As long as there's still a grain of rice, stay home

This is the first time I'm spending Chinese New Year outside Singapore, and in Chongqing too. Amidst the rapid escalation of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and a mask shortage, like most other people, I have been keeping myself indoors as much as possible.

Being cooped up at home has become the lifestyle of most Chinese during this extended Chinese New Year holiday. In a bid to contain the outbreak, various public entertainment venues have been closed while mass gatherings or events have been cancelled. Officials have called for the public to minimise gatherings and many people have since cancelled meet-ups and overseas travel. They have instead stayed home to read, work out, and spend time with their family.

A netizen even proposed that staying zen at home could be one way to tackle the mask shortage. Banyuetan (半月谈), an official WeChat account under the Xinhua News Agency, quantified it for us: for every four hours that a person stays home, a mask is saved; for every gathering that we cancel, less disinfectants like medical alcohol will be used; for every cough and fever that we manage to avoid, medical resources of fever clinics will be saved, and doctors and nurses will, in turn, be able to rest for a few more minutes. The math seems to add up - staying home does indeed have many merits.

Online videos show residential patrol guards using loudhailers to say: "As long as there's still a grain of rice, stay home. As long as there's still a drop of oil, stay home. As long as there's still a spring onion, stay home. As long as you still have one breath, stay home. I'm proud to stay home. I'm saving masks for my country."

Meanwhile, banners reading "Want to live a long life? Stay home" or "The number of times you leave your house determines how many years you can receive your pension funds" plaster Chongqing residential areas.

For journalists, the extended holiday was a busy time. This year's Chinese New Year was probably one with the largest volume of news and information, a stark contrast to previous Chinese New Years where we had to struggle to find a topic worthy of report. This year, we worked round the clock covering the latest updates on the 2019-nCoV, preventive measures implemented across China, and the situation in public opinion. Time flies when you are busy doing these things.

Yet, to the general Chinese public, the outbreak not only put the brakes on routine social events, it also unveiled the different perspectives of life as a result of being cooped up at home. Young netizens were quick to share their musings. These are just some of the comments they made:

"I've never thought that the day would come when I would race aunties and uncles for the last stalk of vegetables available at the market. Never would I have expected to willingly fork out a huge sum of money to buy masks as well."

"I've never expected myself to be so bored with using my phone that I want to work on my assignments instead."

"I've never expected that the most strenuous activity this Chinese New Year would be to collect a parcel from the entrance of the residential area I live in."

Some people even kept track of who accumulated the most steps in a day among their friends, saying: "For all those out there who can clock over 10,000 steps in a day during this period of time, either you're a medical staff, or a reporter. If you're neither of them, I'll 'report' you immediately!"

The officials first extended the Chinese New Year holiday for another three days, until 3 February 2020. Following which, various regions including Shanghai, Chongqing, and Zhejiang extended the holiday again until 10 February 2020. Thus, the holidays were extended for a minimum of ten more days, lengthening the duration in which people had to stay home. This is perhaps the longest collective holiday of the Chinese people in history, and also the quietest one at that.

However, starting from this week onwards, staying cooped up at home has shifted from being a social movement filled with mission and responsibility to one that is a cause of frustration and psychological stress. Many netizens complained that they were "rotting" at home with nothing to do and felt like they have lost the focus of their lives. Descriptions of their daily activities such as "acting like tourists and touring their bedrooms and living room", "going 'fishing' at their fish tanks", and "removing the seeds of strawberries" flooded the internet.

This behaviour immediately caught the attention of the authorities. Changan-j (长安剑), an official WeChat account of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, posted an announcement on 3 February 2020 that read: "Today marks the 11th day of staying home. We have sat at home in all positions that we possibly could, and eaten eight rounds of all the dishes that we could cook... [However] the outbreak and its preventive measures remain complex and serious. Whether you're working on the frontline or continuing to stay home, you're protecting others and yourself."

This post also highlighted the few people who broke the rules and went outside, including those who intentionally concealed their personal circumstances and symptoms. A man from Qinghai province is one such example. He was investigated by the public security bureau for the "crime of endangering public security by dangerous means" as he hid his itinerary and symptoms, and rejected quarantine. The post said: "Feelings of frustration and boredom can be understood, but reckless and outrageous behaviour should not exist."

That same day, at the press conference of the National Health Commission, Chen Xuefeng, deputy director of the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggested practical ways for the public to alleviate feelings of frustration and anxiety from staying home too long. They included: drawing up a plan and having the day's activities nicely arranged, including keeping to a regular eating and sleeping pattern; researching and discovering new things through reading, listening to music, writing or picking up a new skill; building a network of support; and working out to your favourite indoor exercise or qigong.

The outbreak has pressed a "pause" button on the public's otherwise busy lives, forcing them to go from extreme busyness to extreme boredom. It has brought them out of the hustle and bustle of life, and returned them to a state of calm and simplicity.

Before the outbreak subsides, staying home will perhaps become the safer way of life for most Chinese. Whether this change will result in a paradigm shift in lifestyle remains a topic that requires further observation.