connery thanks very much for joining us
now you actually got the disease early
on you recovered from it just talked us
through the different stages and what
they felt like yeah so this particular
virus it happens in different stages as
you said you get better before you get
worse so in my case the first stage was
I had the cold just a common cold my
nose was stuffy and I had ear problems
sinus problem that sort of thing but
then you get better before you get worse
so I was getting better and that's what
I got hit with the flu now I've had the
flu half a dozen times and this was
probably the worst I've felt with that
it really was quite bad it wasn't
life-threatening but I did feel terrible
and with the flu and I would stuck in
bed I was I had had a headache
and I just generally feeling unwell I
was getting better from the flu and
that's what I hit got hit with pneumonia
now the pneumonia I've never had that
before
so that was quite serious for me and
that's the point I went to hospital and
when you had the pneumonia just describe
to us we've all heard the word but none
of us so most of us don't know what it
feels like what did that feel like to
you yeah so pneumonia feels like you've
only got 20% of your lungs working you
can't take a full breath like you need
to and if you stand up and go and walk
into the kitchen you're out of breath
because you just can't get that breath
and it also sounds like you're breathing
through a bag and your breath is very
crackly and croaky and it generally is
not a fun thing at all and it can be
very very serious and you're young and
you look healthy so that must have been
a really scary thing yeah during that
time it was just because I don't really
drink I don't smoke
and having that problem was very scary
just because I breathing's bike
to life if you can't breathe you can't
live and so having that being affected
was quite a serious thing how long have
you now been living in this apartment in
this room that we can all see in
isolation I've been here for 40 days now
over 40 days it's it's been a long 40
days to be honest and how does that feel
40 days because you're on your own right
you have a cat but you're on your own
there's you're not living with other
people yeah with the technology age now
I can message somebody straightaway I'm
all over the world so so look it's not
very lonely as such I can I can speak to
be on Facebook or on my phone
no problem with that but the actual
interpersonal interaction that I'm
lacking that definitely is taking a toll
so do you miss the face-to-face contact
with other people I do yes and and many
other people are in the same boat as
well because you go down on the streets
and normally this city is very vibrant
and and there's a sense of life you go
on the streets at night there's people
dancing people singing people with
families and at the moment there's just
nothing like that anybody that you do
see they're there they have a mask on
they're going to do something and they
go straight home there's no lingering
there's no groups of people chatting and
it's quite sad really what about your
mental health and the mental health of
you know your the people that you're
communicating with in will have mental
health wise we're all in the same boat
this there's nothing we can do about it
so there's no point us being being down
or being unhappy it's just it is what it
is it will be gone soon we'll get over
it
do you imagine people in Britain living
the same way that you're living at the
moment because they have to because of
the rate of infection I know I don't I I
think that lifestyle is very different
here in
there's no Western influence and it is
completely foreign to what we would be
used to I believe that
lockdown of a week or maximum two weeks
in the UK I would be fine but then
people would be wanting to get out
people would be wanting breaking the
curfew and and there's no way that the
government could really stop them doing
that so considering what you've had to
go through do you think that eventually
you will feel safer in China when it
comes to the virus than if you were
living in the UK i bill I believe yes
and no the city that I mean it's very
densely populated and you've got
thousands of people in the same area so
I believe that the spread happened here
so fast because of that but back in the
UK I believe that the government will
have a handle on it and will be able to
deal with it in the manner that they
should so you don't think that levels of
isolation that we're seeing in China at
the moment that you've been experiencing
yourself will be necessary in the UK I
believe that if the the infection rates
were to skyrocket and then those
measures will have to be implemented and
it will be a case of people that will
have to go through some discomfort and
just to help everybody else
finally Connor if we get to the same
level of isolation that you're
experiencing at the moment what advice
would you have yeah my advice would be
to have a lot of things that will keep
you entertained take up a hobby learn a
language I would also advise that people
don't panic panic doesn't help anybody
if there is an isolation process where
everybody has to be isolated they
shouldn't think about themselves but
think about other people if you are
affected don't go out don't infect other
people stay at home not because not
because it's uncomfortable but to
protect the people around you have you
done anything in the last month
you you know you've always wanted to do
but haven't found the time to do have
you learned to language have you read a
book that he haven't read before tell us
yeah I I've read a fair few books I have
a Kindle which is really handy I've
painted I I've never been good at
painting but I'm slowly learning I'm
learning Russian at the moment just in
my free time my my days are busy even
though I am isolated it's definitely
important to keep busy so so every
morning for half for now I do sit-ups
and push-ups and just to keep myself
from going mental and I'm learning how
to cook properly I've never really
cooked decent meals just just anything
that you can think of and make sure that
whatever you're doing you're interested
in it and you and you want to do it
sounds like you're the model citizen in
the age of the virus I wouldn't say that
I do there are many more people in this
city that that are that are doing the
right thing and ideally the rules
Connery thank you very much for talking
to us good luck
no thank you
you