Serbian in epicenter of coronavirus: Everything at standstill, schools closed, people work from home

Predrag Kuvekalovic, a football coach from Obrenovac, Serbia works in the Chinese city 800 kilometers from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus

In Shanghai, the financial center of China and a city with more than 24 million inhabitants, streets are nearly empty due to the deadly coronavirus that first appeared in Wuhan. Obrenovac man and football coach Predrag Kuvekalovic lives and works in the "promised land" but has been adapting himself to the new situation in Shanghai for some time.

"I am located in the city of Shanghai, which is 800 kilometers from the epicenter of coronavirus, Wuhan. According to official statistics, about 2,000 people have the virus here, schools are closed, football training sessions are not held and everything is paralyzed. As you can see, there are no people in the streets, everybody's wearing protection, masks, and working from home," this Obrenovac man said.

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There is almost no one at one of Shanghai's busiest metro stations, he explains. The metro itself looks almost the same, as there are few people, including foreigners, but everyone's wearing face masks.

The bravest seem to be precisely the foreigners, because only they can be seen in public places.

"The official position of the Government and the City of Shanghai is that people should take precaution by wearing masks, washing their hands and not leaving the house. The mask is a must, everyone in China wears one, I wear it all the time, too. Everybody in China wants this situation to stabilize and pass as soon as possible," Kuvekalovic said.

Whether he will stay in Shanghai or return will depend on the company’s decision.

Meanwhile, Serbs living in China are in a kind of quarantine and follow the Chinese authorities' recommendations.

362 people have died so far from the dangerous coronavirus, more than 17,000 are infected and 2,000 are in critical condition.

(Telegraf.rs/RTV Mag)