A man from Perth currently working in China has sent an encouraging update back to a Fair City mental health organisation.
Richard Ryan used to work at PLUS Perth and now works in China in a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) teaching post.
He was back in Perth in January, but when he returned to Zhengzhou in China on February 12, he was put into quarantine.
A month later he emailed development manager Susan Scott to say the coronavirus situation in China is improving: “Here in China we seem to have come through it.
“Things returning back to normal ... pretty much everything open apart from restaurants and schools.
“I am well, though still just biding time till the students return, hopefully not too long.”
Richard also said people going into isolation in Perthshire would need support: “My prolonged period of isolation has certainly made me more aware of the problems many people face with loneliness and lack of contact with others.
“It kinda brings it home really.
“I hope UK pulls through, but I have my fears because it seems to have become an uncaring, money-fixated society and it will take a major humanitarian catastrophe to change that.”
Responding to Richard’s honest letter, Susan Scott told the PA: “What Richard says in his email to me today really brings this home. It’s about people’s lives.
“The main concern at PLUS is ensuring that people living on their own, especially those with a history of mental health issues are not abandoned and forgotten about through this.
“It can take such an effort and a long time for a person to build up the confidence to get out of the house and socialise in the first place. We can’t allow them to sink back the way again.
“We want to make sure people can feel as connected as possible during this stay at home period. That’s what we will focus on.
“To that end, I’m busy working on a newsletter with helpful information and reach out to go out to or 350 PLUS members today.
“I’m also using the phone and internet to keep up connections.”
