Joanne Peh in Guangzhou: No kid-sized masks, stitching up adult ones to fit my kids

On Tuesday (Jan 28), local actress Joanne Peh went on Instagram to talk about the situation in Guangzhou and how she felt about having to remain in the city with her two young children to settle some "personal matters" while husband actor Qi Yuwu flew back to Singapore.

According to Joanne, the situation seems bleak as people are staying indoors, "masks, antibacterial sprays are sold out" and "restaurants are peddling raw ingredients outside their premise because no one is patronising".

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ALSO READ: Joanne Peh remains in Guangzhou with kids amid Wuhan virus outbreak

Speaking to AsiaOne, the 36-year-old revealed that things are so dire that they were not able to get surgical masks until a fan in Shanghai shipped some to her. Unfortunately, kid-sized ones weren't available so she's "stitching up" the adult masks to fit her children.

Joanne said: "I am extremely grateful that a fan from Shanghai shipped some masks to me early on as we were not able to get any in Guangzhou. We can’t get hold of any children’s masks so I’m stitching up the adult ones to fit their face better. It’s not ideal but it’s the best I can do with what I have for now."

She confessed that she misses her husband and wishes her family could be together, but she's "keeping my spirits up".

Despite being stuck in Guangzhou, Joanne is making sure that her children are well-protected and have the best care. In fact, she's limiting their exposure and risk of contracting the virus by staying home with her in-laws. She revealed that they have adopted a routine that is "calm and predictable" and she doesn't have to worry about them feeling cold due to weather changes or "not getting their naps".

Precautions that she has taken also include "keeping ourselves hydrated and warm", "wearing masks when we go out", staying away from crowds, and "washing our hands regularly and encouraging my children to not use their hands to eat or touch their face, nose and mouth".

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Her children are also provided with home-cooked meals instead of the "extra calories from the CNY feasts", and she credited her in-laws for being a great help during this period. Joanne added: "They help keep my children occupied and I’m thankful I have my parents-in-law who would take care of our meals so I have one less thing to worry about."

The actress stated that they'll be in Guangzhou till early February and they'll be complying with the two-week monitoring period when they return to Singapore. Her work, like the training and preparation for her new role and meetings for upcoming projects, have been postponed as well.

And right now, Joanne is focused on staying strong for her kids.

"To my children who don’t quite understand what’s going on in the big world out there, I’m staying positive and I am very grateful that they are really understanding about not being able to go out," she said.

bryanlim@asiaone.com