Focus Live: Infectious diseases expert Dr Siouxsie Wiles answers your questions about coronavirus transmission, risk in NZ, masks and what you can do to prevent infection.
Christine Wang is turning to the kindness of teachers leaving schoolbooks by the mailbox and online grocery shopping to help her family endure a self-imposed coronavirus lockdown.
Her family are among hundreds of Kiwis recently returned from China being asked by health authorities to stay home for 14 days in case they contracted the deadly virus without realising.
A special Air NZ flight with New Zealanders on board left Wuhan on Wednesday morning.
Wang flew home on January 31 after her family cut their China trip short once the first coronavirus cases appeared in the city of Nanjing, about 500km from Wuhan.
They've since been unable to return to the West Auckland dairy they own and had to wait upstairs as the Countdown delivery man dropped food at their door.
Thanks to help from friends dropping goodies from the Chinese store at their gate and the primary school teacher leaving reading materials for their daughter, the family were passing the time well.
Christine Wang and husband John Wenhan Miao shut themselves up in their hotel in Nanjing last month once the city had a reported case of coronavirus. Photo / Supplied
"We don't really feel that awkward and stuck thanks to them," Wang said.
Global measures to contain the coronavirus have stepped up in response to the virus spreading at an increased rate in recent days and the World Health Organisation declaring a public emergency.
While New Zealand had no confirmed cases, the death toll in mainland China has risen to 425. More than 20,000 infections been reported around the world.
For Wang, husband Wenham Miao and daughters Poppy, 5, and Lily, 3, the situation in China changed fast.
ISOLATE
They arrived in Nanjing to visit Mao's parents on January 20 to find it bustling as normal. Mao's father wasn't even aware of the coronavirus outbreak, being a retiree who didn't follow the news.
But then Wuhan went into lockdown on January 23, before the first three cases were reported in Nanjing on January 24.
Wang and her family shut themselves up in their hotel room for the next week.
Mao's parents were desperate to come see their grandkids at the hotel but the couple told them not to because older people were more susceptible to the virus.
The streets below their hotel emptied and shops closed up.
Poppy, 5, and Lily,2, in Nanjing in China last month. Photo / Supplied
"It is quite amazing to see things change all of a sudden like that," Wang said.
Local television programming filled with news about the outbreak as entertainment shows were canned or ran less frequently.
"It was pretty intense the media over there, but not in a scary way - more in an educational way," Wang said.
It helped Wang explain to her eldest daughter why they were cooped up.
"You see those doctors what they are wearing, it's different from the doctors you usually see, it's because they are protecting themselves so they can protect the patients," she told her daughter.
"And that's what I'm still telling her now we are back - we are staying at home because we need to protect the people in New Zealand until we make sure we are 100 per cent fine."
It was also "really intense" in the airport flying out of China.
The family had their temperatures checked and were asked whether they had been to Wuhan. All the Chinese passengers wore face masks, including those on the flight back to New Zealand.
By contrast arriving back in New Zealand "was pretty mild", Wang said.
The family were given a leaflet asking them to self-isolate. Their daughter's school had also earlier emailed with information about what they should do.
It has meant taking a financial hit during the busy summer season because the family weren't able to go back to work at the Oratia Superette they run on West Coast Rd.
Instead, the shop is running on shortened hours thanks to a friend working in their place.
The couple have been flooded with support on the dairy's Facebook page after keeping customers updated with what was happening to them.
Luckily, they also have a rural property with a big backyard so the kids can run around and a silver-lining that they now have some spare time on their hands.
"I'm going to sort out my garage because it's just full of boxes and I don't know what's inside them," Wang joked.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH GUIDELINES TO SELF-ISOLATION
* Avoid situations where it is possible to infect others, such as at social gatherings, work, school, supermarkets until 14 days after leaving mainland China * Separate yourself from other people in your area as much as possible * Cover your coughs and sneezes * Wash your hands * Avoid sharing household items, such as dishes glasses, towels and pillows * Minimise the use of public transport, taxis or ride sharing apps, such as Uber
