"What I miscalculated during the early months of covid-19"

W“What I misscalculated during the early covid-19 month”

The world health organization (WHO) declared Corona virus pandemic on march 11th, and I was released from the prison on March 15th. Actually, I was released on 14th and got home on 15th.

In Yancheng prison in Hebei province, when the disease became pandemic for those outside in China, we inside that were following the events in television were not actually worried about what was unfolding outside. I remembered that it’s only three guys that were paying attention to the numbers being released in the television province by province. Infact, we regarded it as outside disease and some people were saying that government was releasing fake data that they believed that the number of the dead was higher. I sat down in my corner, Wondering what those guys were talking about. I was thinking that the government was highing the numbers for whatever game they were playing.

I was thinking that it’s impossible for human to be dying at that Astronomical rate. To me, it’s just impossible. The announcers would say in the morning that the number of the dead was 600, in the afternoon, it would be 1000 plus. To me, it was just not feasible. I was seriously of the opinion that, there was game going on. Why are they inflating the numbers at that rate. I have never witnessed in my entire life where people die in large numbers like that daily.

The television was broadcasting what other nations were saying about the disease in China then. A man from Britain was saying that: “ We thank the people of China for limiting the disease in China, we are grateful for that”

One black man from US was being asked by reporter what he would do if the disease gets to US, he said: “ this is America, if it gets here, we would find cure for it”

Most nations were offering to help, some had started banning flights from China. Yet, we inside, still see it as distance story being narrated in television, I still don’t believed.

Boy, was I wrong?

Information was released in the same television that 400 hundred prisoners in one province tested positive for the pandemic, that the management of the prison has been dismissed. Officers brought the disease inside from outside.

Government directed every prison in China to take all necessary measures. The management of yancheng went to work, factory work was suspended, hot water that normally was being released only on Thursdays and Saturdays were made every day affair, eating at the dinning hall was suspended, watching of news in the communal room was suspended, the news was watched in our various rooms. Anything that warrant gathering together was suspended till further notice. Even food was brought to the district, it’s shared room by room, showering was room by room too.

What was regarded before as innocent sneezing or yawning was being taken serious thing them. It’s seen as a serious something.

The officers on their part were reorganizing how they do things, they change duties on weekly now instead of daily. We heard that before the new set would reliefs those on duty, the military at the gate will check them critically before allowing them in. In the dormitories, minimum contact between the officers and inmates were initiated and intercom was put at work frequently then. Telephone was over used then too. Inmates was calling their various families.

It was them I believed that something was happening. The signs was visible for us to see, we have become one of the people being talked about. When the management converted district five to isolation center, there’s visible fear on inmates.

Rumours began to spread that one officer have brought the disease inside the prison, scanners was shared to every district and temperatures was being taken and recorded daily and data compared. Facemasks we had being seeing in television was being distributed to every one.

For me personally, it’s highly trying period. I had been falling in and out of sickness I can’t explain, then the pandemic started and my due date was approaching seriously and most nations were banning planes from China and I asked myself:

What if China closed down their airport too?

What if I contact this covid-19 at this eleventh hour of my stay after twelve years?

What if my release date was shifted because of this pandemic?

My thoughts then was full of ifs, so many, many ifs.

Boy, I am not a person that panic easily, but I tell you the truth, I was worried. I was asking myself; why on my release year and month?, would something like this be happening?. What were the gods playing at?, If this Is a game, someone should please, tell them that I don’t even know the rules.

Numbers were being reeled in from other Asian nations and western worlds of the dead and sick, none was coming from Africa. In television, we see people moving around without mask and they was no reports from hospitals of people dying or falling sick. It was confusing to us from there. We thought that it would have hit the continent most considering the level of every thing there.

One evening, I developed fever and the officers took me to the hospital and over, they would check and say that I was ok, back in district, it would be high again and in hospital, it would be low. The officers told the doctor that it was because I walked under cold whether, I was asked to stay for 30 minute before taking my temperature.

It turned out to be normal there again and abnormal in the district.

What really upped my fear was that; I was having problems with the officers before the disease started. So, I was afraid that they might want to send me home with virus gift. On 14th evening, I went home after undergoing checks in prison hospital and another in the city before being taken to the airport.