Charles Hui looks out with his limited view from confinement and wonders if his business will be ruined because of the novel coronavirus. A native of Hong Kong, Hui operates an education center in Wuhan, which he calls his second home. He employs 35 people there, yet no one is allowed to work due to the virus outbreak.
But the 60-year-old said he is calm in the face of it all. Despite living in Wuhan for over a decade, Hui still has faith in the Lion Rock Spirit, which refers to the “can-do” spirit of people in Hong Kong.
Wuhan is officially closed for business, with almost everyone confined to their homes. The city where COVID-19 has done its worst has been under quarantine since Jan 23. Since the outbreak began, Wuhan has the most confirmed patients contracted with the novel coronavirus and reported the most deaths across the nation.
Hui has lived in the capital city of Hubei province for nearly 14 years. There, he married a local woman and they had two children.
The declaration sealing Wuhan came on Jan 23, two days before the Lunar New Year. Hui had gone out that day to buy groceries for the new year. It never occurred to him that it would be the last time he would leave his apartment for some time.
The scenes that he had never witnessed before struck him. Once-busy streets in the Hankou district were deserted. Only supermarkets and pharmacies were open.
“I was a bit shocked but not scared. I got what I needed,” said the 60-year-old, who has been staying inside his home for over a month now.
The anxiety, however, becomes more intense day by day. Hui’s education center helps local students to apply for universities in Hong Kong. Business has suffered since the latter part of 2019. First came the social unrest caused by months of protest violence.
Then came the novel coronavirus. It was a one-two punch for Hui. His business already had fallen 70 percent because of Hong Kong’s troubles. Then it was brought to a complete halt because of the epidemic.
His “standardized” life at home, however, soothes him a bit.
He works from 9 am to 8 pm, figuring ways to reach more potential students and find additional financial support. After dinner, he has quality time with his two kids — a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old, with whom he had little time to spend when working full-bore.
He reports his temperature twice a day in a WeChat group together with his family and other people living in the nearby community. The group is managed by the community’s neighborhood committee, which is responsible for identifying suspected cases of the virus.
Every two to three days, Hui goes to the committee’s office, inside his compound, to fetch the groceries he has requested in another WeChat group, also managed by the committee.
“I’ve never run out of daily necessities, nor did I hear anyone nearby doing so,” Hui told China Daily.
When asked what he will do after the virus has been contained, Hui answered without hesitation —go out and get students full tilt. “I think I can save the business if I work really hard in April,” he said.
While admitting it was a tough time, Hui still managed to joke about his hardship. “I am ‘lucky’, right? Two punches at a time.” He called his attitude “the Lion Rock Spirit”. He believes he can ride out of the storm.
