Everyday kindness makes life better under the virus

Nothing bad has happened to me personally because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Except for being quarantined in a comfortable apartment, life goes on as usual. I've certainly done nothing heroic like the medical workers who have willingly risked their lives to help people in Hubei province and around the country.

Even so, like most people, I think, I've been a bit anxious－especially about my dog, Feifei. I have not been sick at all, but I have worried about what would happen to her if I got a fever and was quarantined.

A little background: My wife and I usually take Feifei by plane to Yuxi, Yunnan province (my wife's home town), for the Chinese New Year holiday. The weather there is great and the hiking in the local mountains is fantastic.

We flew from Beijing to Kunming early in the morning of Jan 23. People knew about the virus and people on the plane wore masks, but it was not yet seen as too serious. Then, that afternoon, the quarantine of Wuhan was announced.

For about a week, nothing much changed in Yuxi. But, villages in the mountains were starting to block roads and prevent outsiders from entering. After a few more days, entry and exit from apartment compounds was controlled. The dog was not allowed to exit at all.

Usually, it's a relatively simple matter to arrange air transport for a dog. You just need to get a health certificate from a local government near the departure airport, then book a flight a day or two later. In normal times, there are many companies that will act as agents to make all the arrangements.

But, during the virus, the agents were not working, so it took us almost two weeks to arrange to fly the dog back to Beijing.

Kindness from workers at both the Kunming Changshui and Beijing Capital airports made my trip home a lot easier. The service provided at both airports was the best I've ever seen and the workers there deserve many thanks for their energy and kind customer service.

In Kunming, a young woman, Zhou Yan, working at the oversized luggage departure gate, walked me through the multiple step process of getting Feifei ready for loading on the plane. In China, many workers are very nice and go beyond the call of duty to help customers. Ms Zhou was exceptional.

I found that I had forgotten to get a nylon net that must be wrapped around the dog's box before loading on the plane. Without this, I would have to go back to Yuxi to start the whole process of getting a dog health certificate, airline permission for the dog to fly, and tickets again. Fortunately, my wife found a company in Kunming that could rush a net to the airport. Ms Zhou waited with me until the net arrived, even though her work shift had ended. Without her help, it would have been very hard for me to work through the process.

Every pet owner has a bit of worry when loading an animal on a plane. The dog disappears like luggage and there is no way to be sure that she is properly loaded. Every year, more than 30 dogs die on US airlines, mostly due to some negligence or mistake by the airline.

In Kunming, while getting seated on the plane, I received a WeChat message from Lu Chunli. She told me she worked in the baggage department and had loaded the dog on the plane. She gave me her phone number and asked me to call if there were any issues. I've carried dogs on planes in the US and Europe, but I've never had anyone do this before. This was so reassuring－the best customer service I've ever seen.

After I arrived in Beijing, I was waiting at the oversized luggage arrival desk for Feifei to arrive. A young man working there, whose name I unfortunately did not get, was very welcoming and brought out a chair so I could sit while waiting.

These acts of kindness may seem simple, but they made my trip much less nerve-wracking. Kind people like Zhou, Lu, and the young man in Beijing make the world a better place.

Like everyone else in China, I can't wait for the danger of the virus to pass. We are seeing how precious the simple things of life are－I'd love to take Feifei for her daily walk in the park.

The quarantine has kept most of us safe. We should greatly thank all the doctors, nurses, transport workers, and others who face danger to make this possible and pray for all the people facing the disease.