Day 30: Rebels of the Coronavirus Quarantine

It is now day 30 of our self-quarantine because of the coronavirus epidemic going on outside.

Last night, I got takeout from Pizza Hut. My mom is getting tired of her own cooking, and we’re both getting tired of being home all the time especially now that the weather’s getting warmer. 

Since Valentine’s Day things have gotten better, then worse, then back to the unknown status of when this coronavirus quarantine business will end. 

Domestic travel restrictions were lifted a few days ago so people could come home and start working after weeks of being stuck in other places since provincial borders blocked out-of-province car plates. Great news! But then we were warned that this surge of returnees meant a potential rapid spread of the virus. So…back to the hole for another 14 days, people! 

Our restless, rebellious nature led me and my mom to my uncle’s house for the second time since Jan. 27th (okay, we’re not that rebellious). My cousin picked us up in her car and sprayed us up and down with disinfectant before we could enter. When we got to my uncle’s house, a spread of hotpot awaited us. 

Hotpot is probably the least safe meal to be shared during this time—we all stick our chopsticks into the same pot of soup—but there’s some comfort in thinking that the boiling pot of chili oil kills germs, including the coronavirus. 

Anyway, it was a much-needed family reunion and my temperature is still normal, thankyouverymuch.

Over the last week my mom and I have been going downstairs more, just to stroll around the block or in our compound where they test our temperature at the front gate, but not at the back. 

Yesterday, though, was my biggest day out. I felt bad leaving my mom behind, but when my cousin asked me to join her on some errands, I couldn’t resist. For the first time since January, I got into a taxi. I opened the door and pressed down the window button with my sleeve, but then stupidly buckled my seatbelt with bare hands. 

I felt like a tourist peering my head out the window to take in all the sites, smiling, taking photos, and letting the wind kiss my Vitamin D-deficient skin. 

There were way more people on the streets than I expected. They were jogging and crossing streets with their heads down, eyes glued to their cellphones. Three women were getting their hair done at the salon and old men were massaging their calves at an outdoor gym. A few noodle shops and even a clothing store were open.  And then at a red light, I had the pleasure of witnessing a bank security guard remove his facemask to snot-rocket into a bush…Old habits die hard.

The taxi driver told me buses were running again, and when I looked, there were people in them! Had I not known about this coronavirus, I would have thought it was just a normal day in China. 

I accompanied my cousin to a golf range to pick up her gear, and again to my surprise, there were people golfing! GOLFING!

Everywhere we went, QR codes were taped to entrances for patrons to scan upon entry and exit. Even the taxi driver had one. We scan the code to check into the places we’ve been so if we contract the virus, the government can track our whereabouts and report it to the public.

Of course, this is another one of those great ideas without any enforcement. I usually pretend to scan the QR code, and then neglect to fill out my personal info. I’m pretty certain that’s what everyone does.

Errands all done, my cousin, a Chinese person who has never been to any cheese-eating country, started to crave cheese (actually, China has cheese but it’s very different from Western cheese). Pizza Hut was open for takeout so we went inside, had our temperatures taken, squirted some hand-sanitizer provided, and ordered from our cell phones. 

I felt guilty leaving my mom for three hours, so I rushed home to share the pizza with her as we watched Rush Hour joyfully into Day 31 of our coronavirus quarantine.