ORU Graduate Leaves China During Coronavirus Outbreak, Going Back Soon

An ORU graduate who returned to Tulsa to get away from COVID-19 while teaching in China, is getting ready to go back there.

Holly Wilson was right in the middle of the outbreak when it began in China. Wilson lived in Xi'an, China as a teacher for more than three years and never expected a three-month vacation to Oklahoma. She said she did it for safety. 

"Things started getting bad. People started going on quarantine. They started to take your temperature everywhere you went," Wilson said. "I really started getting worried when I saw posts of other teachers where there was no food on the shelves. Much of what we are seeing here now," Wilson said.

Wilson said there are more than 12 million people in Xi'an alone. She said China handled the situation with masks and social distancing. I never felt like the Chinese people who were around me were afraid," Wilson explained.

When Wilson moved back to Oklahoma, she said she noticed similar trends to China like people buying groceries in large numbers. She said the difference between the two countries, is the panic.

"I never at any time felt like there was panic, and here in America I felt there have been times of panic around this," Wilson said. "I think it’s an appropriate action to take things seriously and to do our due diligence, even if that means that leadership of our state city and country has to step up and say it’s a state of emergency," Wilson said.

Wilson said she feels it is more important for individuals to exercise caution.

"It's more important for us to go to the grocery store and buy the supplies, use face masks and wash our hands, but to not go into this and hoard all this stuff like it’s doomsday," Wilson said.

Wilson said schools in China are starting to open again, so she will go back in a week. She said after she returns to China, she will still have a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a government designated hotel. She said it is all worth it to be back home.

"I wasn’t prepared coming here and being here for such an extended period of time. Now, I am homesick wanting to go back to china. I miss the culture," Wilson said.

Wilson also said she will update News On 6 on the COVID-19 situation when she gets there.