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Italian professor Luigi D'apolito and his family have stayed put for over a month in a coastal Chinese city amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, but his life is by no means boring.
As a mechanical and automotive engineering expert at the Xiamen University of Technology, D'apolito does research work from home, cooks Italian food for his family and does indoor exercises for bodybuilding every day.
It was an unusual Chinese Lunar New Year for D'apolito after he moved to Xiamen, a city in eastern China's Fujian Province, in September 2012. The family had planned to return to his Italian hometown to spend the holiday this year. However, they gave up.
"We agreed that to stay at home was the best choice, not only for ourselves but also for the society," D'apolito said.
He has received lots of guidance on how to prevent the epidemic from the local government.
"The city's science and technology bureau had specially invited medical experts to open online courses for foreigners in Xiamen, which helps us better understand the virus and how to protect ourselves in the right way," he said, adding that the bureau also established a WeChat group for foreign experts to answer their questions at any time.
Meanwhile, the residential community where D'apolito lives has strengthened its security by taking the temperature of residents entering the neighborhood, making sure people who had traveled to other places are placed in 14-day quarantine, and sending out brochures about the disease and prevention knowledge.
"We feel safer with all those measures," D'apolito said. "We believe that the disease is under control through the efforts we had put together."
Although the spring semester remains postponed, he communicates with his peers via emails or video conferences. "It is safe and effective," he said.
D'apolito praises what the Chinese government has done to curb the disease. The measures include updating the epidemic information in various ways to keep the public well informed, mobilizing resources as quickly as possible and releasing a slew of measures like tax cuts to help enterprises survive the hardship.
D'apolito also tried his best to contact the factories he knew and donated medical supplies including silica gel protective masks for organizations and neighborhoods on the frontline.
"Lots of volunteers have joined the battle regardless of their own safety. It is so touching," he said.
What impresses him most is the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals, two makeshift hospitals in the virus-hit Wuhan, which were built at lightning speed.
"It is a miracle not only for me, but also for those who had been infected with the disease. China has created many miracles. I believe we can win the battle soon," D'apolito said.
(by Xinhua writer Fu Min)