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It should be the best time in a year for Chinese to reunite with the family. Many have arranged long-expected gatherings, travels, celebrations even weddings during the Lunar New Year, one of the most important festivals in China.
All these arrangements were broken up by the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak. People across China have been encouraged to stay home to avoid the coronavirus spreading.
Ms Xiong from the southwestern city of Chongqing had to cancel her wedding due to the epidemic outbreak. She hoped her decision could help slow down the spread of the virus epidemic. “The long-awaited moment is canceled,” she said in a video posted on social media, “but health is the top priority”.
More chose to call off gatherings including the once-a-year family reunion dinner by staying home.
In the time of isolation, ordinary people gear for self-protection beside following the latest news about the epidemic. Those who stayed behind doors managed to cheer up others as well as themselves.
Walking around in circles of “Bedroom- Living Room - Kitchen - Bathrooms” was called “the hottest tourist route” for this Spring Festival by Chinese netizens.
Meanwhile, people now count who has taken fewer steps rather than more. “I want to use this way to encourage my friends to stay at home, making a small contribution to minimizing the spread of the virus,” wrote a person who posted his steps on Wechat Moments. As usual, taking more strides and seeing how people match up to their friends on social media have become a daily routine for many Chinese.
(Video by Yue Wenwan, Wang Siban)
On Monday, some residents in Wuhan shouting "Wuhan, Jiayou (Come on)" for their city to hold on despite adversity. Although shouting across the block and flats was stopped for possible spreading the virus, “Wuhan, Jiayou”, roughly meaning “keep on going Wuhan”, has been trending on several social media platforms. “It helps us overcome fear, anxiety and boredom,” said a comment on China's Twitter-like Weibo.
More people created their own tips to get through this difficult time. In addition to dancing in the living room, blowing soap bubbles, performing martial arts or just lying in bed all day, some brought silly behaviors in jokes into real life.
A girl from Jinan City in east China’s Shandong Province killed time by counting black spots on strawberries on the second day at home. And Xia Mingyou, a 22-year-old college student in Wuhan, played idioms solitaire with Siri on her iPad. She recorded her game and posted it on a social media platform, winning tens of thousands of likes.
Days ago, the Chinese government decided to offer people longer holiday and postpone school openings, as a key measure to controlthe novel coronavirus outbreak. Employees are suggested to work at home by working online.
The novel coronavirus outbreak may reach its peak in one week or around 10 days, Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese respiratory expert, said in an interview on Tuesday.
In an attempt to stop the virus spread, ordinary people in China have to stay at home a few more days, try to avoid wandering outside, and develop their more talents to get through a difficult lunar new year, embracing the warm spring.
(By Wang Jingyun, Yang Wen, Qin Jing and Lu Hao; Editors: Yang Guoqiang, Li Jianmin)
