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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Important news -> 
Stay or leave: Hard choice for overseas Chinese
    2020-03-19  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

JUST over a month ago when the COVID-19 was rampant in China, Chinese students studying overseas had been worried about their families at home. Now, as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly worldwide, they face a new question: Stay or leave?

A Chinese junior-year student at Dartmouth College in the United States just arrived in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, on Sunday.

The student, who identified herself as Liu, said that she felt safer in China as many Americans do not wear face masks and she is not confident in the country’s preventative measures.

Liu said that her flight to Hong Kong was mostly occupied by Chinese nationals. “We all wore masks for the entire journey. Some wore protective gear and goggles,” said Liu. At present, Liu is under self-isolation.

A first-year postgraduate student studying at the University of Western Australia in Perth also considered going back to China given the current situation. However, he found no direct flights from Perth to Guangzhou were operating.

“So I would have to make a transfer, and the price for the most convenient travel package to China has skyrocketed by more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,427),” said the student surnamed Cai.

One sophomore at Boston University who is from Shenzhen chose to stay on campus.

The student, surnamed Liu, told Shenzhen Daily that he made the decision by taking into consideration the risk of contracting the virus on the long journey back home.

“I think it is safer to stay here, and my parents showed their understanding after hearing my concerns,” said Liu.

Boston University has put all classes online and canceled all club activities and school events, according to Liu.

When asked about the impact of the coronavirus, Liu said that his life has not been affected too much besides the fact that he is not accustomed to taking classes online as face-to-face teaching enables more interactions with teachers and classmates.

In addition to concerns regarding the risk of catching the virus on the way back to China, some are also afraid of the impact it will have on their studies once they return, given new immigration policies that have been issued in several countries to contain the spread of the virus.

“I am afraid that if I go back I would not be able to return easily, which might affect my graduation. The school just suspended face-to-face teaching,” said a postgraduate student surnamed Wu majoring in landscape architecture at the University of Adelaide.

“We still have lessons each day though most have been put online. Not many Chinese students in the university have chosen to go back. It’s a long journey,” said an undergraduate student surnamed Yu from JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

However, for those who are stranded in Italy, the second hardest-hit nation after China, it seems that there is no choice but to stay.

A fresh graduate who is currently living in Turin in northern Italy said that the city has been on lockdown since the end of February. The city has confirmed over 500 cases of COVID-19 so far, according to the young man surnamed Zhang.

“I have heard rumors that some big supermarkets like Copa are going to close next week. If this is true, I will be very concerned about food shortages as the delivery services here are not like what we have in China,” said Zhang.

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