The Coronavirus, first sighted in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has quickly turned into a  global health scare, not merely menacing all of China, but also quickly spreading to multiple countries around the world. Now, the World Health Organization has also declared the Coronavirus a global health emergency.

Here’s how COVID-19 was affecting Shenzhen, China, in late January, 2020.

The Coronavirus first began to flare up in China in the lead up to the Chinese New Year holiday (also known as the Spring Festival). Every year during this holiday season, millions of Chinese travel back to their homes and families, in what is known as the largest human migration on earth. This has rightly led to further concerns as the holiday period presents a significant risk for the spread of the virus, in China and throughout the world.

And while the Chinese government, along with governments and organizations overseas, work quickly to treat those infected and limit the virus’ spread, there has been a large amount of false or misleading information spreading online, increasing the risk of panic in communities overseas. With this in mind, I have decided to share my own thoughts during my time here in Shenzhen for the Chinese New Year holiday, including daily life, the handling of the outbreak by the Chinese government, as well as the problem of misinformation.

If you have any questions about the above video, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.

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