Wuhan: A Window into The Future for Spain?

IN a controlled but slow manner, in order to avoid any rebound, China has ‘returned to normality.’

Only two months ago, Wuhan was the closest thing to hell on Earth: hospitals were over- saturated, the city and its province, Hubei, had spent two weeks completely shut down, the number of positive cases and deaths was escalating daily and the light at the end of the tunnel never seemed close enough. More or less, it is a similar situation now in Spain. Yesterday, groups of young people in their best clothes were parading down the popular Han Street in in China which is full of shops and cafes which are only just beginning to open.

However, this change has not happened overnight. After managing to control the coronavirus epidemic, this city of 11 million inhabitants is slowly recovering and returning to normality although they still withstand many controls and restrictions to ensure there is not another outbreak of Covid-19.

Due to both its tragedy and its recovery, Wuhan is a mirror image of Spain and the rest of the countries affected by this horrific virus and what life after coronavirus may look like in the future. As China has proven, tackling the epidemic is not the end of the war, but the beginning of a new battle.

Both in Wuhan and the rest of the country, in order to use public transport or enter a store you must have a QR code on your mobile, which is linked to the popular Chinese app, WeChat. This app records the movements of each person and tracks whether you have been in contact with a person infected by Covid-19. Although regulations vary in accordance to region, a specific red code will appear when someone has travelled from one area to another and must remain in a two-week quarantine to prove they are healthy. Just like a traffic light, a green code will give you the all clear and guarantee access to public transport and shopping facilities.

In order to enter any public place or residential building you must undergo a temperature control with electronic pistol-shaped thermometers which are carried out by guards and doormen dressed in white protective overalls.

Shelly, a 20-year-old English student sat at a bubble tea booth says, “It is the first day I go out after two months of confinement and I am very happy to breathe fresh air.” Both she and her friends are wearing mandatory face masks to avoid spreading the virus, this even more important now as new studies have shown that even asymptomatic individuals can transmit the Covid-19 virus.

Although there are many inconveniences to this new form of normality, the happiness is palpable on the streets on Wuhan which, only recently, were ravished by tragedy.

Written by

Laura Kemp

Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

Comments