How one Windsor resident spent 14 days under a coronavirus self-quarantine
Joy Zhang spent 14 days in isolation after visiting family in China
After a few days, Joy Zhang said her self-quarantine felt "stressful," "lonely," and completely isolating as she sat and waited to see if she would exhibit any signs of the deadly coronavirus.
Zhang spent more than two weeks visiting family in Tianjin, China, returning in mid-February. Although she didn't feel sick, she didn't need to think twice about going into quarantine.
Messages she received from her friends who also returned from trips abroad also contributed to her decision.
"They said it's better to do so," she said. "And I know that some people in Windsor, they worry about people who came back from China."
Over the course of the two weeks she spent at home removed from the outside world, Zhang — who recently completed a 16-month masters degree in education at the University of Windsor — said she felt incredibly isolated.
"I can't gather information from the outside, I can't go to the supermarket," she said. "Even I can't just go to the school and meet my friends there."
Watch: Joy Zhang says after a few days, isolation gets lonely and you really want to talk to people:
Though she was essentially alone, Zhang said she was able to stay in touch with friends and family through the WeChat social media application, as well video chat services like FaceTime.
"It felt quite stressful," she said. "Because I already stayed [inside] in China for about 15 days. Then when I came back here, I [had] to stay 14 days more. In total, it's around one month I just stayed at home."
In addition to staying connected to friends and family, Zhang said she was able to rely on assistance from members of Windsor's own Chinese community who have spent the past several weeks volunteering their time by running errands for self-quarantined residents.
"I connected to, I think, one of their leaders, and then she sent me a message that if I need any other kind of help, she can send others to help me," Zhang said. "They just took their time to help us."
When she was finally able to once again interact with the outside world, Zhang said one of the first things she did was let all of her friends know that they can "come over to my house and then we can have dinner here."
Since stepping outside again, Zhang hasn't noticed any different treatment from strangers.
As for advice for anyone considering self-quarantine, Zhang said it's best to avoid completely isolating one's self.
"Communicate with others and try to find help from others," she said. "I know that the Chinese community is very good to help you, and you can find help from others that share your emotions."
There are currently no COVID-19 cases in Windsor-Essex.
Health Canada has logged 103 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country. There are 42 confirmed cases in Ontario, 39 in British Columbia, seven in Quebec, 14 in Alberta, and one confirmed case connected to "repatriated Canadians."
A resident of a North Vancouver care home is currently the only confirmed COVID-19 death in Canada.
According to the World Health Organization's Wednesday COVID-19 situation report, there are currently more than 118,300 confirmed cases across 114 countries and territories. More than 4,292 people have died of COVID-19 around the world.
Approximately 80,900 confirmed cases are in China, where more than 3,100 people have died.
The WHO formally declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday.
With files from Jason Viau