How does Shanghai control potential COVID-19 from international travelers？
Is it the right choice for Chinese students to return home for online classes?
Starting from mid-March, China has taken a series of international travelers’ policies to prevent the re-spread of COVID-19. Every city in China requires international travelers to do a COVID-19 test after landing, and then they need to arrive at the required hotel for 14 days quarantine. Shiyun Li (Sharon), who just traveled back to Shanghai (a city in China), will use her first-person point of view to report the whole process, to explore how Shanghai controls potential COVID-19 from new international arrivals, and how should international students decide their choice: go back or not?
2020/11/01 16:00 PM Northeastern University - Covid 19 test
My flight was on November 3rd, 2020, from Boston to Frankfurt, and then to Shanghai. The Chinese government requires all international travelers to do a Covid-19 test (negative) 72 hours before their flight to China. It only counts from the last flight, which is departing to China. However, it started from November 6th, 2020, all international travelers need to do both Covid-19 test (negative) and an antibody test (negative) in 48 hours. My flight was one of the last flights that only required a negative Covid-19 test result. I made an appointment on October 31st at 16:00 for my Covid-19 test. After I got my Covid-19 test result, I submitted it to the Consulate General of P.R.China in New York through my phone. And then, around 2 hours later, I got my Health Code, which was proof that I was eligible to take my second flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai.
2020/11/05 11:50 AM Shanghai - Pu Dong International Airport
After 30 hours long trip, finally, I arrived in Shanghai. All the staff in the airport were wearing protective clothing, goggles, and KN95 masks. The first thing we need to do was another Covid-19 test at the airport. We had to fill a health declaration form first, and then we need to line up for the Covid-19 test. The staff were fast and efficient. It took me about 30 minutes to wait, and for the Covid-19 test, it only needed less than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, I could not take any photos or videos through this process.
The next stop is the airport customs/immigration. After that, I started to pick up my packages and joined a line for the buses that would take me to my quarantine hotel.
Each bus could seat 20-25 passengers. However, no one knew where each car would go except the drivers. That is to say; no one could choose their 14 days quarantine hotel. It was like a hotel lottery. Am I a lucky one?? I took another 30 minutes to wait for my seat. After I got on the bus, all the thing I could do was just prayed: “Please give me a super clean and tidy hotel…”
2020/11/05 15:00 PM Shanghai - Quarantine Hotel
After 40 minutes, I arrived at my quarantine hotel. My hotel is next to another airport in Shanghai- Mercure Hotel. It looks beautiful from the outside. The bus started pulling into a side road, and then some staff (also wearing protective clothing, goggles, and KN95 masks) came to our bus and helped us fill in a lot of personal information. I realized that we could not share a room with a friend. Everyone needed to live alone. Moreover, no one could leave his or her hotel room. I had my room card, but the card could only control the power supply. That is to say; if you leave the room and close the door, you cannot open it again. Your previous quarantine days need to be cleared, and you still need to do another 14 days quarantine. After we filled out our information forms, we started to check in the hotel, and my 14 days quarantine began!!!
2020/11/06 3:30 AM Shanghai - Food Delivery
On the first day of my quarantine, I was still jet-lagged. I went to bed at 8 pm last night, and I woke up around 3:30 am. I felt starving because I could not get my breakfast until 8 am. Therefore, I decided to buy some snacks and instant noodles online to make sure I can eat when I am hungry. It may differ from hotel to hotel for outside food delivery as they each have their own policies. I could not order food delivery for the hotel I stay at, but we could accept the package for daily necessities, snacks, instant noodles, and non-alcoholic beverages.
2020/11/06 8:00 AM Shanghai - My Meals
Time to have breakfast! The staff would bring me three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They would put the meal at my room door three times a day. I’m not fussy, and I love Chinese food, so I think my meals were good. What’s more, the staff gave us a yellow garbage bag every day to hold our daily garbage. I always put all of my trash into the trash bag and put it at my door every night before I went to sleep. We did not need to worry about our trash bags; the staff would help us deal with them the next morning.
2020/11/06 10:00 AM Shanghai - Taking the Temperature
At about 10 am, the staff in protective clothing would knock on our door one by one and said, “checking body temperature!” We need to take our temperature twice a day, once in the morning (10 am) and once in the afternoon (2 pm).
2020/11/10 6:30 AM Shanghai - Taking Online Class
I have two courses this semester. Due to the time difference, I still need to take these classes in the morning. For me, it is not a big problem. But when I took my class in my quarantine hotel, I always worried about the internet because it was unstable. For the rest of the time, I always focus on my papers and sleep. I am very grateful that I had classes to take when I was in my quarantine hotel because it made me feel that I had something to do. Some people may felt uncomfortable when they did this quarantine because they could not go out, but it was okay for me. I think it might because I had a lot of things to do at that time.
Of course, everyone’s feelings about their quarantine life are different. For example, some people may not like their hotel, and some people may have emotional changes, such as being alone for 14 days and feeling lonely. During my quarantine, I interviewed three international students, Yunyi Xiao, Zixuan Yang, and Joey Zhuang, to find out how they think about their quarantine.
“When I arrived at my quarantine hotel, I started to cry. Because it took me about 30 hours to return to China, I felt exhausted, and I didn’t prepare well for my quarantine. I chatted with my family and friends every day to eliminate my fear of quarantine alone.” – Yunyi Xiao
“I feel that there were no many emotional changes when I was in quarantine because all my focus is on my internship.” – Zixuan Yang
“At the beginning of my quarantine, I felt very uncomfortable because I could not go to the gym to work out. But I strongly support this policy, because I know that many people in China can already go shopping without a mask.” – Joey Zhuang
I communicated with a staff member who works at the Shenzhen International Airport. He pointed out that each city may have about 50 hotels for quarantine. These hotels are only provided for international travelers for quarantine use. Each hotel can accommodate about 200 customers.
The last question is, how should international students decide their choice: Go Back or Not?
According to Wei Liao, a professor in Beijing Normal University’s faculty of education, he pointed out if students choose the model like take online classes in their home country even if they need to face the time differences, they need to have a “cycle” of their own. They need to make sure that they sleep enough instead of taking classes when sleepy. What’s more, they can also plan their own class schedule. For example, if some courses need to take at 3 o’clock or 4 a.m., would it be possible for them to take these classes next semester? Or if they can contact their professor and request Zoom recording to have the chance to replay the class video?
Professor Liao also suggests students consider some factors when they are thinking about whether to return home. For example, they can check the cost of returning home, such as airfare and quarantine hotel. They can consider if the place they live right now is a high-risk place or a low-risk place, if they have emotional factors that have to go home, and their future study plans.
” We also have many strict policies in school. For example, students and faculty members need to fill in their own health information forms before school. They need to wait until the review is passed by school staff so that they are eligible to enter the school. Our school has gradually started on-site courses, but the schools also announced the online courses in the first half of this year. Each professor can choose their favorite online meeting platform and declare it to the school in advance.” said Professor Liao.
At the end of the interview, Professor Liao also raised a question: ” I feel that the world is flooding the uncertainty. At this moment, the uncertainty we face is a global problem. However, this kind of uncertainty can also exist in our lives. Thus, how people live with certainty in a world full of uncertainty is very important. A life of certainty maybe how to get along with others, strengthen your beliefs in any situation, and focus on what you like. I think some uncertainty is inevitable, only when your own certainty becomes more and more strong, you can be able to deal with all levels of uncertainty, including the current pandemic.”
Professor Liao quoted a quote from John Lennon, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” Again, 2020 is a challenging year for everyone, but COVID-19 is not over yet. Everyone still needs to maintain seriousness about this pandemic. Only when this pandemic starts to disappear, we can have a better 2021!
Check this video for more detailed stories and interviews!!~
Shiyun Li (Sharon) 