Steven Li had spent 11 days holed up in his apartment in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

So on Sunday, he decided to take a short bike ride to pick up groceries.

"I just wanted some chocolate, to be honest," Li told CBC Radio's Metro Morning today.

The experience was like being in a movie about the apocalypse, he explained.

"I saw probably 20 people," he said from the city of 11 million. "I saw maybe three, four cars."

Watch: Take a trip through the streets of Wuhan during the city-wide quarantine:

A Canadian teaching in Wuhan takes to the streets on his bike and comments on what he sees. 1:45

The video shows Li, who is from Toronto but currently teaching in Wuhan, cycling through the eerily quiet streets.

"It feels good to be outside," he can be heard saying. "There's not a lot of people. It's kind of scary, though."

Every now and again, there are signs of city life. Li encounters a woman skipping rope, and others giving out bags of produce. Everyone is wearing masks and protective gear.

Canadians looking to lend a hand

Li says the local hospitals in Wuhan have seen shortages in medical supplies, saying they're looking for masks in particular.

That's why he started raising money to help the front line medical staff and patients.

And he's not the only one lending a helping hand.

Aloysius Lo, chief executive of Oasis Global Partners, started an initiative to source and send medical materials to Wuhan, saying the situation there is "quite desperate."

Watch: Canadian businessman describes struggle to send medical supplies to China.

Aloysius Lo says his employees in Wuhan see the need for medical supplies as 'quite desperate.' 5:34

The initiative is aiming to send 50,000 pieces of medical equipment including gloves, goggles, masks, gowns and medical caps.

"The amount of equipment we're sending over is probably able to support a hospital or two for about one or two days," Lo said.

But so far, with shortages of supplies hitting Canada as well, Lo says getting their hands on the medical equipment has become increasingly difficult and expensive.

"We are paying about double, three times what the normal prices are," Lo said.

Lo says the company is 60 per cent into its goal, and it is committed to finishing the job.

"We want to set an example for everyone else to help," he said.

Evacuating Canadians from Wuhan

The Chinese government has reported that at least 427 people have died from coronavirus and more than 20,000 have been infected.

Global Affairs Canada has chartered a flight to get about 300 people, including Canadian citizens and some permanent residents with children, out of Wuhan and Hubei province starting Thursday morning.

The plane will land at the Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ont., where all passengers and crew will spend 14 days in quarantine.

Li says his spot on the flight is confirmed, and he's looking forward to heading home.

"It feels good," Li said. "It feels like the government is caring for their citizens. It's a nice feeling."