Expats in Xiamen, Fujian province said they feel "pretty safe" amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, thanks to the local government's efforts to control and prevent the epidemic, according to Xiamen Daily.

William N. Brown, professor at Xiamen University, has been living in the coastal city for 30 years. He and his wife visited his mother-in-law in the United States on Jan 21 and returned to Xiamen on March 21.

"I came back because I have had full confidence in China," said Brown, who underwent a quarantine at a hotel for 14 days after his arrival.

He was impressed by the hotel's services, mentioning that a vegetarian diet was even offered to accommodate his selective eating habits.

After the quarantine, he still spent most of his time at home writing books. "Although I seldom go out, I can feel the city is getting more lively again."

Unlike the Browns, Thomas Karavasilis, a restaurant owner from Greece, and his cousin Thomas Loukaris were worried about the situation in Xiamen before they came back in March, but felt relieved after getting off the plane.

"Everything at the airport went smoothly and the workers were very nice," said Loukaris. "Officials from the city's foreign affairs office explained the latest epidemic prevention measures to us in English, which was reassuring."

During their quarantine, Karavasilis drew a picture featuring medical workers taking temperatures and wrote "thank you" in English.

"They are kind and have been working really hard. I expect they will burst into laughter when they see my painting," he said.

His restaurants are also providing a 50-percent discount to all medical workers until May 31 to thank them for their efforts and hard work.