Coronavirus: Brighstone woman tells of subsiding fears and schools reopening in China's Hangzhou

She moved there in November but, just three months after jetting out to the city near Shanghai, she found herself back on a plane to the UK, in line with government advice.

Ellie teaches English, but when the schools closed she was required to head home.

She told the Isle of Wight County Press: "I left when the virus started at the end of January, because we were advised to.

"Our school said we could go if we felt safer at home.

"I went back to the UK, because the city was in lockdown.

"It meant no-one was allowed out of their houses and everyone was a bit scared."

Ellie says when the outbreak started, people in China were fearful that it could turn out to be an illness like the devastating Ebola virus.

As time passed and more is known about coronavirus, and about who is most at risk of complications, fears are subsiding.

In a country where air quality is poor, many people are already affected by respiratory problems which - in the cases of some of her teaching colleagues - have turned into pneumonia.

As the situation calms in Hangzhou, eight hours away by car in Wuhan - where the first cases of coronavirus were detected - colleagues who had visited friends and family for the New Year celebrations are still not allowed to leave.

More than a month after schools were closed, Hangzhou's classrooms are preparing to welcome back their students and that has meant Ellie has been able to return.

She said: "I came back because they think the schools are going to open in a couple of weeks.

"It feels much more positive now, because they've acclimatised.

"They know more about what they're doing in regards of quarantining people.

"Now everything's a bit more open, it's better."

Unlike the scenes of panic-buying witnessed in the UK - and on the Isle of Wight - Ellie says reactions in China have been far more measured.

She explains: "When it first started, people were given a pass to leave their house.

"Different family members could get groceries twice a week.

"There wasn't any panic buying.

"There wasn't a helpline to call.

"In China, if you had any problems you went to straight to hospital."

Ellie, who is due to stay in China until February 2021, says her family and friends have been supportive of her return to Hangzhou.

She told the County Press: "My family know about all the hype around the virus.

"I'm feeling well and I'm keeping them updated.

"It's been a really fun experience in China.

"The food is the best thing and everyone's really open and friendly.

"They'll invite you to their houses and teach you to make dumplings."

Ellie says she may decide to stay a little longer - but at the moment she's concentrating on getting back to work - and some normality.