San Diego Family Stranded in China During Coronavirus Outbreak

A San Diego family who was visiting relatives in Wuhan, China now has to deal with the city being under lockdown due to the coronavirus.

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

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 lockdown.

“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 said they have reached out to the U.S. government and hope they can get on a flight that leaves Monday.