person to person.” I told her, “I want to go to Nanhu, by subway or taxi.To avoid infection, what is the best transportation?” She said, “If you take the subway, please don’t touch anything, don’t talk, touch, or shake hands with others, and wear a mask.” I decided to abandon the subway and take a taxi.
The driver was pale, wearing a mask and gloves.I sat in the back seat,trying not to touch anything.I put my school bag on my feet.In addition to the laptop, some books and paper, there are some clothes inside.
On the way to Nanhu, Leila called again.She talked quickly, as she had kept calling her friends non-stop for several hours.She has hundreds of acquaintances in Wuhan and has been living in the city since 2011．I told her the sights on the taxi and the subway are shocking, and the tranquility around the station is very abnormal.She said, “Adham, an Algerian friend and a Sudanese friend of mine are heading to the railway station, ready to go to Xi’an.There they will think about what to do next… now there are still train tickets, you should go now.” I thought for a while and said,“But, for infectious diseases, isn’t the most dangerous thing gathering?How should I go, take the train? No, I will think about it carefully before I make a move.”
I opened WeChat and saw lots of foreign students’WeChat moments,they raced to leave Wuhan a few hours before the official deadline.But I am more and more inclined to stay.
The virus spreads through contact, so the most dangerous places to be infected are gathering places.On the other hand, I didn’t know exactly what happened! I didn’t even understand how this city would be in a lockdown.
What does this administrative order mean? How will the authorities quarantine a city the size of Lebanon with a population of more than 10 million? Can people persist? Is there enough food? How can we ensure the safety of food and beverages? Will they disappear from the shelf and reappeared at double the price? Too many questions and doubts prevented me from making any decisions.