STORY | I told my friends to wear masks, but they just laughed

I finally landed in Shanghai on March 16, two days after I departed from Copenhagen, the Danish capital.

I returned as work in China was gradually restarting, while Europe faced the prospect of a two-month lockdown.

Ten of our employees from Denmark had already returned and were in quarantine, as on March 17, Denmark had been added to the list of countries severely affected by the pandemic.

Scores of employees, including some returning from overseas, have resumed work at our Shanghai office. But in Denmark, about 90 percent of people are working from home under enforced social distancing as the contagion escalates.

Before I came back, many of my European friends had returned to China for work.

On Jan 29, I flew to Copenhagen, as I was afraid that the outbreak in China might lead to border closures. I have to travel a lot in my role as global chief commercial officer for the company.

I told friends in Denmark to wear face masks, which have been used in China to help contain the virus. But they laughed and continued to meet in bars and to go skiing. The outbreak escalated dramatically in Europe soon afterward.

As a small country, I believe that Denmark, with its organized healthcare, will control the outbreak well, but it would have helped if measures had been taken earlier. In Asia, people have stayed at home, but in Europe, they have been less inclined to do so.

I explained that masks were familiar to people in Asia. In China, they are worn on days when the pollution level is high, while Japanese wear them as a courtesy to others if they have a cough. But such a practice appears unusual for Europeans.

I told my friends that we must change our mindset and wear masks to protect both ourselves and others.

I was unable to book a direct flight to Shanghai, so I arrived after changing planes in Bangkok and Taipei.

I went home after arriving, but was later told I must undergo quarantine at a hotel after a passenger on the flight from Taipei to Shanghai tested positive for COVID-19.

I'm feeling good and am working on a laptop in my hotel room. I have also introduced the China experience of working from home, including holding online business meetings, to my colleagues in Denmark.

Nikolaj Schnoor, global chief commercial officer and Asia managing director for Danish eyewear maker Lindberg, is undergoing 14 days' quarantine at a Shanghai hotel

Source: China Daily

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