Life under lockdown in Wuhan: They dance, sing, run, chant as hope springs eternal under coronavirus watch

As the dreaded Covid-19 spreads around the world, killing 1,770 (mostly in China), sickening more than 70,000 people, and with no vaccine yet in sight, many families in the worst-hit areas wait an uncertain future.

But survival hormone cannot be denied: The urge to make social connections amidst shared suffering, cannot be bottled up. To deal with crushing, soul-vexing boredom, many Chinese in locked-down cities and provinces have found novel ways to entertain themselves.

Rays of hope: 6,639 recovered

In the midst of draconian curbs, there’s bit of good news: New confirmed cases of Covid19 in the mainland outside Hubei have dropped for 13 consecutive days, from 890 on February 3 to 115 on February 16, according to China's National Health Commission.

Another ray of hope: 6,639 people who had been quarantined and treated had already reportedly recovered.

And still another: plasma from the blood of patients who recovered are being used to treat the severely ill, who have survived and then shown signs of improvement.

Could this lead eventually to a Covid19 vaccine?

It's still too early to say. But hope springs eternal as long as we live.

Still, for many facing an open timeline to uncertainty, there are stark numbers to deal with.

The numbers (as of Monday) in Hubei:

How citizens entertain themselves

Yet, millions of residents have somehow found novel ways around an unprecendented lifestyle in confinement.

1. Marathon in my living room

Pan Shancu, a Chinese amateur marathon runner under lockdown, is unstoppable. He keeps active and running a full 42-km (31 miles) course around two tables — in his living room.

The Chinese medicine health therapist from Hangzhou, managed to complete 6,250 laps around his apartment in just under five hours, according to a South China Morning Post report.

A post, which went viral on Weibo, shows a video of himself running, while Pan says: "I have not been outside for many days, today I cannot bear sitting down anymore! Let's run laps around the two massage tables in the room, then!" To prove his feat, Shancu added screenshots of his running app results, writing: "Yes, one lap is about 8 meters (26ft) — I ran 50km (31 miles), and did it in 4:48:44, sweated all over, feels great!"

2. Square dancing

Meanwhile, Chinese social media has been flooded with videos of citizens who have found ways of entertaining themselves. A group has gone "square dancing" or re-enacting Chinese operas.

3. Boiling money

A Twitter post shows a Wuhan shop-keeper allowed to operate a food delivery business. He is seen disinfecting wads of cash by boiling it in water, as a way preventing exposure from the virus.

4. Rescuing cats, playing hide-and-seek with them

Wuhan resident Wu has joined in, posting daily videos to TikTok of life under quarantine. In one of his videos, Wu plays hide and seek with his cat.

5. Jumping water challenge

To while away their time, the Chinese have taken to the latest social media craze. One is “Jumping Water Challenge: The Next Level”.

It involves someone jumping over two buckets (or wash basins), elevated and placed next to each other, and filled with water.

The challenge is for the jumper to slightly touch the water surface enough to make a splash, but without tripping or overturning the buckets. The whole thing, which runs just a few seconds, is then document on the slow-motion video and posted on social media.

6. Push-ups, practice handwriting

To keep themselves fit, many have resorted to doing pushups in their confinement, after endless hours watching TV. and to pass the time, others have gone into practicing handwriting.

"I wish the government had taken control of the situation earlier. If that were the case, maybe the epidemic wouldn't have lasted this long," Wu, a resident said.

"But I trust the doctors, the nurses and the scientists. I believe the epidemic will pass."

7. Chanting, singing patriotic songs

Amidst the growing adversity, man's necessity for socialisation persists among Wuhan residents. On many nights, the city echoes with sounds of spine-tingling chant "Wuhan, Jiayou", which roughly translated (Wuhan, you can do it!).

It's a strangely beautiful, heartwarming gesture, city residents keep their spirits alive — by chanting slogans from the high-rise balconies and. The city also also echoed with patriotic songs in a spontaneous wave of mutual encouragement.

Tighter lockdown

The lockdown, however, has reportedly been tightened. Social media posts show ordinary, desperate Chinese residents speaking up — including one woman emboldened to remove her face mask — on social media, threby risking being invited by the local police.

After a local leadership change in Hubei, the sharper lockdown means people cannot walk on the street without hospital or community pass. People caught violating the rule will be sent to stadium for 14-day quarantine at his/her own expense at 50RMB ($7.16) per day, according to one social media post.

A glimpse of the life of frontline medical workers

Frontline medical workers, though, don’t have much time on their hands. Overworked and exposed to the virus, they are seen as heroes. The fight against the novel coronavirus is long and winding. Until an effective vaccine or antidote is found, a logical ending for most medical workers remain uncertain.

The virus has knocked down lives, and locked down cities but not the telecom services. Social media posts showing the faces of doctors and nurses — with marks of face masks and suits showing on the faces — have moved millions netizens in China.

Army medical team

People’s Liberation Army medical workers are working hard to help fight the virus.

On Monday, another batch of 1,200 PLA medical workers arrived in Wuhan. A total of 2,600 military medics have been in the city to support the fight against Covid19.

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