Wednesday 29^th January, 2020 1000

Twenty-five cases here now.

I had another call from Brenda, this time updating me with the news. She said the Peace Corps had asked all schools in China to send any volunteers they had working for them to Thailand.

Khloe is back in the States, Eli is in Malaysia but when his holiday is over he will go straight to Thailand. I'm not quite sure how Thailand feels about a large number of Americans being dumped on them, considering some may in fact be infected. The non Peace Corps teachers are a Russian girl (married to a Chinese teacher in the university) who is currently visiting family in Russia, Nordine who is now in France, leaving me as the only foreigner working at this school who is still here. The thought has crossed my mind that the others simply might not come back!

She was also trying to organise a mask for me but failed. She also complained that all the shops nearby her home have closed and when she went to the supermarket people had been panic-buying. Not one pot noodle left on the shelves!

She implored me not to go outside. Well, I don't need to go to BHG until next week but I do have my daily, five-minute outing to the jing jo shop and occasionally the fruit and veg stalls. I'm not going to sit inside on bread and water, especially as the Firewall Police are increasing their efforts even more now, making it frustrating to say the least. Anyway, when I do go out there's hardly anyone else around.

1630

I think I am infected. Not with novel coronavirus but terminal laziness. I had planned to make a load of Chelsea buns and have something hot for dinner tonight. I did nothing and what was going to be dinner is still in the freezer. Instead, two rounds of tuna and cucumber sandwiches will be my day's intake. I have discovered bakery bread that for once doesn't taste of cake. Damned expensive, eight slices for 15¥ but none thrown away though.

And then I plucked up every ounce of courage I could muster and went outdoors! Well, I had to get my daily liquids, didn't I? And lo and behold, Mr Jing Jo has just taken delivery of some utterly ineffective masks! Just to shut everyone up, I bought two. A black one and a pale green girly one with brown polka dots. The latter was pure mischievousness – had he had pink ones I'd have got one of those as well. So now, according to the Chinese mentality, I can venture out with impunity. For me it doesn't make a blind bit of difference, I am no more protected than I was without one! But taxis will stop for me now and the harridan sentinel at BHG won't be able to castigate me. Not that I took any notice anyway.

Do you know, it occurred to me earlier that if my Mum hadn't passed away I would be getting bombarded with hourly calls entreating me to flee to Nepal, Siberia or Peru. And you know, I actually wish I was getting those calls.

It is a trifle boring though. Don't get me wrong, I haven't confined myself to barracks any more than usual. The problem is, quite apart from the VPN aggravation wherein I chase it all over the web, iPlayer developed that fault where I can't download. No problem if the net is fast but with everyone barricading themselves in the buggers are all online, slowing it up. YouTube can only offer so much and watching back to back films wanes quickly.

Stay safe folks, wherever you are!!!