[Report] Wuhan Citizens 'Ururu' in Beijing... Wuhan Pneumonia Quarantine Network Wide Open

At 5:50 PM on the 21st, a train departing from Wuhan arrived at Beijing West Station, where many people from Wuhan wearing masks were exiting through the gates.

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] "Pneumonia? It's not a big deal. Since I'm wearing a mask, I think I'll be fine. I just arrived in Beijing from Wuhan and plan to tour during the Chunje (Lunar New Year) holiday before returning."

Although the number of confirmed cases of 'Wuhan pneumonia,' which is confirmed to be transmitted between people across China, is increasing by dozens every day, the Chinese people themselves seem to take it lightly.

On the late afternoon of the 21st, the Beijing Railway Station visited by the reporter was packed with people ahead of the full-scale Chunje (Chinese New Year, January 24?30) holiday. Especially, Beijing West Station, located west of Tiananmen, is where most trains from Wuhan arrive. There are about 40 trains daily arriving in Beijing from Hankou Station, Wuhan Station, and Wuchang Station, which are closest to the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, known as the origin of Wuhan pneumonia.

The interior view of Beijing West Railway Station on the evening of the 21st, ahead of the Spring Festival when billions of people travel.

Between 5 and 7 p.m., trains from the Wuhan area arrived at Beijing West Station platforms at intervals of several tens of minutes, and Wuhan citizens wearing masks poured out toward the exits. The fact that most passengers were wearing masks was noticeably different from the usual train station scene. However, no staff wearing protective suits performing disinfection or conducting individual inspections were seen.

At the train station exit, a man in his 40s from Wuhan, Mr. Pi Shengxun, said he visited Beijing for sightseeing during the Lunar New Year holiday. He explained, "Before boarding the train at Wuhan Station, I passed through a passage equipped with a thermal imaging detector," and added, "I did not witness any special disinfection activities inside the train during the travel time." He said, "I live in Wuhan but have never been to the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and have no symptoms, so I was not hesitant to travel to Beijing," and questioned, "Isn't it enough to just wear a mask?" Pi explained, "Wuhan citizens are not currently feeling severe fear about the spread of the novel coronavirus. They just reduce appointments and wear masks when going out as a protective measure."

A woman in her 20s working in Wuhan, Ms. Jang, also introduced herself as visiting Beijing for the Lunar New Year holiday and said, "Although the Wuhan pneumonia news is noisy, I don't think it's serious." She added, "The atmosphere in Wuhan has only seen more frequent disinfection of public places and a noticeable increase in people wearing masks, but it is not as frightening as during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) period." She also mentioned, "I passed through a thermal imaging detector when departing from Wuhan Station," and said, "Other than that, I did not experience any special quarantine measures on the train to Beijing or after arriving at the station."

The situation near the train station entrance was not much different. The entrance leading to the train departure platforms was so crowded with people rushing to catch trains to various regions that there was no room to step. Even though the number of confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients in Beijing had already surpassed 10, making the situation unsafe, the inside of the train station was packed so tightly that the back of the person in front was almost touching the nose. It was impossible to properly identify who had a fever or was coughing, as the crowd at the entrance was only hurriedly passing through without delay. Despite the need for heightened tension due to strengthened quarantine measures, the train station was no different from the usual bustling scene of people returning to their hometowns for the Chunje holiday.

◆What is the situation at the hospital treating confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients?=There was no tension inside Beijing Ditan Hospital, where several confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients are isolated and receiving treatment.

An employee, Mr. A, who works there said, "I saw two confirmed patients directly this morning. Their condition looked quite good. Although there are confirmed patients inside the hospital, there is not much fear. If I had to find a difference, it would be that disinfection inside the hospital has become more frequent than before."

Since confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients are isolated there, a notice was posted at the hospital entrance stating, "Patients with a fever above 37.5 degrees Celsius should not enter through the general passage but visit the 'Infectious Disease Emergency Room.'" However, there were no facilities to control febrile patients to the extent that even those with high fever could easily enter the general outpatient clinic. Suspected Wuhan pneumonia patients without masks were freely roaming inside the hospital and could easily come into contact with other patients with weakened immune systems.

We visited the 'Infectious Disease Emergency Room,' where only febrile patients are gathered. Since it is cold and flu season, about 50 patients filled the room. It was so crowded that there was no empty waiting chair. Most were wearing masks, but some without masks were also seen, and the hospital staff did not impose any particular restrictions.

A woman in her 50s leaving the hospital after treatment said, "I didn't know this place was isolating and treating Wuhan pneumonia patients. Ordinary citizens have difficulty accessing such information. I just came because this hospital is a large hospital known for infectious disease treatment, but hearing this made me a bit uneasy."

◆The Chinese government's passive response is also a problem= The Chinese people's indifference seems to be greatly influenced by the government's passive response. Although the Chinese government states it will do its best to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, it is only focused on controlling information and the media to prevent the anxiety about the epidemic from spreading throughout society.

Chinese schools, which started winter vacation early before Chunje, sent notices on the evening of the 21st to each class's parent group chat, asking families to pay attention to personal hygiene. The notice advised washing hands well, wearing masks, and avoiding contact with wild animals due to the possibility of infection during the Chunje travel period. However, it did not mention specific infectious diseases such as Wuhan pneumonia or the novel coronavirus.

Although the number of patients exceeded 300, the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, filled the front page of the January 22nd issue with news of President Xi Jinping's visit to Yunnan Province and Chunje congratulatory messages instead of epidemic news. Reports related to the novel coronavirus were pushed to page 4.

Korean residents in Wuhan are unable to hide their anxiety over the sudden surge in confirmed patients. One Korean resident living in Wuhan said, "There are rumors that the number of infected patients in Wuhan hospitals has suddenly increased, and nursing staff are insufficient. Until the weekend, the atmosphere was 'It's okay,' but with the sudden surge in confirmed cases, the Korean residents are very anxious."

According to the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC), as of 8:26 a.m. on the 22nd (local time), the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in China reached 270 in Hubei Province, 10 in Beijing, 17 in Guangdong Province, totaling 324. In addition to these areas, suspected cases numbering about 100 have occurred in nine other provinces and Hong Kong, raising concerns that the total confirmed cases may reach around 400 by that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.