For almost a week, 21-year-old American student Nicholas Schneider tried, but could not get out of Wuhan (China). He had to stay in this deserted metropolis due to the coronavirus epidemic. A strange calm reigned in the bustling streets of the city with a population of 11 million people, where Schneider studied geodesy at Wuhan University.
Wuhan's frightening calm
“It's like a ghost town, almost without people or cars. It was a strange feeling. I felt like I was at the ends of the world, ”Schneider said in a telephone interview with Reuters on January 29.
Since January 23, Chinese officials have blocked most of the transport links with Wuhan, trying to reduce the spread of coronavirus, which killed at least 250 people and more than 12 thousand were infected.
Schneider holds dual US-German citizenship. He planned to catch a train from the city that morning, but his parents advised against this. “They said that the station is not the place to appear during the epidemic, ” Schneider said. “So I decided to stay.” This was the first time I was scared because I did not know what to do."
