Posted byu/Gtown_Gaming
Verified user - Shanghai resident
5 hours ago
What it's like in China 03.06
Local Report: China
It has been almost a month since I last posted an update of what it is like here in China. So much has changed between then and now - clearly the pressing and urgent matter is the spread of the virus around the globe and the rate of increases of cases in multiple countries.
In Shanghai, the city is back to life this past week. It has slowly been coming back for the past 2 weeks or so, but this week is the first it has felt like daily activity is getting back to normal. Restaurants, stores, banks, offices - of which many had been closed for over a month are open once again. Traffic jams are back to a regular occurrence and many are walking the sidewalks where just a few weeks ago they were completely empty.
Over the last week, Shanghai has had only two newly confirmed cases, one of which was detected during a mandatory quarantine period in a traveler who arrived from Iran.
There is a lot of optimism that the worst is over, and hope that soon the city will be declared virus free. This is also the case in many other cities and provinces throughout China. Hubei province still suffers, but signs of improvement there are also encouraging.
As the virus spreads globally, I want to highlight the containment and prevention measures China has implemented, why they have worked, and why I believe countries around the world need to implement similar measures starting now.
In order for transmission to occur, the virus needs to come in contact with other humans. The first major measures China implemented were focused on social distancing and isolation. Areas where the virus was most prevalent were locked down, staring with Wuhan, expanding to Hubei province, and even to other cities with large pockets of the virus detected. In these lockdowns, people were not allowed to come into or leave these areas. Gatherings of people such as conventions, sporting events, movie theaters, gyms, etc. were immediately cancelled or closed. Offices and workplaces closed completely, the few restaurants that remained opened, only allowed take out food, no dining in. People were encouraged multiple times a day to stay home. The thing that amazed me as a westerner, was that everyone complied. The level of social distancing and isolation was extreme and necessary. Even today, as the city comes back to life this remains. Starbucks only allows one person per table so as to ensure people remain at a distance from one another.
The second measures put into place were focused on community transmission prevention. Encouragement to wash and disinfect hands regularly was plastered everywhere and was mentioned all over the news. In order to be outside at all it was necessary to be wearing a mask, to enter buildings, restaurants grocery stores, you were required to wear a mask and given hand sanitizer before entering. Buses, taxis, subways, Didi (Chinese Uber), all required masks to be worn. Public transit, transit stations, public restrooms were disinfected multiple times a day. In the elevators, boxes of tissues were placed for people to take one and use it as a cover to push buttons. Confined spaces often smelled of cleaning solution. My own apartment building came to disinfect my apartment unit during the height of cases in Shanghai. Everyone still wears masks, everyone still immediately washes their hands when they return home or uses disinfectant before eating.
Third major measures were focused on case discovery and treatment. Upon discovery of a confirmed case, quick and effective contact tracing measures were put into place. Public areas would take your name and phone number before allowing you to enter, in the event someone there later was determined positive, they could contact you and find you quickly. This moved digitally in QR code based systems, were you would scan various locations, buses, taxis, subways, etc. and be able to be contacted and located quickly. To enter any public area, your temperature is taken. Residential communities issued passes for healthy residents when they would leave their homes, and would only be allowed back in by returning their pass and being checked for temperature again. Anyone found to be symptomatic was promptly taken to fever clinics, normally used for quick check ups and prescriptions that had now become front line triage. At the fever clinic you will be tested and examined. If it you are a suspected case you will be put under mandatory quarantine, this could be at a designated facility or at your home, if you are not immediately suspected you are asked to self-quarantine, in either case your community (most are large apartment buildings or compounds of buildings) are informed of your status. This to let others know to be vigilant, and to ensure community helps with enforcement of quarantine and helps with providing supplies to those who are quarantined. If confirmed, usually within 24 hours of testing, patients are immediately transferred to one of two designated hospitals for COVID-19. Or the designated children's hospital for minors. (at least this is how it is in Shanghai). These measures are still in place today. It is almost impossible to leave your home without getting monitored by the entire community. If you show any signs of symptoms you will go in for testing and check up, and your close contacts will be identified very quickly and also monitored.
Lastly, China implemented external controls to monitor and quarantine travelers both from other cities and provinces within China as well as from abroad.
In summary
Limit the potential exposure to the virus by keeping people away from each other
For the virus that is out there, disinfect rigorously, kill as much of the virus that is out in the community as possible to lessen the chance healthy people will contact the virus in the community. This includes individual efforts and community based disinfection efforts.
Aggressively find potential cases and their contacts. Increase the already strict isolation controls on people confirmed, suspected, and potential contacts of those suspected or confirmed. Have a quick system
Limit movement of people to ensure clusters in one area don't become clusters in another area. Lockdown cities and communities, quarantine travelers.
These measures have worked. The proof is here. As said previously, what amazes me as a westerner was the willingness and the desire of the people to take these actions and take them seriously. Full scale adoption and compliance from the people. Absolutely incredible. And this is what it takes.
I hope the west can get it together. I hope they can take this seriously and act now. I hope the people will respond the way I have seen the Chinese people respond. China has also shown that early mistakes can be fixed if addressed and acted upon. Mistakes made now by countries recently impacted can still do what is necessary to stop the large scale spread.
As always, happy to answer any questions.
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by rumbeando Fri Mar 06, 2020 6:22 am
Летећи Полип
Uradi tačno ono što treba, odmah izoluje porodicu i potpuno prekine vektor zaraze.
nisam ni stigao dotle, ali eto to može da objasni zašto je u pitanju moralna panika. paničari su u fazonu won't somebody please think of the elderly?! naš autor:
