China One hand holding the bag, the other holding the disabled grandmother, Shi Zhiyu struggled on the deserted bridge towards Hubei.

"Two grandchildren will not be able to return," a police officer warned Shi Zhiyu and grandmother Ying Quanlong at the last checkpoint on the journey to cross the bridge over the Yangtze River to enter Hubei Province, China. , the focus of acute pneumonia epidemic.

Since January 24, the government has closed the bustling bridge connecting the city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province with the eastern region of Hubei Province, as part of an effort to control the outbreak. 18 police guarded the bridge during each watch shift, while loudspeakers repeatedly issued a warning that citizens and vehicles from Hubei were banned from traveling on the bridge.

For a few lucky people with suitable and healthy documentation, the bridge is a rare escape from an "outbreak". However, for Hubei residents who are trying to return to their homeland like granddaughter Shi, this is a one-way street into an area known as a "prison", because the blockade can last for weeks, even months. According to Washington Post correspondent Gerry Shih, this bridge also symbolizes the isolation that Hubei unexpectedly suffered.

After a new strain of corona virus (nCoV) broke out from Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei Province in December, many Chinese turned away from the people from this locality. Hotels refuse identity card holders in Hubei. Passengers leaving the train are scanned for body temperature and often asked if they are from Hubei.

The Chinese government last week issued a new regulation against corona virus, whereby people "deliberately" spreading the disease by ignoring the quarantine rules could be sentenced to death. Users of Chinese social networking even said that the Wuhan people leaving the city just before the blockade of 23/1 were "enemies of the public".

In the city of Jiujiang about 225 km from Wuhan, residents said their lives were turned upside down and the anxiety was enveloped by the location close to the "outbreak". The long-standing close relationship with Hubei in terms of trade, culture and kinship makes things even more complicated.

The bridge between the two localities was closed abruptly while Shi, who was living in Hubei, visited Ying, who was hospitalized in Jiangxi Province, across the river after a stroke.

"We often come here to watch movies and shop, just take a bus for 20 minutes. Now it becomes a different world," the 15-year-old said. Shi wrapped the blanket around her grandmother to combat the cold and waited for the police to allow her father to drive over the bridge to pick them home.

Jiujiang Bridge crosses the Yangtze River between Jiangxi and Hubei. Graphics: Google Map.

On the opposite side of my grandmother Shi, the Gui salesman pulled the luggage through the checkpoint, after getting up at 8 am to take a long-distance taxi and then walk 90 minutes over the bridge. She was one of the rare people allowed to leave Hubei by proving she had bought a train ticket to Shenzhen before the blockade, and also passed a body temperature test.

"I don't blame the blockade order. The country needs to do what it takes to do it," Gui said with a smile, seemingly unable to hide the relief after escaping from Hubei.

However, in an alley less than 500 meters away, a shop owner named Zhang Hubin was afraid of people from neighboring provinces. "Prejudiced attitude is not right, but when I hear a customer speak Wuhan accent, I feel worried," Zhang said.

On a road in Shimendong village, on the outskirts of Jiujiang, a red banner of the government printed: "Don't go around if you've just returned from Wuhan. It will all be over if you spread the disease." At the foot of the hill, several strong men patrolled around obstacles they built themselves with bamboo poles to block the way.

They are volunteers who have been assigned by the local government to prevent people who are at risk of infection from entering the village. Other men were responsible for retaining villagers, as many families with migrant workers returned from Hubei before the Chinese New Year.

"The authorities have gone to every house to check for people returning from Hubei. They are all quarantined at home under surveillance. Fortunately, no one is infected," a man surnamed Hu said. that their actions "should be sympathetic".

Many Chinese officials urge people not to discriminate against their compatriots. People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, also advises people to "not hold prejudices or treat them coldly" to Wuhan residents. "They expect the epidemic to be eliminated more than anyone else. They want to be safe, cared for and guaranteed," the article said.

On a deserted boulevard in Jiujiang City, Tian Hongfa, a 62-year-old flower arranger, said that over the years he relied on tourist influx and flower suppliers from Hubei to sustain his business. joint. So the fact that Hubei was isolated made him fearful that his city, as well as much of central China, would be in prolonged misery.

"The economic growth rate has slowed down within 5 years, now this disease outbreak. It will take us much longer to be able to revive," Tian said, adding that the fate of Jiangxi province. associated with Hubei Province, both past and present.

"I think we should sympathize with the people in Hubei. We are one-on-one, on both sides of the river," he said.