A Thought for Wuhan -By Olusegun Adeniyi

With the official death toll as at Tuesday evening put at 490 aside 24,324 confirmed cases, and 23,260 suspected cases (with another 185,555 persons under medical observation), Chinese authorities have activated one of the best health emergency responses in modern history to deal with the coronavirus. But that has still not stopped the stigma against the country or discrimination against Chinese people and Asians generally in several countries due to what has now become a global epidemic. Apparently in response, Yuli Yang, a journalist and Features editor, Asia-Pacific, for a number of reputable international media organisations on Monday shared from her @once twitter handle, an emotional piece that speaks to both the tragedy and our common humanity.

Yuli Yang wrote: “I am a Wuhan girl living in Hong Kong. Right now, all my close family is under lock-down back in my hometown, at the epicenter of this epidemic. Every day, I worry for their safety, their health and their mental well-being. They worry too that I would be worried for them! Sound familiar? I’m sure anyone living far away from her/his mum can relate to this funny cycle of love. I’m also a news producer and aware of the blame, the frustration and the outrage. I’m grateful for my tireless, fellow journalists out there, who keep the world abreast of the battle against this Coronavirus.

“I understand and support the physical measures that airlines, governments and institutions choose to put in place for control and prevention. But at the same time, I wish to invite you all not to build up walls between our hearts. By this, I’m referring to the emerging trend of discrimination towards Chinese people and sometimes those who simply look like us. This virus brings death and fear. It also reveals an amazing truth — that we’re all interconnected, so much more closely than we might have thought.

“Plato saw the entire universe as a single living organism. But we don’t need to look to Plato to know that the world can only survive this crisis if China pulls through it. And China can only pull through when Wuhan heals. Like it or not, this is the reality of our oneness. I get that sometimes it is hard to fathom this oneness because we know so little about each other and we seem so far apart. That’s why I would like to tell you a little bit about my hometown…”

After sharing many notable things for which Wuhan is renowned, Yuli Yang concluded: “I hope you can open up a small space in your heart. A space for compassion. A space to love and to support the millions of my fellow Wuhaners. Your support will empower them. And that is the first step of our collective healing.”

• You can follow me on my Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com