COVID-19 started at the end of 2019 from Wuhan, China. Since China is only 81 miles away from my homeland Taiwan and there are thousands of Taiwanese reside or work there. Taiwan was predicted to be in the midst of a major coronavirus outbreak. After the first notifications at the end of 2019, the government of Taiwan swiftly deployed a combination of measures to identify and contain the virus. In fact, this is not the first time for us to deal with this situation. Back in 2002, we had suffered from another coronavirus epidemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which was also originated from China and hundreds of people in Taiwan were infected. The infected number is no way to compare with COVID-19 but the situation was that in 2002 we didn’t have as much communication with China as we do today. The epidemic of SARS ended up killing 73 people and hurt the economy. With the lesson we learned from the SARS outbreak, our government and most of the people were prepared to fight against COVID-19. So far, Taiwan remains a relatively low number of infections.
There is no remedy to cure or vaccine to prevent the pandemic so far. So my family and most of my friends are very aware of it. I have been catching up with the news and information about COVID-19 from my family and friends since January, even I was staying in the States. With previous experiences, social distancing and hand sanitation could help us from getting infected. There are some in-person events that could not be avoided, such as grocery shopping, I would put on a facial mask to prevent myself from pathogens. CDC suggests that only people who are feeling sick should wear a facial mask, but coronavirus has a 14-days incubation period; that is, people might hold the virus without any syndrome and without notice. So, I personally believe that it is essential to wear a facial mask while entering in an indoor facility. However, being an Asian who wears a mask seems to become an issue in the US.
Ever since COVID-19 outbreak to Western countries, the hatred toward Chinese people or even Asian who looks like Chinese have been started. There is news from all over the world reporting Asian people being assaulted or even attacked by others in public. In this current backdrop of the coronavirus, it seems that racists have found another excuse to expound their hatred. I am grateful that people around me are being nice and I know most of the people are still being nice. But some of my friends did face the situation that there are some total strangers in public calling them “coronavirus”. On the other hand, my family is worried about me to keep staying in the US under the circumstances. A part of me was glad that the in-person meetings are canceled so that I can go back earlier. But I’m staying in State College for now because I haven’t settled down my new apartment for the coming semester and I think it’s easier for me to catch up with all the online courses by staying here. If I go back now, I might get lost with these courses with 12 hours of time difference. Also, there aren’t many infections here at State College and I believe it is relatively safe to stay here instead of having a 14-hours flight going back. I’m grateful to be able to stay here because there aren’t many people out there so I could still go out and have some fresh air.
My roommate and I drove around and found the Stone Valley Recreation Area which has a beautiful lake. Photo by Yu Tung Cheng
I know it is a frustrating time for everyone, but we have to stay calm and positive instead of being panic. Moreover, we should all take precautions to prevent infection, such as washing hands regularly and avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth and most importantly, social distancing; the easiest way to do so is staying at home and avoid any unnecessary in-person contact.
Reference:
Haynes S. (2020) As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism. Retrieved from TIME magazine website: https://time.com/5797836/coronavirus-racism-stereotypes-attacks/
How to Protect Yourself. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html