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Matt Caddy (‘03) reports from Shanghai
Wednesday, 27 May 2020
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I arrived in Shanghai on 14 January, eagerly anticipating another working year with MinterEllison. It was not long after touching down at Pudong Airport that we first started to hear of a ‘mystery virus’ that was sweeping through the manufacturing city of Wuhan in Hubei Province. Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined what started to transpire over the coming weeks and months. Initially, there was a rush to identify the virus and how it could be spread. Media and ‘second-hand’ reports were varied and the information at our disposal was inconsistent, at best. By the end of January we were familiar with the term ‘COVID-19’ and the panic that it generated; from 23 January we were expected to wear masks in all public places and shared vehicles. One-by-one, flights to and from China were cancelled and airports shut down. The dome was closing. Much of the expatriate community rushed to find ways in which to leave China and return to their homelands (or elsewhere that they could find ‘safety’) and the competition for those few remaining flights was fierce. Our access to media was limited. However, there were videos and other content being shared on Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat that were ‘concerning’ to say the very least. For many reasons, we decided to stay in Shanghai. Throughout February, access to both essential (masks and hand sanitisers, for example) and non-essential goods and services were scarce. When combined with the fact that COVID-19 hit China on the back end of the Chinese New Year shut down period, many services remained closed for up to 12 weeks – some remained closed permanently. Streets that would normally, and quite literally, have tens of thousands of cars each day – could now be used for a street cricket tournament that would remain uninterrupted for days - except for the need to stop play from time-to-time to remove the tumble weed from the wicket! For those people who did dare to roam the empty streets, hazmat suits were the attire of choice and masks have now become an essential accessory to every day fashion. Thankfully, things appear to be returning to a sense of normality here in Shanghai, well at least in a social sense (subject to masks being worn and daily temperature testing). The impact that COVID-19 has had on the Chinese economy and its bilateral relations? That will take some time to fully determine. In the meantime, sending best wishes to the CCGS OBA community and their families. Please, stay safe. Matt Caddy (‘03) Vice President of the Old Boys' Association |