Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 23) — What’s life like after a lockdown due to COVID-19?
Peter Cui, a worker residing at the original epicenter of the pandemic in Wuhan, has lived through the lockdown that shuttered most businesses in the city south of Beijing and halted life for two months.
Life is slowly returning to normal, he told CNN Philippines’ News Night, but it’s a new normal for the residents of the city.
“We are almost open, but the restaurant is still closed, the shopping mall is limited, we can go out, do a little running, a little jogging,” Cui said.
Cui said even if the lockdown has been lifted, he still wears a mask when he goes out, practices proper handwashing and social distancing.
“The most important thing is you wear mask,” he said. “Once you go back home, you have to wash your hands, clean your clothes.”
China, where the cases of the new coronavirus were first reported late December, has slowly returned to life as the growth of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to slow down.
This is in stark contrast to the Philippines, where over 57 million people still live under an enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, which may even be extended up to May.
But for Cui, there’s a silver lining with being under lockdown. He admitted that while it made him anxious at first, he used all his spare time to start a blog and even learn French.
“During that time, people need to think positive,” he said. “This is a good time for you to jump out of your comfort zone.”
