Arizona man stuck in Wuhan with his family amidst Coronavirus lockdown
Jonny Dangerfield (far right)
PHOENIX - As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to grow in China, people who are not Chinese citizens are desperately trying to flee the country, including a Valley man and his family who have been stuck in China for weeks.
On Monday, FOX 10 spoke with Jonny Dangerfield, who said he is now in Wuhan.
Dangerfield and his family travelled to Wuhan with the intention to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and visit family.
"We were aware that something was going around and some concerns about a viral strain, but it wasn't as serious of a situation," said Dangerfield. "A few days later that, deaths spiked, and now we're concerned."
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Since about a week ago, the Dangerfields, along with other residents of Wuhan, have been on lockdown because of how prevalent the Coronavirus is.
"Last Thursday, the whole city was closed down. Transportation out of the city was halted. Public transportation in the city was stopped, and they stopped private cars from being able to travel," said Dangerfield. "We are nervous. The main reason we're nervous is because we have young children."
Dangerfield's children range in age from seven months old to 5-years-old. The family was originally supposed to stay for about a month.
"It's decided for us," said Dangerfield. "We can't leave if we wanted to."
As Wuhan is on lockdown, the Dangerfields are not allowed to leave to board a flight back stateside.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has ordered a chartered flight for a limited number of private citizens to get back to the United States. While the Dangerfield family was chosen, the only people allowed to board was Dangerfield and the three kids. Dangerfield's wife, who is a permanent resident but not a naturalized citizen, was denied permission to board the flight.
With minutes to decide, the Dangerfields decided to stay in Wuhan together as a family, in a difficult decision.
"We just don't know how long it's going to be," said Dangerfield. "We don't know if we're going to leave in a couple of days or months. A lot of uncertainty."
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