EDITOR’S NOTE: Shelby resident Demrie Alonzo and her 15-year-old son decided last August to travel to Shandong Province, China. He would attend school and she would teach. She has shared her story about the conditions there, approximately 800 miles from the epicenter of Coronavirus outbreak; her first story was published on Feb. 10. Richland Source asked Demrie to update their saga to give us a local look at an international crisis.
We ran into so many obstacles to getting home, from finding an airport that still had flights to America to finding a way to even get to the airport.
Thanks to many wonderful friends here and in America, we’ve been able to secure a flight back to America on Friday, March 6. We will fly into San Francisco where we will go under a house-quarantine at my parents’ home for 14 days. We thought we might have a layover in South Korea, which is concerning considering their situation with the virus right now, but we were able to get a direct flight from an airport here to America.
I won’t feel better until we’ve safely landed on American soil, but we are closer to the mark than we were. We are truly thankful to the wonderful people who have both encouraged us and helped us during this difficult time.
Our city is still on lockdown and students are no closer to going back to school. I hope to continue teaching my students online from America until they can physically go back into the classroom. They are bored and all of them have cabin fever. When I’m allowed out to go to the grocery store, I only see adults. I haven’t seen any children in weeks. They are keeping them home and safe.
I will send another update once we are back in the USA.
LATEST NEWS ON CORONAVIRUS
According to Richland Public Health, as of Feb. 25 the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization have reported the following:
• China now reporting 77,262 cases.
• Deaths in China from COVID-19 are 2,595 (as of 2-24-2020)
• There are 2,069 cases across 29 countries with 23 deaths outside of China.
• There are 634 cases confirmed on the Diamond Princess Cruise line (quarantined in port in Japan) and 3 deaths on that cruise line from COVID-19.
• Outbreaks in South Korea (763 cases with 7 deaths), Italy (124 with 2 deaths), Japan (144 with 1 death), and Iran (43 with 8 deaths).
• The CDC is verifying 12 travel-related confirmed cases of COVID-2019 in the U.S. and 2 cases of person-to-person spread for a total of 14 cases. There 39 cases of COVID-19 among persons repatriated to the U.S., including 36 among passengers from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship. All cases in the U.S. (53) are, or have been, in quarantine.
• 27,789 persons have recovered from COVID-19 including five (5) in the U.S.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and local health departments will investigate any newly reported possible cases (in patients referred to as Persons Under Investigation, or PUIs), and numbers will be updated on the ODH website each Tuesday and Thursday by 2 p.m.
To help prevent infection with COVD-2019, take the precautions you normally would during cold and flu season:
• Frequently wash your hands for 20 seconds or more with soapy water. If unavailable, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home while you are sick (except to visit a health care professional) and avoid close contact with others.
• Keep sick children home from school or child care.
• Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• Get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
