A Jamaican family based in Wuhan, China, has avoided coronavirus and wants to give the rest of the world hope as the disease sweeps the globe.
Wuhan is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, but it hasn’t stopped the Shirley family from living a full life. The family recently posted a video that is circulating on Instagram, one detailing the strategy they used to avoid contracting COVID-19 during the lockdown in China.
“We have to stay home all day, every day,” said mom Aileen Shirley. When they have to go out, they wear surgical masks, wash their hands frequently and avoid touching their faces.
The family deployed a mix of social isolation and home remedies. According to patriarch Devon Shirley, the family drinks a mix of “ginger, honey, garlic, apple cider vinegar and sour orange,” to boost their immune systems.
The Shirleys also had tips for preventing boredom while stuck at home under lockdown.
“We have been playing a lot of games inside,” Devon said. “Board games, dominos, stuff like that. We keep in touch with family and friends and laugh a lot.”
The family also updated the public about the situation in China. According to Cruz, one of the sons, approximately 83 percent of the more than 81,000 coronavirus patients in the country have fully recovered. He added that about 1,000 people recover daily.
“We can definitely say that this epidemic — pandemic now — will be in the rearview mirror for China,” Cruz said. The young man asserted the “chaos” in the early stages of the pandemic can be attributed to a lack of knowledge about COVID-19.
Chayse, the baby of the family, had a strong message for the world in this trying time.
“This war will be won. It can be won if everyone plays their part,” he said. “We can limit the spread by taking personal responsibility for our safety and listen to the instructions that the government and authorities give us. This is everyone’s fight. This is a real crisis.”
Aileen added that people shouldn’t try to make money from the pandemic, listen to misleading sources, or discriminate against other groups. Cruz encouraged quarantined people to practice personal reflection and try to bond with loved ones. He also encouraged students to catch up on their schoolwork.
The optimistic Shirleys added that this experience has strengthened their relationship with God and one another. They shared that this epidemic has shown them the best side of humanity. They also big-upped the Jamaican Embassy and Jamaican Association in China.
“We have experienced the kindness of neighbors and strangers who have offered to help us, even with the translation and getting food to buy,” Aileen said. “We have gotten a lot of love from people all over.”
The video ended as it began: with hope.
“We are doing it and so can you,” the family said in unison. “One love.”
