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TESTS. A medical worker takes a swab sample from an elderly resident who is unable to conveniently go out for a COVID-19 test at his home in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, on May 14, 2020. Photo by STR / AFP
WUHAN, China – Nervous residents of Wuhan’s Chinese pandemic epicenter lined up throughout the city to be tested for the coronavirus on Thursday, May 14, after a new group of cases triggered a mass detection campaign.
Rows of socially estranged people formed at makeshift test sites set up under tents in parking lots, parks and residential communities as it rained in the 11 million-person metropolis.
“This is a good thing. It is a way of being responsible to others and to yourself,” a 40-year-old man told Agence France-Presse after completing the process.
They had already tried it 10 days before, but given Wuhan’s history as the source of the virus and the most affected city in China, it welcomed additional small insurance.
The man added, “If I had the chance, wouldn’t I do it again?”
The previously unknown contagion emerged in Wuhan late last year, prompting the Chinese government to impose a strict city shutdown on January 23, isolating the transportation and industrial center from the rest of the country and confining residents to their homes.
More than 3,800 people have died from COVID-19 in the city, accounting for the vast majority of deaths in China.
The quarantine was completely lifted in early April and life is returning to normal.
But Wuhan received a new shake-up when several new local infections emerged last weekend after more than a month in which none were reported.
Fearful of reliving the virus nightmare, officials have launched a campaign to test nucleic acid on the entire population of the city.
Men, women, children and the elderly appeared before medical workers in white head-to-toe suits and plastic face shields, who recorded their personal data before quickly placing a swab on the back of their throats.
Nervous
Some remained anxious.
“I know that this plan that requires the city to do large-scale testing serves as basic protection. I was not planning to test myself,” said one woman who did not give her name.
“But the security measures inside are really bad. (People) are too close, and the person who performed the test handled a lot of samples of people, but I didn’t see him wash his hands.”
China has largely controlled the virus, but has recently been on the brink of a possible second wave of infections as it has lifted blockades and restrictions across the country.
In addition to Wuhan’s 6 new cases, virus clusters have emerged in recent weeks in the northeast Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, which border Russia.
With the appearance of the virus in other nations, China has prohibited the majority of foreigners from entering the country.
Despite persistent concerns, Wuhan residents, affected by the pandemic, have done their best to resume their lives.
Dozens of people stepped on the heels of Chinese folk music on a walk along the Yangtze River on Wednesday night, May 13, ignoring the concerns of a new wave.
Couples in masks jumped under the streetlights, with the men taking turns guiding the women near a bridge lit with huge Chinese characters that say “Go Wuhan.”
“I am very happy (to be dancing outside),” said Qiu Jumei, a 53-year-old hotel waitress.
“The atmosphere was not the same when I was at home and dancing alone. It was not fun,” she added. “This is much better.” – Rappler.com
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