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Amalia Margaryan

Advice from an Armenian Citizen Quarantined in China: “Don’t Panic”

Given the spread of the novel coronavirus in Armenia, Hetq has reached out to Aleta Hakobyan, a citizen of Armenia who has been quarantined for the past two months in Shenzhen, a small town in China.

We wanted to know how she’s managed to survive the ordeal and what advice she has for people in Armenia.  A state of emergency has been declared in various cities of China since January 20. The Armenian government today declared a state of emergency for all of Armenia.

Aleta, tell me how long you have been in quarantine, what restrictions do you have?

We have been in a state of emergency since January 20. In our small rural town (with a population of one million) there were only three cases of the novel coronavirus infection, but the whole city was in quarantine. Only one of the exits was open. Another open exit was guarded by police officers, and everyone coming out of the exit was obliged to write his name, phone number, scan a QR code to track people's movements with a special app to see if they had contact with the virus. Only after all of that did you get the right to leave.

When could you leave the house?

We could only leave the house if we needed to buy food. Before entering the food store, they would take our temperature, write down our names and phone number. In the West, this would be considered a public disclosure of personal data, but here such steps were able to control the movement of people and prevent the spread of the infection.

Grocery stores have always remained open, there has never been a problem with food.  For a time, work hours had decreased.

How have you managed to stay home all the time?

It was snowing one day, the first winter snow. I couldn't restrain myself and went down to the yard. There was an emptiness in the yard. there was no one. The Chinese were able to keep their children at home without succumbing to the temptation of snow. I was thinking at the time, could we? I couldn't.

What do you think helped curb the spread of the virus in China?

 People unconditionally believe in the potential of their country and are confident that they will overcome it. Many didn't work for about two months. The question is, what did we do during this time? We followed the instructions carefully and did not disturb those who had work to do. We did not go out for walks, though it is very difficult to remain indoors for a long time.

Our small town has just begun to get back to normal. People are walking along the streets, and after an unusual and long silence, the sounds of cars are heard again. There has been no official announcement about ending the quarantine yet, but shops and food outlets are slowly opening.

Aleta, did you notice any apprehension, any panic?

Of course, there was unease. People certainly didn't want to get infected, but anxiety never turned into panic, since people followed the official instructions without complaint, without alarm, realizing that they were part of drive against the virus.

Minutes ago, a state of emergency was declared in Armenia. As someone who has been quarantined for two months, what advice would you give to our citizens?

Please do not panic. Everything will be fine if we each realize our role of social responsibility and cooperate with the state, organized in accordance with all exhortations and instructions.

China defeated the virus because it was organized. I am sure that Armenia will also overcome this with the cooperation and cohesiveness of all citizens.

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