South Africans teaching in China share their quarantine experiences

A South African teaching English in China had to spend two weeks behind closed doors after she returned to her home from visiting a friend elsewhere in China, due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Officials even placed a surveillance camera outside Aneske Potgieter Britz’s apartment to make sure she stayed put. 

Aneske arrived in Wenzhou, in the east of China, on 10 January, and worked until 22 January when schools closed for the Chinese New Year celebrations, which started on 25 January.

“Before the Chinese New Year started, I planned to visit one of my friends in a different part of the country. When I arrived in Qingdao, the virus was already a serious problem,” she said via WhatsApp. She says people were urged to wear masks and remain inside their homes for safety.  

Due to the air travel restrictions, her return flight from Qingdao on 30 January had to be cancelled. She booked a second flight for later that day, but that was also cancelled. On her third attempt, she finally bought a ticket and boarded the next morning back to Wenzhou. 

“It was the emptiest I have seen an airplane. We were about 30 passengers,” Aneske said. When she arrived at Wenzhou airport, everything was shut down, shops were closed and there was not a single person or car in sight. “It was like a ghost town.” 

After a few setbacks, Aneske finally contacted her colleagues to arrange a ride back to her apartment. She said that on her way home they encountered several roadblocks. Each time an officer measured their temperature before allowing them through.

Upon their arrival at the final roadblock, the officers once again took her temperature and requested to see her identification. As part of her residence application process, the government confiscated her passport and in return gave her a receipt to prove this. It took two hours before the officer accepted this form of identification and she could finally go home.

From 1 to 14 February, she was placed under quarantine and could not leave the apartment. The government placed a camera outside her door to monitor her movements. She said that every morning and evening someone came to take her temperature. Unable to leave or buy groceries, colleagues brought food to her house. They would knock on the door, and place the food on the ground. She had to wait for them to leave before opening the door. 

On 15 February, her landlord, accompanied by a doctor, came to her apartment. Once again the doctor took her temperature and finally gave her clearance to leave. Due to suspended travel and closed schools, Aneske is unable to leave China and return to South Africa. 

Richard Dettmar, a North-West University Potchefstroom alumnus, also recently started teaching English in Taishi in the south of China. He said before the Chinese New Year celebrations started, all foreign teachers who planned to travel to different parts of the country had to indicate where they wanted to go. They were advised to not visit certain parts of the country due to an “unknown virus” making people sick.

“At a nearby mall, officers were stationed at the entrance wearing masks and protective suits, and measuring people’s temperature,” Richard said.

He added that despite his clearance at the door, everyone had to undergo the same process before entering a supermarket. 

“Many of my colleagues are stuck in China, unable to leave. Some of them are even unemployed and have no means of income,” Richard explained.

He initially managed to return to South Africa last week.