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US Teacher Speaks About The Coronavirus After Returning Home From China After Teaching

(CBS DETROIT) - The coronavirus outbreak in china is growing by the day. Although the focus seems to be on the death tolls and those infected with the virus, there are thousands of jobs directly affected by the epidemic.

When a Bettina Peets, a teacher from New Jersey took her dream job in China, she never imagined that dream would turn into a nightmare.

Peets said, "I got an email that said ok you need to wear your mask and wash your hands because there's a flu, I had just thought that's all it was. I found an amazing job at a beautiful school in Beijing and they hired me to teach dance and I teach ballet and modern there and gave up my apartment, quit my job and I moved to Beijing and it was absolutely amazing experience."

That was in October, fast forward to Mid-January, Bettina says her dream job quickly turned into a nightmare. The initial email received from her staff, went from a flu warning to an all-out epidemic, involving the new flu strain coronavirus. Within a week, Bettina says the academic buildings all shut down, and although the staff housing remained open, things changed very fast.

Peets said, "You go in the lobby you smell food, people drinking, the day I left it was empty and all I could smell was disinfectant. "

Upon arriving at Newark International Airport, Bettina says she was surprised customs did not check her for coronavirus symptoms, only asking had she visited Wuhan.

She voluntarily visited a local hospital, where she received the all-clear.

Thankful to be healthy, Bettina says she just wants to return to the life she'd grown to love.

Peets said, "I think about my colleagues that are there I think about my kids, they are so beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it's really disappointing, and I really hope to get back to them soon,"

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