Harrowing tales of a Kenyan student stuck in Wuhan, China

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The New York Times reported that on Sunday at least a 100 people had died in a single day in Wuhan City, China from the deadly coronavirus bringing the total number of those that have died to 900 people in the last six weeks.

These are some of the scary statistics that James Karani(not his real name) wakes up to every single day, a thing that scares him stiff as he fears that if no action is taken, his name might be among the statistics.

James is a Civil Engineering student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan city the epicenter of the deadly virus. Every breathe he takes saps out the only remaining energy in his body. He tells me a new day is not promised. He fears that at each dawn, his hope for life diminishes.  The outbreak has disrupted his daily life. "Wuhan city is on lockdown. I cannot go to school, they are all closed and no trains or planes are allowed in or out of Wuhan. The streets are empty and abandoned. A definition of a ghost city," he says.

Clinging to hope

James spends his day buried in his books, laptop and in his worries. Few instances, he receives calls from his family which gives him hope. He clings onto that hope wishing that he could be millions of miles away from an epidemic that continues to ravage the human population. "A normal day for me is eat,watch movies, sleep and receive calls from my parents. We are surviving on prayers. I'm only 24 years old and I fear for my future. Feels like I'm in prison,"he says.

He had hoped by now, that the Kenya government would have put up measures to ensure their safety in a foreign land. He says that the only communication they get is from the embassy officials who've only told them to take safety precautions and not any word on evacuation.

James is among 88 Kenyan students who are stuck in Wuhan city and worried sick of their next move.

" I shudder at the thought of dying in a foreign land. Some of our colleagues have been evacuated. We are left to wonder if we belong to any country. The outbreak is overwhelming and the Chinese government is unable to cater for all its citizens. How do you expect them to take care of foreigners? He ponders.

Morocco,Egypy, Libya,Tunisia,Algeria and Mauritania are among the countries that have chartered planes to evacuate their nationals from China.

Food supplies are depleting with each passing moment

James fears that hunger will soon ravage them. "During the first week of quarantine we decided to stock up food since there was only one supermarket that was open. My friend Thomas went out  a few days ago to buy food supplies from the supermarket which is open from 10am to 4pm. It was full to capacity which beats the sense of quarantine since cross infections might occur," James says.

Before the outbreak, James loved visiting his friends and strolling across the streets. He loved social gatherings. He cannot do it anymore. He has to stay indoors and avoid any contact with the outside world. "For how long? He asks. He was to graduate later in the year after spending the last  five years studying, but his dreams are now shattered.

Silencing the truth

James says that the Chinese authorities are cracking down on anyone who is using social media to amplify the agony caused by the disease outbreak. He tells me doctors sending out alerts about the disease have been arrested and locked up.
His friend, Thomas from Uganda says he fears he might be expelled from school for posting about the disease on media platforms. "This lockdown is getting worse, that is why we are asking for evacuation. An official from my university just contacted me cautioning me about giving any interviews. I will probably be expelled from my university for doing this." He was speaking on a Uganda Television show.

Chen Qiushi, a citizen journalist who had been reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, went missing on Thursday evening. His family says police have told them he has been forcibly quarantined.

The UK government has declared Coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health. Global death toll figures stand at 900 whilst infections stand at 40,510.