Source: China Daily, Yahoo News, Time, Daily Mail
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As the U.S. evacuates some Americans out of the Chinese city hardest-hit by a viral outbreak, many like Doug Perez are opting to stay.
Its not that hes unconcerned. Perez and his girlfriend have hunkered down in their apartment for days. Theyve argued. Theyve fretted over missed food deliveries. Theyve dubbed their Labrador, Chubby, Apocalypse Dog, venturing out for short walks on deserted streets only after fitting him with a mask.
But Perez wont leave because his girlfriend, who is Chinese, wouldn't be allowed on the plane.
A lot of foreigners are stuck here, the 28-year-old San Francisco native said. There is no way on Earth many of us, including myself, are going to leave our loved ones.
As China rolls out containment measures unprecedented in modern history, locking down more than 50 million people in 17 cities, foreigners are trapped in the quarantine zone as well.
A charter flight evacuating as many as 240 Americans, including diplomats and their families, left Wuhan early Wednesday en route to Alaska for refueling then California.
But Americans in Wuhan estimate there are more than a thousand U.S. citizens in the city, meaning most will be left behind.
The day the lockdown was announced, Perez and his girlfriend got in a fight a plate was destroyed over whether to venture to a supermarket to buy food. His girlfriend, who doesnt want to be named, won the argument, and the couple began ordering food online. The streets went quiet. They stay in every night, spending hours a day on social media checking up on the latest news and fielding calls from worried relatives.
On Monday evening, guards barred him from leaving his apartment compound, leaving him wondering whats next.
Another American, who declined to be identified out, said she was choosing to stay behind because she has a cough and was told she would likely be quarantined at the Wuhan airport by Chinese authorities.
But for Priscilla Dickey, 35, from South Burlington, Vermont, trying to get on the plane was a no-brainer because of her 8-year-old daughter, Hermione, who she worries could be vulnerable to the virus. On Monday afternoon, the consulate phoned Dickey and told her she and her daughter had seats.
A british man was forced to leave his wife behind, as he could only take his daughter back home.
After packing a bag with three shirts and a pair of pants, Dickey stayed up until two in the morning trying to figure out how she would get to the airport amid a transportation shutdown. She stress cleaned her apartment in the morning, she said, before getting in an airport-bound car, waves of emotion washing over her.
I was feeling guilt, Dickey said, speaking by phone on her way to the airport. Excitement, guilt, stress all of it.
Dickey plans to stay with relatives in the Cincinnati area after a 3- to 14-day quarantine, she says, adding that she was very grateful to be leaving.
Meanwhile, Perez is still mulling whether to venture to a supermarket, weighing the risks of getting infected.
But despite the worsening conditions, Perez says there are moments of hope. On Monday evening, residents set off fireworks, and cries of Go Wuhan! echoed around his apartment compound.
Perez joined in, shouting We are all Wuhan people! His girlfriend cheered and his dog barked, making them feel they were all in this together.
We needed that, Perez said. It lifted us up a bit and gave us some hope.
Go Wuhan! You can beat this, we all can beat this!
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