A Chinese Tourist’s 180 Days in Tanzania During COVID-19

Miss Bao is a documentary director. Every year, she would spend a certain amount of time collecting raw materials for a documentary all over the world. Africa was the continent that she always dreamed of going.

In January 2020, Bao started her Journey to Africa.

After spending a month in Kenya, she went to Tanzania. When she arrived at Zanzibar, she was shocked by the scene she saw. Blue Sky was mirrored in the sea. Zanzibar was a place nobody wants to miss in Africa.

Soon after that, the COVID-19 pandemic exploited in Wuhan. While people are feeling nervous in China, she decided not to go back.

Her life was much better compared with those who stayed in China. While others are quarantining at home, she can lie down on the beautiful beach and enjoy the warm sunshine.

When time went to February, the pandemic in China went worse. In March, China started to ban foreigners from entering. But there wasn’t any travel ban to local yet. At that time, a small number of patients have been confirmed in Africa.

In the middle of March, Nigeria and South Africa started to have a large number of confirmed cases. Many tourists started to run away from Tanzania at that time. But Bao’s flight has been canceled. And when she realized that she needs to buy another ticket, she is not capable of buying one.

Initially, she stayed in a hotel. But she can’t afford to live in a hotel for such a long time. With the help of local Chinese, she rents a house that is not expensive.

Zanzibar’s pandemic was not severe, but there is a shortage of supply of goods other than seafood.

Bao started to make seafood in various ways. She became a chief in making seafood after several months there. There are a few Chinese tourists facing a similar situation there.

Local Chinese treated them nicely, giving them vegetables, fruits, and Chinese seasonings.

Officials from consulate also come to visit them, bringing them masks and other equipment. In April, the pandemic in China has been well controlled, and everything started to go back to normal, but the pandemic in Africa was getting worse.

Starting from the end of April, Tanzania started to stop the public the confirmed number of cases. There were almost no confirmed cases there.

Initially, Bao was confident to go home after watching the news about evacuate flight in Kenya. But there wasn’t one yet in Tanzania.

She waited until June. Tanzania government announced that they had controlled the pandemic, every`thing went back normal. But Bao and local Chinese didn’t believe the claim.

Finally, in the middle of June, the Chinese Embassy started to register people with the most necessities to go back to China. She registered for it. A few days later, she was notified that she could go home.

After testing negative for COVID-19, she took on the plane. After seeing the Xiamen Air’s plane, she finally rests assured.

She cried when she stepped on China’s territory. She felt lucky about her that there are still so many Chinese waiting in Africa for the plane to go home. She really appreciated those Chinese giving her help in Tanzania. They offered her help both physically and psychologically. They received friendships that will last forever.

This article was translated from an article posted on Wechat Official Accountc 小聂说非洲

Link to the original article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/mqYQA2a97zQEBDTRdF_INQ