Living in the Wake of the Pandemic

A Shenzhen Expat Experience 

By: Rachel Waters 

From the forefront of the epidemic outbreak, living in Shenzhen during this time has been nothing short of interesting. Many people have reached out regarding the situation in China, so I’ve come to share my experience from none other than China’s south coast.

I have been working remotely since January, as many people outside of China are beginning to do so now. In the beginning, it sounded like a dream come true; being in the comfort of your own home, snacking without that one coworker making comments on how many cookies you’ve had, working in your underwear, you know – the usual! Now, a few months later you’re bored out of your wits? Can’t get away from your kids because school is shut down? That pesky wifi company has a much slower connection than they used to?! Yeah…the grass ain’t always greener I suppose! Here in the city, it means our upstairs neighbors can proceed to throw stomping parties round the clock and construction has no time restrictions. But hey, who needs to sleep anyways?

Most taxis have constructed plastic borders for protection from…well…everyone. My interpretation of this method was to keep all particles away from the drivers as spitting, coughing/sneezing without covering mouths, etc is a cultural norm here. I’m still not used to it but hey, to each his own.

Alas, no worries! We are all required to wear masks when we leave our homes. If you don’t wear a mask, you are fined a hefty yuan and told to go find one (if you can, that is). For a while, when the epidemic first arose, masks and hand sanitizers were harder to find than your lost keys when you’re in a rush. Factories were not prepared for the high influx of orders and were unable to match supply to demand. When factories were able to catch up to the demand, China then banned the export of non-licensed medical equipment and materials – which include masks. This screwed me over as I had just bought 4,000 surgical masks to ship to the US. Now I have 2 big boxes of masks that I will probably never run out of. (I have donated multiple boxes to friends, neighbors, and strangers).

Hong Kong announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone who enters from mainland China. To avoid that, my roommate Fabio would travel to Macau to see his boyfriend who resides in Hong Kong. The bus took him and other passengers (both foreign and mainland residents) to a facility in Macau where he had to spend 8 hours (8!!!!) temperature logging every 2 hours. No one was made aware of this new requirement. (Because really, what is 8 hours going to do?) Macau has since closed its borders. Hmm..what will Fabio do now? He decided, for the following weekend, he would go visit his boyfriend in Hong Kong. He understood the risk of undergoing the 14-day quarantine upon arrival in HK and intended to quarantine with him. Four days into his quarantine, China announced that they would be closing its borders to “all foreign friends.” Fabio has been stuck in Hong Kong ever since.

Most people have since returned to work. In my office building, you cannot enter without:

• Having your temperature checked
• Sanitizing your hand and materials with a disinfectant spray
• Wearing a mask
• Showing a pink slip authorizing your presence

Ordering food has been EXTRA. Everything is separately wrapped in plastic because who needs oceans anymore? They also attached a slip stating the temperatures of everyone involved in the food making and packaging process.

In early February, warning posters were hung in a rural district telling people to stay inside. The English translations are included.

Some people will go to all lengths to ensure everyone follows the rules - even if that includes tying someone to a pole.

Everyone in Shenzhen in required to have a health code. This tracks where you’ve been, where you are, and where you are going. It is a way to show people where you’ve been in the past 2 weeks, whether you were/are quarantined, and if you are healthy. Green = healthy, yellow = iffy, red = big no no.

When riding the metro, you must keep your distance from people and scan a QR code to show what car you are riding in. While these precautions might seem a bit much, they’re actually genius. If you got sick, China would be able to track your path and whom you were in contact with to better control the spread of the virus.

When entering/leaving businesses, apartment complexes, etc, your temperature is taken. If you are above 37 degrees Celsius, you are not allowed in. Update: We went to Shanghai for a week when travel restrictions in-country were lifted. Upon returning to the Shenzhen airport, we were stopped. We were the only foreigners in the airport and the thermal cameras they had installed into the ceiling showed that we were warmer than everyone else. So we were made to sit in the side quarantine area while they took our temperatures 3 separate times. Meanwhile, for entertainment for the 45 minutes we were there, we watched everyone’s horrified face as they walked as far away from us as possible when passing by. Paul’s temperature was 37.1. He was so nervous, his body temperature rose as 3 men in HAZMAT suits came out. I tried explaining to them that 37 is a normal body temperature for some adults. Eventually, we were able to leave, running away shouting “Xie xie bye bye!!”

Packages and deliveries must be delivered/picked up outside of your apartment complex.

Apartment complexes disinfect the building every morning and night. Posts are put up daily reminding people to clean their apartments for the better of the community. You’d think that’s a no brainer but hey…what do I know.

Cellophane tape is put over the elevator buttons and changed every morning and night.

When police were shutting down restaurants, some were still open for take-away where you could enjoy a drink while “waiting” for your order. Even when at a restaurant that WAS open, you had to sit one person to a table. When leniency arrived, it was one chair in between each person, which made social gatherings a bit strange. However, I’ve my listening and voice projection skills are top notch now! Restaurants are still taking temperatures.

I will not include a photo of this piece but there have been fears that animals can contract and spread covid-19. This fear has caused some families to go to the extreme extent of throwing their pets out of apartment complex windows. It was morbid walking by apartments and seeing either the bodies or the outline of a once beloved pet.

As cases in China are decreasing due to the amazing efforts of everyone following the rules, I urge everyone back home to stay clean, stay safe, and stay home! Even if you are not showing symptoms or are not sick, you could be infecting those with weaker immune systems than you. Remember, this pandemic is much bigger than just our individual selves.

Stay tuned for more updates! In the meantime, tell me; how are you handling the pandemic period at the moment?