Coronavirus Update: Palo Alto Family's Return From China Didn't End Their COVID-19 Nightmare
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- When Esther Tebeka and her teenage daughter escaped Wuhan, China, in January as countries began restricting travel, they thought they would be returning to their normal lives in the United States.
Instead, the Palo Alto residents have found themselves living in quarantine for nearly five months albeit a few weeks.
Esther and Chaya, 15, had been visiting family in Wuhan when the outbreak began making national headlines. They managed to evacuate by getting seats on a chartered flight to the U.S. along with nearly 200 others.
"There was a sense of panic, and at the same time everybody seemed extremely relieved," said Chaya Tebeka.
She and her mother were among the first Americans to be quarantined by the federal government. They stayed on a U.S. military base in Southern California for 14 days before they were able to return to the Bay Area in February. Despite the ordeal, they were relieved to be back home, and especially grateful that they had never been infected with the virus.
Esther reopened her acupuncture clinic, which had been closed while she was in China for several weeks. Her daughter returned to boarding school in Chicago.
It seemed life could somewhat return to normal, but that all changed as the days went on and the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths continued to rise in the U.S.
"Coming back to this, this is really something I never imagined," said Esther.
"I definitely thought the virus was going to make its way to America, but I had no idea how bad it was going to be," said Chaya. "It was terrifying, I'm going to be completely honest, it was terrifying."
She had witnessed Wuhan's strict lockdown, and afraid of catching the virus, Chaya asked her parents if she could return home. She had three hours to pack and leave. Days later, they said the governor announced the stay-at-home order.
"I never thought I would come back from China, escape from Wuhan and come into this," Esther said.
Businesses have been shut down for several weeks because of the order, but Esther's business has essentially been shut down for nearly half a year. When she was open she said patients cancelled their appointments or didn't schedule appointments altogether. She believes they were fearful to be near her after her ordeal in China.
Now Esther is taking virtual appointments, and she said she has helped a handful of people who've tested positive for COVID-19.
"I want to fight this, I want to fight with others," she said.
Esther and Chaya, who've lived under two very different government orders, said there is a stark contrast between America and China when it comes to the people's response.
"People were a lot more serious and panicked about the virus there, they took everything into effect immediately, there was no leniencies," said Chaya.
"In the U.S., unfortunately, some people somehow they think they can manipulate the situation, they think somehow it's not going to affect them," said Esther. "There's no negotiation here."
