Wuhan crisis ruins Spring Festival plans

Some Hubei Province residents who work in Shanghai and Beijing have given up Spring Festival family reunions and refunded flight or train tickets to their hometowns following the coronavirus outbreak in the provincial capital of Wuhan.

Amy Yu and her husband, a native of Huanggang in Hubei, had planned a wedding banquet there for February 2. They had bought high-speed train tickets to Wuhan and were due to leave on Thursday.

"I noticed the pneumonia outbreak early this month, and suggested not to return home and cancel the wedding," said Yu. "But our families believed infection was a small percentage incident and I did not insist.

"However, I realized the seriousness due to the abrupt increase of cases this week, and I thought the trip should be canceled," she said.

"My husband insisted we go back at first but he finally agreed with me following the development of the pneumonia," said Yu.

"My father and mother-in-law were angry at first because they said they had made all the preparations for the wedding with the hotel and car booked and relatives informed," she said.

"They could not understand my decision, but we kept telling them the development of the pneumonia and such a gathering had potential health hazards," she said. "They finally accepted."

Joyce Qiao returned her flight ticket from Beijing to Wuhan on Wednesday.

"My family originally planned to spend the Spring Festival holiday in Wuhan, our hometown, and my father believed it would not matter if we took proper precautions," she said.

"However, the significant rise of cases on Monday exacerbated my concerns and many of my friends also persuaded me not to return home," she said.

"My parents finally agreed with the decision."

Haley Zhang refunded her train ticket to Wuhan. She had planned to stay in her hometown from Thursday to January 30.

"Many of my family members are medical workers, and they told me not to return," she said.

"My mother is a doctor and she fully understands my decision."

Zhang said three people in a friend’s family had been infected, and she took her decision due to the seriousness of the situation.

"Even seniors in my family understand my decision, and I will eat nianyefan, or Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, with my friends."