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  2020-04-28

  A brief memoir written by a trapped Chineses student at ASU

  It is the third week after transition of classes started in ASU. My life started to become monotone after the spring break which was 3.17. Dining hall did not allow dine-in anymore. The chairs inside the nearest dining hall—Hassayampa, were all put away and sanitized towels were placed in bowls on tables. The dining hall staffs began to provide us with disposable plastic boxes to fill the meals and they even wore glosses to prevent spreading epidemic. The transitioning of classes announced by ASU was said to maintain for two weeks, but it was extended through the semester at the end of the first week after spring break. My first roommate decided to go back home right after the new policy, and my second and third roommate moved out during the second week, which left me alone in the dorm. My daily routine is: wake up--breakfast--online classes--dining hall--dorm--online classes--dining hall-- dorm--homework or video games. It was not as monotone as weekdays during the weekends, since I could spend more time on leisure instead of studying. In the light of the epidemic, I was discouraged by myself as well as my parents and the local government to do any social contacts. But thanks to the virtual technologies, I use zoom to make video contacts with my friends and Wechat to contact with my parents. They worry about my safety in U.S. because they are mostly back in China where the epidemic is approximately purged; in the contrast, the cases in U.S. are increasing. They fear the public order here are disrupted and urge me to hoard food in case that the dining hall might close or something worse happen. Most importantly, they all ask me to wear mask if I am outdoor. In U.S., I barely see people wearing masks outdoor, which is greatly opposite in China. Here is a fun fact that can explain why CDC does not recommend people wearing masks: Half of the production of masks among the world are in China, which explains why CDC does not recommend wearing masks while purchasing masks from other countries to meet the need of medical staffs. CDC may explain that no empirical results prove wearing masks can prevent the spreading of virus, but if it really can’t, then the epidemic in China will not get better than it used to be with the help of masks. Few people wearing masks in U.S. is my greatest concern, because it cannot efficiently slow down the spreading rate of Covid-19. Based on the status quo of epidemic in U.S., cases will keep growing and need time of months to see the turning point. And even now, the travel level for China is still “4”, which means Chinese are not allowed to enter U.S. Because I bought the flight ticket to China at the end of this semester, I am afraid that I will be declined to reenter U.S. even during August. I truly wish the epidemic around the world will stop in the coming months and the vaccine for Covid-19 can be successfully produced. Stay healthy, wash hands frequently, keep social distances and wear masks if you can.