The coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, originated in China and was an illness caused by a virus discovered in late 2019. By early 2020, it had spread worldwide and caused a global pandemic, with deaths counted in the millions. It’s an airborne virus, but it is still transmittable through physical contact. This virus was especially hard to control/treat due to the symptoms being extremely similar to the common flu and, at times, not showing up at all. It’s also worth noting there are different intensities that an individual will experience: mild, moderate, severe, or critical. It targets the respiratory system, causing the lungs to stop working correctly or, worse, death.
“Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 27 Mar. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963#:~:text=The%20virus%20that%20causes%20COVID,in%20the%20hospital%20or%20death.
Total Confirmed cases of COVID from each Country
The people I interviewed were my friends LiRui and Jared. LiRui, who only moved to the States back in December, had experienced what Coivd was like in Guangdong, China. Jared had experienced in the U.S. midway through his freshman year of high school. Both experienced COVID-19 but in different parts of the world, sharing similarities and differences.
“疫情严重的时候，一直只能待在家里，每天两次核酸。每天最讨厌的就是核酸检查。那很麻烦你知道吗？不仅排队排很长也很痛苦。检查完鼻子都很不舒服。” – LiRui
Translated to, “When the pandemic got serious, I could only stay at home and had to take a Covid test twice a day. Taking the test was the most annoying thing; not only was the line beyond long, but it was also very painful. Whenever I’ve finished taking the test, my nose would also be uncomfortable.”
“I did mostly stay home due to the quarantine, but I would still hang out with friends outside at a park nearby” -Jared.
From both interviews, LiRui had a much more stricter regulation set by the government. He mentions to minimize the spread and lower the cases, the government puts a lot of restrictions on them, making it difficult for them. On the other hand, Jared said that even with quarantine in place, there was still a considerable amount of freedom. He also didn’t have to take a Covid test twice a day. He says he actually has never taken one.
Camps and Testing sites would be located down at residential area, and residents would line up to take their Coivd test.
LiRui went on to say, “出去买吃的东西一家人只能一个人出去，而且还限制2个小时。街上根本就看不到多少人空大大的一个有时候想买的东西还买不到，而且还不能买太多不然拎不回来。我就觉得嘛，限定一个人出去有点过份了。你看，如果就在让一个人出去就简单多了。我能理解为什么他们这样子但是这真的很烦人。”
This translates to “When going out to buy food, only one family member was able to go and was limited to only 2 hours. The streets were pretty much empty; you didn’t see many people. There were times when we wanted to get something, but we weren’t able to buy it. It would have been much better if at least another people could went along. I just think it’s a bit much, and it’s really a pain to deal with.”
On the other hand, Jared says, “You know, even with quarantine going on, I still see a s–t ton of people whenever I went out to buy stuff. Like, when I went to Walmart to buy stuff and whatnot, the store was still full. People didn’t even stay six feet apart.”
There is a big difference between the two; LiRui’s situation when it comes to buying groceries was an inconvenience; you have to plan to get the most out of it. On the other hand, there wasn’t much trouble for Jared; he was just annoyed by the sheer amount of people he still saw, even with quarantine.
LiRui says he and his actually didn’t test positive for COVID during the whole pandemic. He was surprised at the fact that “我没想到我们会那么的幸运，一次都没得到。说实话我觉得我至少会中一次。有一次我是有感觉不舒服，但是测试结果出来说我没有中。 没中也好不然还要被送去检疫中心” Translates to “I never would have thought we were so lucky to not get Covid once. I really thought I would at least get COVID once, but it didn’t happen. There was a time when I was feeling pretty sick, but when I went to get tested, it was negative. I was fine with the result because I really didn’t want to be sent to the quarantine center.” He mentions that not being able to go out and play basketball with his buddies probably helped, along with online school. It got boring really fast for him, from being stuck at home and not able to do anything refreshing. He went on to say dramas and reality shows were what helped him go through the whole pandemic. He was able to watch shows he’s been wanting to watch and re-watching others.
“I was lucky to not get COVID-19, but I mean, I didn’t take a COVID test once. I did feel under the weather once, but who knows, man. It could have been a cold, considering it was around February. And oh yes, my mom did test positive, and me and dad was keeping our distance from her”
Jared goes on to say he was actually excited for quarantine. He could relax and catch up on all the shows and games he’s been putting on hold. During that time, he did more activities with his family than in recent years, watching movies, playing board games, and baking together. If he ever gets bored, he can play basketball in his backyard, or if allowed, he can call his friends to play a game of baseball or basketball. He also mentions he was taking full advantage of online school, slacking off whenever possible.
Really only healthcare workers and those who are out for groceries could be seen on the empty streets.
With cases on the rise and hospitals getting full with paternal tested positive, the government rushed to build quarantine centers to isolate those who tested positive. The zero COVID was created. Qunatine Center was built to hold up to four thousand people, each with eighteen square meters. The centers had installed wifi, a television set, a shower, a bathroom, a desk, and chairs, but it wasn’t the best of experiences with the strict rules. Many complain about the environment and the horrible living conditions.
Yeung, Jessie. “China Builds Massive Covid-19 Quarantine Camp for 4,000 People as Outbreak Continues.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Jan. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/asia/china-shijiazhuang-covid-quarantine-intl-hnk-scli/index.html. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/asia/china-shijiazhuang-covid-quarantine-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
A quarantine center is constructed in ten days and put to use immunity. Everything was in a rush, so it was common to see centers appear out of nowhere.
What inside the quarantine center looks like
Both LiRui and Jared say the only people they talked to was their family, whom they were uniting with. They both would text with their friends like usual but still lack the social interaction. The only time where they would see their friends’ faces was either during online school or during Facetime. LiRui says “打王者荣耀时候我会call我朋友因为这样子简单沟通,打的也好。其他时候就是无聊我就跟他们视频看看他们都在做啥。虽然没有面对面但是我们还是会沟通的。反正他们能没变还是一样的贱。” Which translates to, “When playing Honor of Kings, I would voice call my friends so we could tell each other what was happening. That made winning the game a lot easier. Other times, when I was bored, I would Facetime them to see what they were up to. It was good to know they were still the same weirdos.” LiRui was strictly restricted to video calling, but Jared could meet with his friends face to face. When the pandemic ended, they struggled to interact with others, but if it were their friends, they were perfectly fine talking to them. Jared emphasizes, “I think I was able to talk normally with my friends because I had been actively in contact with them and also because I had known them for years.” Both Jared and LiRui agree that COVID has made them less talkative, but due to the difference, I think Jared was doing better. He had done more face-to-face interactions.
Online School
Facing the challenges of quinine, the Chinese Ministry of Education(MoE) and higher education institutions transition to online school while keeping a “face-to-face teaching.” To not hinder the student’s education, the MoE sign-off and document allows for free online courses for students to study. In consideration of those who are less accessible, different options would “subsidize” students to get wifi and equipment to access class materials. When schools started opening up, students were allowed back for in-person classes but were required to wear a face mask and have their temperature taken freely throughout the day. Li: “It was annoying.” As for Jared, “I had the option to choose whether I wanted to continue to take an online class or in-person, but I took in-person. The only time I got my temperature checked was when entering the school.
Noted, to ensure COVID cases were going down, LiRui went through the trouble of constantly checking his temperature throughout the school day. Jared only had to get his check in the morning when entering, so he didn’t mind expect the long line he had to wait.
China’s Education Arrangements during COVID-19 Pandemic Period, internationaleducation.gov.au/international-network/china/PolicyUpdates-China/Pages/China’s-education-arrangements-during-COVID-19-pandemic-period.aspx. Accessed 2 May 2024. https://internationaleducation.gov.au/international-network/china/PolicyUpdates-China/Pages/China’s-education-arrangements-during-COVID-19-pandemic-period.aspx
When COVID cases died down, the in-person school was back, but students and faculty had to wear masks. In stricter schools, students were required to take a temperature check before entering the premises.
The Coronavirus is one of the most deadly viruses seen in recent decades, and many lives have been lost. Both LiRui was glad none of their relatives had lost their lives. LiRui says, “I was scared. I was not ready,” and Jared says, “It hit me hard, knowing someone I knew might pass away any second. Even though I didn’t know what losing a releivly felt like, I still felt saddened thinking about it.”
It’s recorded that the total coronavirus death toll is about seven million. China, surprisingly, didn’t have the most death cases; the virus was originally there. Regions like U.S. and Europe actually suffer the most
“Mortality Analyses.” Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality. Accessed 1 May 2024. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality
Confirmed COVID-19 death by World Region
Jared mentioned he didn’t just relax, ” I actually amped to learn how to play the guitar. There was plenty of time, so I thought to myself, why not? It paid off because I got to play together with a couple friends. I’m glad I learned it.”
LiRui also mentions, “反正没什么东西做，我就看着我爸妈煮菜然后学着。简单的像蛋炒饭我也会做了。煮青菜还算简单就是煮肉羹鱼会比较难一点。虽然说味道还不怎么样但是能煮菜已经很不错了。别小看我的厨艺啊。你看现在多好呀，来纽约留学，自己煮菜省了不少钱。没浪费那些被挨骂的时间呵呵。。。
This translates to, ” Since there was so much time at hand, I might as well learn to cook. I would watch my parents cook and memorize what to do and what to add. Simple meals like fried rice and vegetables are no problem. The harder ones were fish and meat. I still struggle with it somewhat. I can’t guarantee the taste, but at the very least, I’m able to cook, so that’s a plus. Another thing, since I’m studying in New York now, knowing how to cook on my own saves me a lot of money. It was worth the scolding I had to endure. Haha….”
Something they both share was learning new skills, which they benefited greatly and that came in handy in the future. This is the one thing that happened where neither LiRui nor Jared contrasts their experiences.
It was a common theme for people to discover and learn new hobbies during the pandemic.
China was facing a scarce supply of face masks. People were mandated to wear face masks when going out, and face mask stocks were being brought out instantly, leaving many short or out of masks. LiRui says, “was a pain. wear the same mask multiple times. Smell. heat. cold. It went as bad as people sell them online for unreasonable prices. Factors that were used to make phones, shoes, cars, etc, were turned into masks. Face mask factories were working at “110 percent capacity” with the high demand and shortage. New factories were also licensed to create high-grade masks. This was all due to the difficulty of manufacturing high-quality masks. That being said, there were trends on the internet to DIY face masks using socks.
When asked about mask problems, Jared says, “I just use the reusable mask. I’ll have two or three around; once the one I’m wearing starts to smell or whatever, I’ll switch it to another one. I don’t get why they don’t do the same, but hey, it’s on them.”
Sadly, China’s mask shortage made it difficult for LiRui.
Feng, Emily, and Amy Cheng. “Covid-19 Has Caused a Shortage of Face Masks. but They’re Surprisingly Hard to Make.” NPR, NPR, 16 Mar. 2020, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/814929294/covid-19-has-caused-a-shortage-of-face-masks-but-theyre-surprisingly-hard-to-mak. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/814929294/covid-19-has-caused-a-shortage-of-face-masks-but-theyre-surprisingly-hard-to-mak
LiRui says, “说实话我觉得那一年还算可以。也没有什么天大的事情发生也就待在家里。还好不是在高四那一年发生不然体验不了毕业典礼。我看有些疫情发生的毕业典礼都挺糟糕的，还好我不在那一批里面。
Translates to “I don’t think it wasn’t that bad of a year at all. Nothing serious or over the top happens, and I just stay home. Also, I heard some graduations that happened during that time were pretty awful. Luckily, the pandemic didn’t happen during my senior year of High school. I would actually hate the pandemic if it had happened that year.”
Jared says, “Would I say if I want to experience it again? I honestly can’t say. If I were still in school, then yep, cause you know, online classes and all, but now I’m working, I kinda don’t wanna lose my stable income.
Between the two, LiRui had a really terrible experience from the interview I had with him. Given this, I understand how he feels about the restrictions he was placed under and the limited activities he could do. Jared was lucky, given his degree of freedom. I feel bad for LiRui for what he went through, but cases over in China were unpleasant.
COVID-19 was an unusual experience that happened and will be made down in history as a historical event. The people who experience it can tell stories in the feature and let the people know how it was. It won’t be hypothesized from what was left, but having first-hand information. Covid brought both good and bad. Good being the limitless amount of time to learn new hobbies. Bad is the unemployment and loss of family members. Luckily, it’s been four years since the pandemic, and everything is back to normal. People seem to forget that the pandemic was ever a thing.
By Yijie Lei