Their city has been quarantined due to coronavirus but these expatriates from Wuhan do not want to hear about evacuation. The toll in China of the epidemic of viral pneumonia rose Sunday to 56 dead and nearly 2,000 people infected. And Wuhan, epicenter of the virus, has been de facto cut off from the world since Thursday with significant restrictions in the scope and a large part of the businesses closed. The mayor of Wuhan said Sunday he expects a thousand more infections, based on the number of hospital patients who have not yet been tested.
"We here, for the moment we are fine," assures Remy calmly, blue mask on the face, and installed in Wuhan for eight years. But the 33-year-old recognizes that "more care" needs to be taken as the epidemic gains ground. Chinese health officials said on Sunday that the virus is more contagious than SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) that caused a deadly epidemic in 2002-2003.
"My family is more worried than me"
However, "there is nothing to panic" because a lot of information circulating on social networks is "false", says Rémy. His friend Jonathan explains to Agence France-Presse (AFP) to find out about the situation at the French consulate in Wuhan, online discussion groups of expatriates and by reading the press. And the computer scientist of 32 is formal: "there is no need to worry".
"My family is more worried than me" by following the news in the media, laughs Erica Davis, a British science teacher, installed for several years in Wuhan and met by AFP after her morning sports exercises. Despite the number of cases (of contamination) identified in Wuhan, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the eleven million inhabitants of the metropolis, assures the young woman.
French government working on evacuation plan
The United States hopes to repatriate diplomatic personnel and some of its citizens from Wuhan on Tuesday. The French government indicates that it is working on an evacuation plan for its nationals. This would provide for prior quarantine for 14 days in Changsha, a large Chinese city some 300 kilometers away.
"We do not want to leave Wuhan for the moment because our life is here," warns Jonathan, who "does not see the point of changing cities to be quarantined" in a hotel. Even if the daily newspaper in Wuhan is upset in a city almost stopped to stop the spread of the virus and where the circulation of non-essential vehicles was even banned on Sunday. “We have to analyze the situation a bit. Four or five days (confined) at home is nothing better than being in the hospital, ”says Jonathan. "For the moment we have no worries, it's just that we're bored," sighs Rémy.
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