Alumna describes living and working under COVID-19 lockdown in China
The World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global heath emergency on January 31, 2020. The world is wading through a new era and will not look the same when it is on the other side. Avondale University College alumna and multi award-winning journalist Kristina Kukolja has been living and working in Beijing, China, since June 2019—coinciding to the day with the outbreak of mass protests in Hong Kong. Alumni Relations Officer Rachel Humphries asks Kristina about what life has been like living through a pandemic in the country of its origin.
Restaurants became empty. 
Catching a local train. 
Catching a train during lockdown. 
Local grocery workers. 
Grocery store entry with robot temperature checks. 
Emerging after quarantine
Tell us about your professional role?
I’m an assignment editor with a major international news organisation. The role is primarily about commissioning, developing or crafting breaking and ongoing news coverage in conjunction with correspondents and staff in Beijing, London, Washington, DC and Nairobi. I verify multiple sources and determine story priorities and their treatment. On one end of the spectrum, I discuss how a story is covered from multiple angles or locations. On the other end, I copy edit story scripts and suggest story structures.
Why did you move to Beijing?
I’ve always worked in news environments—for both of Australia’s public broadcasters, a decade with SBS and about two years with ABC—but my primary interest has been international news and current affairs. So, it seemed a natural progression to work in international news broadcasting. Another motivating factor, as a journalist: to better understand the socio-political and economic reality of China and its unique media landscape, which requires delicate editorial decision making. China is the world’s second-largest economy and a major political player in global events and affairs, not to mention its economic and political significance to Australia.
Use five words to describe your experience since the declaration of the pandemic.
Unexpected, eye-opening, difficult, fascinating and, at times, overwhelming.
How quickly did things change as the pandemic escalated? And what changed?
We started hearing about cases of a “mystery pneumonia” in late 2019 but they weren’t being widely reported in the domestic media despite attention from abroad. During the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, I left Beijing for a three-day trip to Shanghai. On the second day, my travel companion and I were walking through the city when we stumbled across a pharmacy with a queue of people pouring onto the street and around the corner. We learned later they were queuing for face masks. The same day, President Xi Jinping delivered a statement publicly acknowledging the outbreak for the first time.
On January 23, the day the government locked down the pandemic epicentre of Wuhan and other cities in the province of Hubei, I boarded a train back to Beijing—almost everyone on board wore a face mask. The mood in Beijing, it seemed, had changed.
I returned to work but within a couple of days was asked to self-isolate at home. From then on the restrictions and advisories at a national and local government level seemed instantaneous—almost all people disappeared from the streets and other public places. Community measures, including access restrictions to residential compounds, community quarantine for returned travellers and temperature checks for tenants, came into effect. Cinemas, historical sites, offices, parks, restaurants and shops closed. Temperature checks and contact tracing became part of everyday life. Within days, the capital had effectively closed.
People are generally compliant even though most of the restrictions are still in place—the primary school next to my compound has yet to resume classes. More people are out and about but strict public distancing rules apply, contact tracing at the entrance to most public places continues and face masks are mandatory.
About what did you find hardest to adjust?
The feeling of isolation. Beijing is a city of more than 20 million people but it fell almost silent for weeks—I missed the background noise. I found February difficult and regularly thought about returning to Australia. Even now, as life returns to some semblance of normality, I’ve found it difficult adjusting to strict international and domestic travel restrictions and to movement monitoring requirements. The fear in China is of infections from abroad.
Not many of us enjoy rapid change, but has it brought some benefit you’ve appreciated?
Yes, the opportunity to have longer conversations via video conference with family and friends in Australia and Croatia. Most would listen to my stories about how fascinating it is to live in Beijing in such unprecedented times but weren’t aware of the lifeline they provided. The changes were so abrupt and unprecedented that those who called or who connected on social media were my anchor.
What can we learn from the pandemic?
It’s important to take one day at a time, deal only with the facts and stay informed using authoritative sources. The pandemic will likely bring long-term changes to our way of life. Let’s do what we can to ensure they’re not detrimental to our society and to ourselves.
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