Coping with COVID-19 in China

When did you first hear about COVID-19?

Rob Eastwood: I first heard about the Virus in late December 2019. At that time our management was starting to plan potential preventative measures such as hand sanitisers among other things but no one really knew the severity at that stage.

Andrew Smith (pictured below): I first heard about the virus soon after arriving in China after visiting family at Christmas and by mid-January the reports were starting to come out on local TV. By the end of month I took the decision to close my academy.  

Sam Green: I first heard about it in a hospital that I visited in early January. I was pretty sick and was asked if I had been to Wuhan recently as there were a lot of reports of people coming down with a serious virus. I then went to my fiancé’s hometown in Hunan to get married during Chinese New Year and had to cancel the wedding as the government stopped any mass gatherings happening straight away. 

When did COVID-19 it really start to have an impact on your business and what special measures did you have to take?

Andrew Smith: From January 25 the academy closed to prevent the spread of the virus and keep staff and customers safe. After we reopened we continued to check people’s temperature, we recorded who entered the academy and where they had been recently, using a location app.

Rob Eastwood: We were closed all of February and re-opened in March with limited tee times and services. For example, no locker rooms or showers, and it was just take away food from our restaurants.

What was being in isolation like? What did you do on a daily basis to cope?

Andrew Smith:Being in isolation wasn’t about what you want or like it’s a must! It saves lives. Also, here in China, if the Government says something must happen, it happens! I enjoyed the time at home spending more time cooking and relaxing, it also gave me more time to spend with my wife.

Jason Zhang: It is challenging, however we can order food and other daily needs on the web. The good thing is I can stay with my family more, especially with my children. They have to stay at home too. As long as we can find some activities such as cooking, indoor games which pass the time. 

Rob Eastwood: I had to be isolated for a total of 16 days in my dormitory after returning from Korea. I was restricted to staying in my room and could not leave at all. Every day I decided to create a routine of exercise and healthy eating. Part of my exercise routine consisted of walking an average of 3,000 steps around in circles! Western TV is limited here so it was difficult to stay focused, I have many good friends and colleagues here that where very supportive in messages and phone calls. The first few days were the hardest but after 10 days or so it felt easier as I had something to look forward too (getting out) and back to work. 

Sam Green (pictured below): I found the isolation period enjoyable as it gave me a lot of time to study and learn some new skills. Each day consisted of some sort of home workout, some language studying and cooking. Normally we feel like life gets in the way of finding the time to do these things so it was nice to try and build some new habits.

What is the situation like now in China?

Rob Eastwood: Everybody has to wear face masks and all our members and guests are temperature checked at the entrance as well as scanning a QR code which shows their movements for the previous 30 days. We don’t let anyone into the golf club unless they’ve been in the Guandong Area a minimum of 14 days.

Andrew Smith: For the last two months all industries have been hit hard, but golf has continued to be played, there are less people taking lessons and we have suspended the junior classes until the children return to school. I expect the golf industry here to start to recover from mid-April, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it for granted that the virus will have gone, business as usual is more likely to be the end of the year. The situation in China hasn’t changed that much, still most places are checking temperatures, but the concern has now moved away from Wuhan where the virus started, to concerns over foreigners returning to China from overseas and bringing the virus with them.

Jason Zhang (pictured below): The virus now appears to be under control on the mainland. Most provinces have zero new infections now, and we start to work in our offices again. However, there are still some imported cases which are the big threat for us. The school will open recently such as the 12th grade and 9th grade, however the universities are still closed. Most students are taking courses on the web at home.

Sam Green: The rules have just changed so foreigners aren’t allowed in at the moment as China tries to prevent there being a second outbreak. In many ways life is back to normal in terms of the amount of people traveling around town although it will be some time until the kids start up again at school. Clients are coming back and it doesn’t seem to have affected their mindset on spending. If anything the kids are coming back more athletic than before due to playing a lot more sport at home than they would during PE classes.

How long do you think it will take for the industry to recover from this? When do you expect it to be ‘business as usual’ again?

Andrew Smith: For the last two months all industries have been hit hard, but golf has continued to be played, there are less people taking lessons and we have suspended the junior classes until the children return to school. Golf course around Shenzhen generally closed their clubhouses & changing rooms, some clubs closed completely, but are gradually starting to reopen. I expect the golf industry here to start to recover as from mid-April, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it for granted that the virus will have gone, business as usual is more likely to be the end of the year.

Jason Zhang: The golf facilities in Hainan (where I am based) opened a month ago (early March). The local customers are back better than before, although there are no travelling customers which is big part of the business for the golf courses here. Right now every industry is hard, but we have confidence it will come back.