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Rocky River teacher living in China shares what life is like amid coronavirus outbreak

She could have left China three days ago, but gives her reasons for staying.

CLEVELAND — Katheryn Womack wants her family and friends in Northeast Ohio to know: She and her two daughters are fine.

"We're fine!" Womack insisted with a laugh. "Anybody who knows me, knows I've been through worse!"

3News spoke via Skype to the Rocky River teacher and single mother of two daughters, 11 and 13, who's been teaching 6th grade American literature at Xiwai International School in Shanghai, China for the last 7 years. 

"It's so weird! Because there's 25 million people and you'd see nobody!" exclaimed Womack, ever since the city ordered businesses and schools to close, and limited residents' movement through the city. "In the last week, it's been different. We have to sign in and out if we leave our [apartment] complex," she said.

When Womack does venture out, she sees empty streets and sidewalks. Stores will take customers' temperatures before letting them inside, where shelves are empty for many high-demand supplies like eggs. Warning signs are posted on doors and propped up on sidewalks reminding residents who have returned to Shanghai from traveling, to contact the local authorities so they can track residents' potential exposure to the coronavirus.

But as the U.S. State Department assists with evacuating Americans from China, Womack has decided to stay put. She said, "I could have left 3 days ago, but it's okay. We thought -- Is it safer to be here, or be on a plane with people? And you don't know if they're infected. And be in an airport? 19 hours flying!" 

With only 208 reported cases of coronavirus in a city of 25-million as of Monday night, according to database by Johns Hopkins University, Womack likes her odds better at home.

"We wear masks, but if you're just going outside, you don't really need one. We'll walk our dog and get some fresh air," she explained. "And make sure we wash our hands."

In the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control said Monday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to 11. There are currently no confirmed or suspected cases of the virus in Ohio, however, citing an abundance of caution, Kent State University announced Monday, that all school-sponsored trips to China will be canceled until further notice.

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