Uzbek students in China call on people not to panic about coronavirus

Kun.uz correspondent contacted the representative of the World Youth Association of Uzbekistan in China, Khusnulla Asadullaev, and asked about the situation with the spread of coronavirus in the country. Asadullayev is a senior student at Jiangsu University of Technology, located in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.

“We first heard about this in the news. First, in the Chinese media, then in the Uzbek media. This news spread very quickly. After the spread of coronavirus, like other universities, our university made the necessary recommendations, and they were also consulted by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Beijing and the Consulate General in Shanghai. They recommended us to stay at home if possible, to wear masks, and to go out to public places as little as possible. Temperature measuring devices were installed at the entrance and exit doors of each university. As a reminder, recommendations were made on observing hygiene rules, washing hands frequently and using antiseptic agents,” says Asadullayev.

Some states are evacuating their citizens from Wuhan. Do you think Uzbekistan should do the same?

“We heard the news that some countries are evacuating their citizens from Wuhan, placing them in separate quarantine zones. First of all, it is better to let our embassy choose. Personally, I believe that the evacuation, if necessary, should be carried out in cooperation with the Chinese government and in compliance with the standards of the World Health Organization. Because, only having created all the conditions to prevent the further spread of the disease in the territory of Uzbekistan, can citizens be placed in a certain quarantine zone for a period of 2 to 14 days, depending on human immunity. I support maintaining the quarantine during all 14 days and paying close attention to the health of people, so that after that they can go back to their homes in Uzbekistan.

I want to stay in China even after the virus is defeated and everything is back to normal. I will continue my studies, then improve my skills in China and return to Uzbekistan. I want to emphasize that even before that, the Chinese government had faced such a problem. Similar measures were taken when SARS and MERS viruses first appeared in China and were overcome. I am sure that they will also do their best to eliminate this virus.

Another Uzbek citizen, Yulduz Safarova, a PhD student in international relations at Shanghai University of International Studies, also shared her thoughts on this topic.

“In recent days, there has been a great panic on the Internet, especially from many websites and bloggers in Uzbekistan. These days, I try not to use the internet, because different statements are distorting actual situation. If half of the messages on the Internet are true, the other half is a lie. Many posts published by bloggers, especially those distributed on YouTube, are false. At the moment, everyone knows that coronavirus has spread throughout China, but it seems to me that it would be better if people went to crowded places less, put on masks when they go outside, observe hygiene rules. Personally, to avoid the virus, I go out wearing a mask, and after returning home I wash my hands with soap and also use alcohol spray on the mask. I do not visit crowded places. I clean almost all the furniture in the house with alcohol,” Yulduz Safarova said.

For information, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus has spread to more than 20 countries, and the number of infected people is approaching to ten thousand. As of January 31, 213 people died, therefore, a global state of emergency was declared at the end of January.