SIBU, Feb 1 — Ivan Yeo Zhi Yu, 19, an undergraduate from Bintulu stranded at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, tries to keep calm and not to think too much about the calamity that had struck the city.

Though staying locked in his hostel since the Chinese New Year has not been easy, he has been keeping himself occupied and is ready to leave the country along with his Sarawak state sponsored university mate Balachandar Subramaniyan, 43 who is there with his wife and two children.

"Actually it is the same routine everyday. Wake up, look for the latest news and read the books, have the meals, that’s all. Sometime I will look outside from the window to see what’s going on but there is hardly any activity there,” he said when asked how he was getting on by Bernama via Messenger.

He said there was hardly anyone outside the hostel where he was staying as all of the more than 200 foreign students who did not go anywhere during the festive holidays were told by the university to stay put in their hostels.

The officials would come to update them on any information about the disease and university workers also come to clean up the public areas on and off, he said.

Wuhan has been in a state of lockdown with people told to stay indoors since Jan 22 to contain the outbreak.

"As for food and drink, we have to settle it ourselves. However, they do provide us with mask,” said the Geography and Environmental Science undergraduate.

Asked on how much food he has at the moment, Yeo said he has milk and instant noodles in stock that he estimated could last for 15 days.

He said he would have to consume the available food wisely to maintain the stock until help arrives.

"Actually the Malaysian embassy tried to send food and some supply to me but unable to do so because of transportation lockdown.

"I heard our government has already planned to evacuate us. Hope everything will be smooth and fine,” he said.

Yeo and Balachandar’s family are among the 78 Malaysians in Wuhan that the government is tying to bring home.

Yeo said that he constantly kept in touch with his family, to update them on his situation.

He communicated with Balachandar everyday via WeChat.

"He is worried that the situation will worsen,” Yeo said when asked about Balachandar, a PhD student who was also staying at the university with his wife and two children.

Balachandar who has been working in Sarawak since 2003 as a geochemist with the Mineral and Geosciences Department is expected to complete his PhD in Geophysics in September this year.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was reported to have said that Malaysian officials had discussed with China about evacuating 78 citizens who are currently in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

However, there was no response yet from China pertaining to the matter.

After the planned evacuation, the Malaysian citizens will be quarantined for 14 days and will only be allowed to return home after being given a clean bill of health. — Bernama