Tony Hegg experiences life in China during the coronavirus outbreak

News from China has been dire in recent weeks as the coronavirus has spread. On February 10, the daily death toll from the new virus topped 100 for the first time, pushing the total reported deaths to above 1,000.

Officially, much of China was set to go back to work on the 10th, after an extended Lunar New Year holiday. However, schools remain closed and many people are working from home, hoping to avoid crowds and the risk of catching the new virus that has sickened tens of thousands of people.

Authorities hope warmer temperatures and falling infection rates will relieve the anxiety, but there is little doubt that it will be weeks if not longer before life returns to normal.

WTIP reached out to former Cook County resident, Tony Hegg. Tony is now living with his wife, Jessica Vega, in Shanghai, China. He is a physics post-doctorate researcher at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The couple has lived there for three years.

And they are there now, getting a close-up look at the coronavirus situation. WTIP’s Rhonda Silence reached out to Tony to learn what it is like living in China during this outbreak.