Craig Northedge, who left Jersey eight years ago, said there was an ‘eerie silence’ on the streets of Shanghai – a city of more than 24 million people – such is the ‘panic’ caused by the virus, which has killed at least 425 people globally.
There have been more than 20,000 confirmed cases of the disease worldwide, including in France and England.
On Tuesday, the UK government urged all Britons in China to leave the country if they could in order to minimise the risk of exposure.
Mr Northedge said that Wellington School International Shanghai, where he works, had been closed after the government imposed a mandatory extension to school holidays until 17 February. But he added that there were rumours that the closures could last until at least March.
‘The coronavirus has affected almost every aspect of my life here in Shanghai over the past month,’ said the teacher, who added that the long school closures were causing issues for students about to take their GCSE or international baccalaureate exams.
‘Schools are already putting in motion plans for mitigating circumstances for exam grades prior to their commencement in May – unprecedented times for international schools here in China,’ added the former Les Quennevais School teacher.
‘Walk out onto any street and you see and feel an eerie silence because of the panic the coronavirus has caused – people do not want to go outside. Indeed, the only people you will see are in the queues outside the local pharmacies as they desperately try to buy face masks – demand for which it seems even the Chinese government cannot compete with.
‘Gyms, public attractions such as Disney World, businesses and more, have closed – extending their Chinese New Year holidays on account of the government orders. Subways and bus routes have slowed and reduced timetables.’
Mr Northedge, a former Island footballer, said he and his wife, Sonia, had tried to book a trip to Vietnam to ‘break from the confinement of our home’ but she was denied a visa because she has a Chinese passport. They have travelled to Thailand instead, despite losing the cost of the flights to Vietnam. The former Islander said there was a level of panic in Thailand too.
‘We have travelled wearing our masks – as virtually every other traveller we see is also doing. When we arrived in Thailand we were faced with similar sights to that of Shanghai. Though the weather is beautiful, most people, including the Thai, are now wearing masks. In local pharmacies you see similar responses as in Shanghai: “Sold out”.’
The couple are due to travel back to Shanghai on Friday.
‘Every day I have been checking the status of our flights, anticipating possible flight cancellations back to China if our flight company follows suit to that of many around the world. So far it seems we are OK. The virus is serious, of that there is no doubt. The Chinese have been instrumental in trying to curb the spread of the virus.
‘When we get back to China we will try to get back to normal life. But there is nothing normal about the situation we are all facing. At any normal time it feels surreal sometimes for a small Islander like myself to be out here in a country of over a billion people, and this situation only amplifies the feeling. It does hammer home the intensity and seriousness of the situation and how a virus of such magnitude can affect the lives of so many.’
The Channel Islands Co-Operative Society’s Travelmaker said it had rebooked travellers to visit China on later dates or found alternative destinations. And a group of Chinese students due to visit Jersey has cancelled their trip.
