Situation in Wuhan?
#1
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Situation in Wuhan?
Any reports from the wild on what's actually happening and what it's like to be there now?
I've been in Wuhan (in particular, a business trip for almost a month), although not in about the last five years. Also, I know of one person who regularly posts here on FT and has ties to the city (relatives, so he probably visits more-or-less annually). [Best wishes to the extended family in a difficult time.]
Wuhan is a major city for industry, so it would normally get a fair number of international business travelers. In addition, I learned this week that there was a USA Consulate in Wuhan, although at least in the past, USA visa applicants were required to report to Beijing or Shanghai for interviews.
I've been in Wuhan (in particular, a business trip for almost a month), although not in about the last five years. Also, I know of one person who regularly posts here on FT and has ties to the city (relatives, so he probably visits more-or-less annually). [Best wishes to the extended family in a difficult time.]
Wuhan is a major city for industry, so it would normally get a fair number of international business travelers. In addition, I learned this week that there was a USA Consulate in Wuhan, although at least in the past, USA visa applicants were required to report to Beijing or Shanghai for interviews.
#2
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Wuhan is a major city for industry, so it would normally get a fair number of international business travelers. In addition, I learned this week that there was a USA Consulate in Wuhan, although at least in the past, USA visa applicants were required to report to Beijing or Shanghai for interviews.
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ges/China.html
Level 4: Do not travel to Hubei province, China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China:
There is an ongoing outbreak of pneumonia first identified in Wuhan, China, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air and rail travel in the area around Wuhan. On January 23, 2020, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their family members. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province.
There is an ongoing outbreak of pneumonia first identified in Wuhan, China, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air and rail travel in the area around Wuhan. On January 23, 2020, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their family members. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province.
#3
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There is a consulate, but the US State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Hubei and withdrew all non emergency personnel from its consulate 2 days ago.
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ges/China.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ges/China.html
#4
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#5
Join Date: Jun 2009
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You were probably referring to me. I will be wechatting several family members and friends, and if there is news I will report it.
#6
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- Do people go to work? If so, what type of work they do?
- What is currently open?
- If people go to work, how do they do it considering that all public and private vehicles now are not operating?
- How people are buy/stocking their supplies? Do they buy it online with some means of delivery or they have to get them by going in stores?
- Are people being paid if they are sitting at home?
- What do they do while sitting home?
#7
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Any reports from the wild on what's actually happening and what it's like to be there now?
I've been in Wuhan (in particular, a business trip for almost a month), although not in about the last five years. Also, I know of one person who regularly posts here on FT and has ties to the city (relatives, so he probably visits more-or-less annually). [Best wishes to the extended family in a difficult time.]
Wuhan is a major city for industry, so it would normally get a fair number of international business travelers. In addition, I learned this week that there was a USA Consulate in Wuhan, although at least in the past, USA visa applicants were required to report to Beijing or Shanghai for interviews.
I've been in Wuhan (in particular, a business trip for almost a month), although not in about the last five years. Also, I know of one person who regularly posts here on FT and has ties to the city (relatives, so he probably visits more-or-less annually). [Best wishes to the extended family in a difficult time.]
Wuhan is a major city for industry, so it would normally get a fair number of international business travelers. In addition, I learned this week that there was a USA Consulate in Wuhan, although at least in the past, USA visa applicants were required to report to Beijing or Shanghai for interviews.
Among people there's VAST differences in opinion of what's going on - from the pro-CCP "everything is fine don't worry everything under control media is overreacting to what's happening" to "this is all the CCP's fault and things are much, much worse than what they say". Hard to say which side is accurate, but I do believe that the case number is much higher than indicated.
I can ask for more info if there's a specific question.
#8
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
Due to unprecedented nature of quarantining such large number of population, could you please ask them to describe what daily life there now looks like?
- Do people go to work? If so, what type of work they do?
- What is currently open?
- If people go to work, how do they do it considering that all public and private vehicles now are not operating?
- How people are buy/stocking their supplies? Do they buy it online with some means of delivery or they have to get them by going in stores?
- Are people being paid if they are sitting at home?
- What do they do while sitting home?
#9
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I've seen numbers saying that the USA government evacuees (including families) are likely to number about a hundred and there will be between two hundred and three hundred seats on the flight. However, there are believed to be an estimated thousand USA citizens in Wuhan.
#10
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First, thanks for TB's comments in the virus thread. Not real sure of all the Hubei lockdown & overwhelmed hospitals. I am in BJ at the Weston Chaoyang on 3rd ring ( Sr. rate under $100 US this week) and watching CNA, BBC & MSNBC for news updates. The propaganda #'s are predictable, so multiply up..
Anyway 3rd ring is NOT busy, nor is subway line 10 here, probably normal for CNY anyway. I doubt school & work will happen this month, Universities are sending out notices not to travel back for class. Some SOE's have sent out notices of self monitoring of body temps. Events, local fairs & most tours are now cancelled as of sunday. Inbound BJ bus traffic is shut down, expecting more inbound shut downs to accelerate.
I moved my departure date up a month to early Feb, & no problem with the UA change, or cancelling the other planned spring travel.
Anyway 3rd ring is NOT busy, nor is subway line 10 here, probably normal for CNY anyway. I doubt school & work will happen this month, Universities are sending out notices not to travel back for class. Some SOE's have sent out notices of self monitoring of body temps. Events, local fairs & most tours are now cancelled as of sunday. Inbound BJ bus traffic is shut down, expecting more inbound shut downs to accelerate.
I moved my departure date up a month to early Feb, & no problem with the UA change, or cancelling the other planned spring travel.
#11
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Are they staying put or trying to figure out how to get out? What's the perception among people inside the city about whether they'll be able to get proper medical care, if they happen to be unlucky enough to catch the virus?
#12
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I've spoken with a couple of friends who have (unfortunately) family stranded in Wuhan. Both of them told me that their family is fine. It's Chinese New Year so no one is working anyway, all public transport has been shut down, but I've heard conflicting reports of whether you can drive or not. One of them told me all roads are on lockdown and there are shuttles provided for local neighbourhoods, and another of them told me it's all fine. Streets are empty but prices are stable - it's the medical resources that are heavily in need of support but living means like groceries are seemingly OK. That's all I know and it sounds more comforting than the conflicting reports all over the place. I guess it's as good as it gets for a locked-down city with an ongoing viral outbreak...
Hope everyone is safe and healthy and this is all over quickly.
Hope everyone is safe and healthy and this is all over quickly.
#13
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For those outside of China, think of Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) as equivalent in terms of business shutdown as Christmas might be in the UK. So things are very very quiet and the only usual activity would be to visit family (government recomdation to highly curtail) and local spring festival celebrations (largely cancelled).
Saturday was New Year's Day, but because it falls on the weekend the public holidays extend to Monday and Tuesday next week. But because of the huge volumes of migrant workers in China, it takes several days for everyone to get back to where they need to be, and for many enterprises next week is a part working week if they don't shut down completely.
The major factor against the Chinese authorities is the number of people displaced and expecting to travel over the next 7 days as the holiday comes to an end in what is usually accepted to the latter half of the largest human migration activity on earth. Are they going to cancel this return back after the holidays? If they do the impact in terms of national and global economic output could be considerable.
Saturday was New Year's Day, but because it falls on the weekend the public holidays extend to Monday and Tuesday next week. But because of the huge volumes of migrant workers in China, it takes several days for everyone to get back to where they need to be, and for many enterprises next week is a part working week if they don't shut down completely.
The major factor against the Chinese authorities is the number of people displaced and expecting to travel over the next 7 days as the holiday comes to an end in what is usually accepted to the latter half of the largest human migration activity on earth. Are they going to cancel this return back after the holidays? If they do the impact in terms of national and global economic output could be considerable.
#15
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So far I haven't heard anything from them that hasn't already been reported on here but keep in mind all the relatives we are in frequent contact with are elderly and thus not the best information sources.