Kyle Kresge grew up in Clarks Summit, but for the past seven years has lived in China teaching music there. He talked about what the height of the pandemic in China looked like for him.
He had a hopeful message to share with all of us who really just might be starting the social distancing needed to stop the coronavirus.
"Compared to lots of other places in the world, things are actually OK here, getting back to normal," Kresge said.
But for the past two months, Kresge says life in Hangzhou, China a few hours from Shanghai, was anything but normal -- eight weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, the worst of which hit at the beginning of February.
"We were allowed to leave once every two days, and we were only allowed to go to the grocery store. I should say the grocery stores were the only things open, so that was the only thing we could go to."
Kresge teaches music at an international school in Hangzhou. He's been teaching his classes online for several weeks. He says just within the past week, stores and restaurants are starting to open back up again.
Now his family and friends back home are starting to deal with life-altering measures to stop COVID-19 from spreading here.
"I feel more uneased by it all seeing what's happening over there, at home."
Kyle says if our experience is anything like his, we still have a ways to go, but life will get back to normal.
"I would just say, you know, stay inside, stay calm, stay vigilant. It's not going to pass in two weeks, and the sooner that everyone can unite and get together and take the necessary precautions staying at home, the sooner it's going to end."
Kyle said that when he goes into any public building, he still has to wear a mask and have his temperature taken. Also, schools there are still closed. He thinks they will be the last thing to finally reopen.