The day came to resume stuff in Xiamen after the coronavirus. Well, almost.
The same magic wand that caused everything to stop mid-movement end of January, has sent its tremors through all the social classes, and like everybody thawing from ice in some bizarre fairy tale – things have kicked off in motion again. Students have gone back to classrooms to have classes, shops are open, the traffic gets jammed, busses are full of people… just like before, right?
Wrong. When a flood ravages your garden, what you go back to is hardly “the way things were before”. The magic wand may have set everyone in motion again, but it cannot erase the effects. Among them the particularly sad development: in company when a Hubeinese/Wuhanese person tells where he or she comes from the room turns a few degrees colder. The unfortunate individual is expected to provide a very thorough explanation where he or she spent the past months. Not to mention, as happy as people are to mingle again, you should see the look on their faces when someone sneezes or coughs – or is NOT wearing a face mask! There is definitely some trauma to be dealt with here.
Another point being, as much as I dreamt of there being one single day when all the restrictions –Abracadabra, fireworks please – would be lifted, I now know; there is never going to be a singular day to mark the change. As lightning speed as the restrictions were implemented, they are going to be petered out at snail pace.
So, as much as I am free to run around the park now for as long as I like, I am still not able to use any of the many exits to our living complex. They are still bolted shut, and all coming and going are to use the main gate and are subjected to having their temperature checked. Kindergartens are still closed. Masks are to be worn when out and about (even some dogs can be seen wearing a mask). At the pharmacy, anybody buying flu medicine must register with their id-card and if one does make the purchase, it will be followed up with a call to one’s door to make sure it is not Covid-19. A QR-code showing your health status is to be scanned or displayed on your phone at random locations dealing with everyday activities. The country borders are closed for foreigners; you may leave, you may not return.
Therefore, as bountiful as all the seemingly new freedom feels, there is still many restrictions in place, and who knows – maybe this is the new normal? For me personally, I feel like I lost an invisible nanny with the daily text messages of correct conduct plus thought gone. And it is a curious thing: after having gotten quite accustomed to wearing a face mask out and about, if one is to take it off for some peculiar reason, one feels quite… well, bashful and exposed.
On the surface, everything looks pretty dandy. But make no mistakes: all are struggling with the aftermath. Perhaps all in their own personal way, the effects being individual, but all are in the same boat. You can’t stop people’s lives – from baby to granddad – for two to three months, and not have causatum. The most immediate effect to be felt for everyone can be seen in anyone’s bank statement. As much as anyone might want to go on living as if nothing has happened, those numbers will for time indefinite stand as a witness to the truth: cash flow was more like a cash drought. The previously almost tangible optimism among people, has taken a rude beating – it has changed to an equally tangible concern how to make ends meet. So many shops of smaller scale have closed. And many bigger companies are on their last legs. Now that Covid-19 is a global pandemic and international trade has come to almost a standstill – everybody is feeling the affect one way or another.
For some counting time may have changed permanently. There is the era before the virus and the era after the virus. Depending on how dry your cash flow ran, both might be coloured with equal amount of pros and cons, or the era after the virus may fill the pit of your stomach with sheer fear. Things don’t look good on site, folks. How ugly it gets, we have to wait and see.
Having said that; Chinese people never cease to amaze me with their unbelievable industriousness and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. For example: when the most sought-after item became face masks, guess what happened? Out of the blue, seemingly random people started their factories on producing face masks or if one by any chance didn’t have an idle factory/production line at hand, all sorts of avenues were found to get one’s hands on masks from abroad or anywhere. These masks then have proceeded to flood the local market, since many of the producing companies are not licensed to sell protective gear abroad. So, how much money they ended up making, your guess is as good as mine. Besides, what is the plan after that? I am sure these same minds bent on making a buck will find the next random venture.
Also, as amazing as it is: Fujian tea harvests are either in or on their way. But, the down side is, prices are up 20-30% from last year. The reasons stated are that the harvest picked was not so voluminous, having to depend on local hired hands who are more expensive than outside hired help, and increased demand of tea. With Covid-19 still looming large on everybody’s mind, the health properties of tea may be just slightly called on to perform miracles they may not be up to. Maybe.
At the end of the day, nothing is over yet. For as long as there is one virus case out there, anywhere, everybody is holding their breath. Being able to walk in the park is a rubbish consolation prize for actually having this whole thing over already.