coronavirus

San Diego Family Stranded in China During Coronavirus Outbreak

San Diegan Yanjun Wei and her two children traveled to Wuhan, China to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The family is awaiting help from the U.S. government to leave amid the coronavirus outbreak

NBCUniversal, Inc.

A San Diego mother and her two children visiting relatives in Wuhan, China said she is now four days away from reuniting with her husband in Serra Mesa.

Yanjun Wei was visiting her parents in Wuhan when the coronavirus outbreak began.

“I’m sorry, I’m shaking,” through WeChat, NBC 7 chatted with San Diego resident Yanjun Wei in Wuhan on Jan. 31.

Wei said after 10 years of not seeing her parents she planned a trip to celebrate the Lunar New Year alongside her 1 and 3-year-old children.

“Everybody got stuck here including other nations and even their citizens and non-citizen families, they are getting out, they have been helped,” expressed Wei.

The Chinese government has shut down airports, roadways, and transportation around Wuhan.

Wei's husband Ken Burnett lives in Serra Mesa and he has connected with other families via WeChat in a similar situation.

Wei is a U.S. permanent resident on path to U.S. citizenship, her husband and two children are all U.S. citizens.

“All flights, trains, public transpiration out of the city are all blocked,” said Burnett.

The family has called San Diego home for the last four years. They are hoping they will survive a city under lock down.

“There is less and less fresh food, some private vendors prices are four to five times higher than normal,” explained Burnett.

Wei said she hopes the U.S. State Department can help her family escape.

“My priority is to keep my kids safe, right now they’re healthy but they are little ones,” she said.

The U.S. State Department said they are staging evacuation flights for private U.S. citizens on a reimbursement basis.

The Burnett family were in touch with the U.S. government and were able to get on a flight that arrived to the Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.

On Tuesday, Wei and her kids expect to be released from quarantine at Travis AFB and reunite with Burnett.

"It'll be a lot of joy, maybe a few tears too," said Burnett on Friday. "But, I just cant wait to see them."

Upon reuniting in Sacramento the family plans to fly back to San Diego.

Contact Us