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Warren native, 50, endures quarantine

Warren native, 50, endures quarantine

As a teacher in China, Warren native Chip Mumford weathered the global outbreak of SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome — that began in that country in 2002.

Now he and the rest of the residents of Putian, a coastal city in the Fujian Province of China, are under quarantine in their homes as the nation contends with the coronavirus.

Putian lies about 475 miles southeast of Wuhan, where the virus started, and 400 miles north of Hong Kong. So far, all the patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections in Putian have recovered with no fatalities.

“There is an end in sight,” Mumford said. “The authorities gained significant expertise for dealing with a situation like this during the SARS outbreak that started in 2002, the first year I was here in China.

“The number of new COVID-19 infections is declining, and I’m cautiously optimistic about the prospect of getting back to business as usual in April,” he said. “Right now my biggest problem is cabin fever.”

Mumford, 50, grew up in Warren, graduated from Howland High School, and earned his bachelor’s degree at Hiram College and master’s degree at Youngstown State University.

“I responded to a job listing for an English teacher in 2002, and I came to China to take the job,” he said. “Since then, I have held a few different jobs, mostly teaching.

“I currently work at Putian No. 1 Senior Middle School, which is Grades 10 through 12. Students must take entrance exams before applying to senior middle school. The school where I work has the highest score requirements, so I have the good fortune of teaching the brightest students in the city,” he said. “I teach English, mathematics and physics.”

He and his Chinese wife have two children, Ming, 15, and Mei, who is 12.

During the SARS outbreak, not as many people wore medical masks as they do now, he said. Movement wasn’t as severely restricted as it is now, either.

“The height of the outbreak was in the spring of 2003. The authorities essentially canceled the weeklong International Labor Day Holiday at the beginning of May to curtail intercity travel,” Mumford said. “The COVID-19 outbreak started at the end of January this year, which was when the Chinese New Year holiday began, so the response was to extend the holiday in order to delay travel.”

Mumford said he lives in a walled-in apartment complex “which houses a number of people on par with a small municipality like Hubbard or Newton Falls.”

WEARING MASKS

“Other than some work-related exceptions, one member from each household was allowed to leave the complex once every two days (in February),” he said. “Now, in early March, almost all of the shops are open, with operators and customers alike wearing masks while inside them.

“I need to wear a medical mask if I want to take a public bus to a shopping center where I can procure supplies not available in my apartment complex. Entrances of supermarkets are staffed by greeters who check the body temperatures of customers with infrared thermometers before letting them into the store.”

When he returns to his apartment complex, “our body temperatures are still checked by a guard equipped with an infrared thermometer.”

Mostly, he said, he wants schools to reopen so he can return to work. In the meantime, he’s recorded video lessons on a mobile phone and uploaded study materials for his students.

Mumford’s father, Don Mumford of Warren, a columnist for the Tribune Chronicle, said he believes his son will stay safe.

“Chip has been somewhat of a world traveler and is pretty savvy about what to do in whatever place he finds himself. He adapts well. I believe he will follow the rules, attend to his family’s needs and be as vigilant as possible about their safety,” Don Mumford said.

His advice to other parents with children in countries where the coronavirus has had a heavy outbreak: “Have confidence that they have reared their kids in being resourceful and intelligent in surviving just about anything that gets thrown at them,” Don Mumford said. “And, if they are so inclined, pray.”

Chip Mumford said, “Following the SARS outbreak, it seemed that people here in Putian didn’t spit on the ground as much as they had previously. I was disappointed to see this habit increase again over the years because it makes it easier for viruses to get from one person to another.

“My understanding is that coronaviruses are most dangerous for people with weak immune systems, particularly older folks. A young, healthy person could contract COVID-19 and simply come down with a cold as a result. An old person, or a person on chemotherapy for example, who contracted COVID-19 could develop pneumonia and die.

“As always, it is the moral duty of the strong to protect the weak,” the younger Mumford said.

“The most important thing to do is to keep the virus from spreading. Wash your hands. Contain coughs and sneezes in tissue paper or, in a pinch, in the crook of your arm. Wear a medical mask when visiting hospitals, nursing homes or other places where there might be people with weak immune systems.

“And for God’s sake, don’t spit in public places.”

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