Chapalain has been studying international relations at the University of Wuhan for the past four years. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities quarantined Wuhan and three other cities after 80 people died and at least 2,700 fell ill with the new coronavirus. Chapalain has been posting on Instagram about what it is like to live in a quarantined city.
READ ON THE OBSERVERS >> Videos from Wuhan, ‘ground zero’ of the coronavirus
French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn announced on Sunday that any French citizens living in Wuhan who wanted to be repatriated back to France would be able to do so later this week. When they arrive in France, they will need to stay in a quarantine facility for 14 days-- the estimated incubation period for the virus.
“I’m putting it in perspective: I’m healthy, I’m at home and I still have food”
Chapalain spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers on Jan. 28. She still hasn’t decided if she wants to sign up for repatriation or not:
We still don’t have enough information about it. We would have to spend two weeks in quarantine but we still don’t know where. We don’t know if we’d have to pay for our tickets. And it is totally possible that, two weeks from now, everything will be back to normal and we would have gone through all that for nothing.