2020.2.4 The 13th day of the Wuhan City Closure
It is very sunny today. When I got up this morning, the sun’s rays just poured into the bedroom, bathing my whole bed. For just a moment, I thought it was just an ordinary weekend day, as if I could, after washing up and getting dressed, go out with some friends to have a meal and catch a movie.
That now feels like it must have been in a previous life. I get that feeling a lot recently.
Today, I sorted through the receipts I have kept since the we knew about the epidemic. We have spent nearly 1000 RMB [about USD $140] on medical masks, alcohol, hand sanitizer and other medical related items:
l Mask: 599.5 RMB (of which 282.6 RMB is reimbursable)
l Alcohol, alcohol cotton flakes 128 RMB
l Disposable hand sanitizer RMB 33.7
l Household blood oxygen monitor 139 RMB
l Electronic thermometer 83 RMB
We have gotten nearly all the packages we ordered for delivery by SF Express before the Wuhan city closure. We ordered one parcel for delivery by China Post. After the parcel arrived at a Wuhan post office a few days ago it hasn’t budged.
Two orders for face masks are being refunded. Although in stock when I ordered, we heard later from the company that we’ll have to wait because they don’t know when they will be able to deliver them.
I bought a lot of disinfecting alcohol pads. I also bought some for my cousin, but it has not been shipped yet. They were taken off the website shortly after I placed the order so it must have been sold out. That store has been out of alcohol for a long time. We have almost used up what we have at home.
I bought a disposable hand sanitizer when new type coronavirus pneumonia was just a rumor. At that time, I bought the compact size because the household size was not big enough. My classmate recommended a brand widely used in hospitals for disinfection and sterilization that is more effective. Unfortunately, I only thought of buying more just before the city closed. By then there was no more in stock. I hope I can buy more later.
I bought the pulse oximeter, which is fairly inexpensive, before the city closed. Then I didn’t know what was going to happen and whether any of my family members were infected. Now our family is doing alright and we may not need it for now. I saw someone on Weibo asking for help the other day. They said that an elderly infected person at home could not be monitored without a pulse oximeter. I felt lucky. Although I spent money on it, it was a matter of being prepared for a misfortune that in the end did not come.
Buying the thermometer is the hardest expense for me to justify. I blame yourself for breaking our mercury thermometer. Mercury thermometers are too much trouble. I spent a whole morning cleaning the beads of mercury so I decided to buy an electronic thermometer this time. The electronic thermometer I bought was twice as expensive as usual because most of the pharmacies in Wuhan are sold out. I heard that there are only a few pharmacies that can sell it, but I can’t go out now. Although I could go out walking to do errand, Wuhan is too big and in the end I may not find a drugstore that has one in stock, not to mention buying it on your own is expensive. After communicating with several relatively nearby online stores, I found that they do not use SF Express. Finally, I did find one that is twice as expensive as usual but can guarantee delivery although that will take 3 – 4 days. In times like these though, a thermometer is essential equipment.
Spending will go nowhere else but up. Now each of us is mentally prepared to spend a long time in this war. Stuff like masks, alcohol, disposable hand sanitizers, etc, will surely continue to be snatched as soon as they become available. My spending was below average, as I only buy medical surgical masks, and I bought way earlier before it doubled. If I invest in those 3M masks, the price will be several times higher. I will start buying 3M masks if things get worse —- to the extent where I can. Last week if you ask an online sellers when you will get a restock, you will likely get the date “February 10th”. Now many of them have been changed to March. I am also anxious if I will end up buying a fake. Recently I saw several so-called "overseas mask groupons". It is said that medical masks can be purchased from the United Kingdom at 3.4 yuan each (the regular price for such a mask is 1.9 yuan in Wuhan), and you can purchase if more than 50K people opted in. But if when asked detailed information about the brand and model, the answer is they are still pending confirmation. Somehow you can determine a price without knowing the brand and the model. Can you even buy this many masked in Britain now? It fills me up with questions.
I saw an online request for help that a family of five – including a young child – contracted coronavirus after one suspected case found in the family did what a doctor suggested to “ isolate at home”.
I can see a lot of similar help requests every day. The reason why I paid attention to this one particularly is because their geographic location is too close to me, just so close. It is close enough to listen to their wheezing.
I also saw news in a neighbourhood WeChat group that multiple staff members of a supermarket were diagnosed as coronavirus positive. The supermarket is not far from my company and the business is now suspended. I went to that supermarket two days before the city was locked-down.
It was full of all kinds of bad news in recent days. My classmate’s parents both infected in Wuhan while the classmate is not in the city. The mother is now in critical conditions while no one is taking care of the elderly couple. I can’t even secure a car to send them for medical treatment after contacting the community.
One friend in the WeChat group has got six elders from one family infected with coronavirus… I have never imagined how bad the so-called "outbreak period" could be.
Maybe it is my own perception that if I don't think about it, I can still pretend life is quiet and wonderful.
In such an mature age, this is the first time I felt so close to bad luck.
Last night, I saw the news on state-owned media, which said the Government started to disinfect the entire city on Feb 3… How can they only start doing this 12 days after the city was in lockdown? Can you believe it?
I also saw a supermarket in another neighbourhood actually engaged in an event delivering vegetables for free. I saw photos and videos on the spot showed it attracted a big crowd.
I am speechless. I feel deeply desperate about the authorities’ capability and awareness.
I read a line wrote that “one dust particle of times that dropped on one person’s head is actually a mountain”.
2月4日 武汉封城第13天
今天的阳光特别灿烂，早晨起床的时候，阳光倾泻而下，洒了满床。有那么一瞬间，我以为这只是个普通的周末，等我洗漱完毕换好衣服，就可以跟朋友们一起吃饭看电影。
恍如隔世，最近常常会有这种感觉。
今天把知道疫情情况以来的消费账单简单整理了出来，口罩、酒精、免洗洗手液等医疗相关的物品，总计花了近1000元：
l 口罩 599.5元（其中282.6元待退款）
l 酒精、酒精棉片 128元
l 免洗洗手液 33.7元
l 家用血氧监测仪 139元
l 电子体温计 83元
封城前下单的东西发SF快递的基本都已经收到，有一件包裹发的中国邮政，前几天到了武汉后就没有动静了。
口罩一项中有两笔单正在退款，因为下单时有货，最近答复需要继续等待、发货时间不明。
酒精棉片买的比较多，给表弟也买了一份，但是还没有发货，不过那家店在我下单后不久也下架商品了，想必也已售罄。酒精更是断货很久了，家里现在用的是我以前的存货，也快用完了。
免洗洗手液是新型肺炎刚有传闻时买的，当时买的便携装，家用是不够的；这是同学推荐的医院常用的品牌，消毒杀菌效果比较好；可惜等封城前想再多买一些的时候就没货了，希望接下来可以补货。
血氧仪比较鸡肋，也是封城前买的，当时不知未来情况如何，也不知道家人是否感染，担心过年期间快递停运买不到，就果断下了单。现在家里整体状况还好，可能暂时用不到。前两天看到有人微博求助中称，家里老人感染在家，没有血氧仪无法进行监控，我心里略过了一丝庆幸，虽然花了钱，但至少有备无患吧。
体温计是最冤枉的一笔开销，都怪自己失手打碎了家里的水银温度计。水银温度计实在太麻烦，光是清理水银珠就花了整整一个上午的时间，所以我这次打定主意换电子体温计。我买的这款电子体温计比正常时期的价格贵了一倍，因为全城的药店都在缺货，听说仅有几家药店还能买到，但现在肯定是不能出门了，虽然可以找跑腿代买，可是武汉太大了，不一定能找到有货的药店，何况代买费用本身也很高。沟通了好几家发货地点比较近的网店，都不能发SF快递，总算找到一个能保证发货时间的，不仅价格贵了一倍，也需要3-4天才能送到。但是特殊时期，体温计是必不可少的装备。
这个开支肯定还会增加，现在我们每个人都做好了长期对抗病毒的心理准备，口罩、酒精、免洗洗手液这些等有货了肯定还要继续买。
相较而言，我的开支可能还不算很高，毕竟我只买了医用外科口罩，如果买3M口罩价格会翻好几倍，而且我买得比较早，当时还是正常价格，封城前后口罩已经成倍涨价了。不过如果接下来的情况持续没有好转，我也会买3M口罩。
然而现在就算想买，也不一定能买到。上周网店的回复普遍是2月10日后发货，现在很多已经改成3月发货了。
更令人心焦的是，不知道会不会买到假货。最近看到几个所谓“海外口罩团购”，据称可以从英国采购普通医用口罩，每个3.4元（武汉正常时期医用外科口罩大约每个1.9元），5万个起团。询问关于品牌和型号的详细信息时答复还在询问确认，为什么品牌型号都不知道，价格却能确定呢？而且，英国现在能买到这么大批量的口罩吗？实在不得不让人充满了疑虑和不安。
在网上看到一条求助，一家5口，孩子才几岁，最早有一人疑似的时候遵医嘱“居家隔离”，现在一家人都感染了。这样的求助每天都可以看到很多，之所以对这条格外在意，因为地理距离实在太近了、太近了，近到我觉得好像可以听到他们气喘的声音。
在本地群里也看到消息，离公司不远的一家超市有多个工作人员确诊，导致超市停止营业。封城前两天我还曾去这家超市买东西。
这几天身边全是各种糟糕的消息：在外地的同学爸爸妈妈在武汉都感染了，妈妈已经病重，没有人可以照顾二位老人，联系社区连送医的车子都安排不了；群里的朋友，家中长辈6姊妹全部感染……我一直没有设想过所谓的“爆发期”可以糟糕到什么程度，可能因为潜意识里觉得，如果自己不去想这些，还能加装生活平静美好吧。
长这么大，第一次觉得噩运的距离如此之近。
昨晚看到官媒发出的消息，武汉在3日开始全城消毒……居然在封城12天后才第一次全城范围消毒！谁敢相信！
今天还在群里看到，有另一个区的超市居然在搞免费蔬菜派送，看到现场照片和视频，又是大群人群聚集。
……不知道还能说什么，对官方的能力和意识感到深深的绝望。
读到一句话：时代的一粒灰，落在个人头上，就是一座山。