The long wait is finally over for teachers, staff, and students in Beijing who have been required to wear masks for most of the past three years.

On Monday morning, Beijing authorities officially lifted the requirement for masks to be worn in schools, giving the school-going population the freedom to choose whether or not to wear masks on campus.

According to parents of both local and international schools across Beijing, the wearing of masks on school campuses is now a matter of personal preference.

Several international schools sent formal email notifications to parents this morning informing them of the new policy. Other sources have reported the same move in public schools – all of which finally returned to in-person class today after the extended Chinese New Year Holiday break.

This small but significant step forwards further demonstrates Beijing’s normalization of the Covid-19 situation. Since Covid hit the nation 3 years ago, the wearing of masks had been mandatory in all public spaces, including schools.

Teachers, staff and students alike were required to keep a mask on at all times on campus, which meant at least 6 – 8 hours of wearing a mask for the school-going population.

Many in the school community have commented on the difficulty of teaching and learning while wearing a mask. Communication between students and teachers can be difficult, as well as concentration and focus for students.

The enforcement of mask-wearing has been a low priority in most public spaces since local authorities dropped the Zero Covid policy in December last year. However, there has not been any official announcement regarding the matter. As of press time, there has been no official change in the policy requiring masks in public venues and on public transportation.

Images: Pexels

KEEP READING: Travel By Planes VS Trains in China During Covid

“When are the kids going back to school?”

You’ve asked it, we’ve asked it, heck, parents have been talking about this since the schools went online again. This year’s Chinese New Year starts on Jan 22 and we’re already less than a month away. Many of us assumed that there wouldn’t be any chance of our kids returning to campus again until after Chinese New Year.

The Beijing Education Committee has yet to make any formal announcement as to when international schools may resume, but since Covid management will be reclassified into Category B on Jan 8, officially moving it down on the level of seriousness of diseases in China, many have seen this as a positive sign that school restrictions may soon be lifted.

Examples of diseases in each category:

Category A: plague, cholera
Category B: AIDS, rabies, measles, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, epidemic encephalitis B
Category C: influenza, mumps

Beijing City International School (BCIS) has already emailed their students’ parents with a warm holiday greeting from the head of school and the highly anticipated news that they’re “eagerly looking forward to returning to school on Tuesday, 3 January and will share more information with [parents]next week.”

International School of Beijing (ISB), Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), and Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) have also contacted their students’ parents with the announcement that they plan on resuming on-campus classes on Jan 2. The schools have not received any confirmed information from authorities, and the decision to return to campus is based on the new measure released by the Ministry of Education stating that schools without an outbreak of Covid-19 should have normal on-campus learning.

The schools are still awaiting the exact campus entry requirements and will share them with parents as they receive them. While there is still a chance that schools will be asked to stay online in the coming days, without a clear directive many schools will continue to open on campus as planned.

A WeChat post sent by the Beijing Education Committee on Dec 29 listed the prevention and control guidelines for schools, including implementing a “daily report” and “zero report” system and taking measures to monitor the symptoms of those on campus. Anyone with a fever, dry cough, fatigue, and sore throat will not be allowed on campus. It also goes on to stress the importance of ventilation and thorough disinfection as well as taking timely measures to reduce interpersonal contact.

One slightly vague point in the post says the following [from Google Translate]: “After the outbreak of the epidemic in the school, measures such as reducing interpersonal contact, strengthening personal protection, implementing online teaching in primary and secondary schools, and temporarily closing preschool education institutions in a short period of time shall be taken in a timely manner.”

学校内发生疫情后，及时采取减少人际接触、强化个人防护、短期内实施中小学校线上教学、学前教育机构临时关停等措施。

The comment does not state the severity of Covid cases on campus but leaves room for interpretation that, although Covid restrictions have loosened overall, schools may continue to experience similar online learning days as in previous years.

Images: Pexels

Covid is really making its way around Beijing and the pressing question on every parent’s mind is what to do and what medication to give kids if they test positive.

Below is a recommendation of medication that can be given to children that comes from Dr. Xia Lihong – Deputy Head of Pediatrics at the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Chinese Medicine.

Jingkids is not affiliated with the recommending doctor or the hospital. Please consult your child’s pediatrician before giving them anything you’re unfamiliar with.

Fever

For fever higher than 38.5 degrees Celsius, give Children’s Motrin or Children’s Tylenol based on the recommended dosage.

If the fever is below 38.5 degrees Celsius, the following Chinese medication can be used:

• 小儿柴桂退热颗粒 (Xiao Er Chaigui Tuire Keli)
  
• 小儿豉翘清热颗粒 (xiaoechiqiao qingre keli)

Sore Throat

• 小儿青翘颗粒 （xiaoer qingqiao keli)
• 蒲地蓝消炎口服液 (pudilian xiaoyan koufuye)
• 小儿咽扁颗粒 （xiaoer yanbian keli)

Cough

Dry cough:

• Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide Dispersible Tablets 右美沙芬 (youmeishafen)

Phlegm cough:

• Ambroxol hydrochloride oral solution 盐酸氨溴索口服溶液 （yansuananxiusuo koufurongye)

Coughing during the later stages:

• 小儿咳嗽糖浆 (xiaoer kesuo tangjiang)
• 肺力咳合剂 (feilike heji)

Stuffy Nose

• Saline Nasal Drops 滴鼻液 (dibiye)
• 鼻炎通窍颗粒 （biyan tongqiao keli)

Diarrhea

• 蒙脱石散 (mengtuoshisan)

Again, please consult your child’s pediatrician before giving them any medication.

Images: Dr. Xia Lihong, pexels

Last Saturday we celebrated my friend’s birthday. It was the big 4-0, so she made sure everything was perfect, and things went well, for the party anyway.

My 18-month-old is well past babyhood, but we still breastfeed at random times, so when I left around 1pm I thought nothing about it. But what was supposed to be a fun weekend, turned into an entire day spent waiting in agonizing pain at a fever clinic.

I always thought mastitis can only happen in the first few weeks after delivery when the baby is still not latching on properly or you miss a feed so the milk builds up in your breasts.

Little did I know that it would happen to me 18 months into breastfeeding!

It started as pressure around 10pm on Saturday while the birthday party was still in full swing and 10 minutes later it became this throbbing pain followed by fatigue, chills, and high fever. I called a Didi and headed back home, but by the time I got home my son Noel was asleep and couldn’t care less about feeding. I woke up Sunday morning feeling achy and feverish. Even though I was experiencing all the possible aches and pains, was burning up and even had the physical evidence right there before me, I couldn’t believe it was mastitis.

According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization, mastitis is commonest in the second and third week postpartum, with most reports indicating that 74% to 95% of cases occur in the first 12 weeks. However, it may occur at any stage of lactation, including in the second year. So, ladies, it CAN happen even with extended breastfeeding, so if it happens to you know that you’re not alone and seek medical attention immediately.

By noon on Sunday, I knew I had to go to the hospital so I headed to the nearest one. No hospital would admit me because of the fever so I ended up at Beijing Friendship Hospital.

The lights were off when I got there as it was already past 5pm. A very nice nurse told me, after taking my temperature, that I have to agree to a chest CT scan and a blood draw so they could rule covid out and get me the help I needed. I told her there was no way I would do a CT scan for no reason, so she got on the phone with someone and told me that I had to do a Covid test at their hospital and wait for the results. She checked my Health Kit, but even though it was on day 1, they still needed me to do the test again.

Two nurses gave me a N95 mask to put on instead of the one I was wearing and they led me to a fever clinic at the side of the road. I was asked to scan two codes and sign a form, given a pair of disposable gloves, and let inside the clinic where they took my blood pressure (which is always impossibly low by the way) and gave me a ticket with a number on it.

When my number came up, I entered the doctor’s office. The masked-up doctor asked me how long I had had a fever and if I had any other covid-related symptoms. It had been 5 hours since I went looking for help and I really needed a painkiller.

Tip: If you end up at a fever clinic for any reason, make sure to ask for a blanket, because those places tend to get really cold with ACs set on low.

The doctor ordered an ultrasound and a blood draw, but before getting those, I had to get a Covid test. It was a nasal swab and with the pain and the fever, it was just what I needed to make me nauseous and dizzy. I waited for another hour to see the ultrasound technician and a lady doctor who performed a physical exam. I was prescribed both oral and intravenous antibiotics and was advised to stop breastfeeding for three days. My results came in around 10pm and I was free to go.

There are 3 things I learned from this experience:

1. Mastitis can happen even when your baby is not a baby anymore
2. Always keep an updated list of hospitals with fever clinics in the city in your phone. You never know when you’ll need one.
3. Don’t wait for the next day, ask for medical help immediately if you experience any of the symptoms

Images: Pexels

We made it!

After a 19-hour flight from San Francisco to Shanghai, plus a four-hour wait in the airport, followed by another hour of traveling, and then another two hours of waiting at the quarantine hotel to be registered, our family made it to the room where we would exist for the next ten days. Why ten and not seven? I’ll explain later.

As you go on to read my true quarantine story, do keep in mind how everyone’s quarantine experience can vary a lot. This is due to an odd top-down administrative choice to randomly assign quarantine hotels to travelers flying into China, which applies to both locals and foreigners from what I’ve seen. This air of mystery is probably what confounds the entire experience and makes it so frustrating, especially for families.

5 Things I Learned About Centralized Quarantine in 2022’s China

1. Paperwork, Schmaperwork

Seven days before even setting foot in China, we were told to opt for self-quarantine in the city of our departing flight. Full disclosure: We didn’t. We didn’t go partying around town, but we certainly made the most of our remaining days of freedom. And then 48 hours before our flight, we proceeded to a designated facility to perform a NAT or PCR test. *Warning: This is a nose swab variety and deeply unpleasant. This test was repeated at the same facility 24 hours later, and the results were sent to our email later that day. We printed this out, as well as our vaccination certificates (from China) and Health Declaration and Travel Declaration Forms detailing every city we visited while on vacation.

As Linkin Park put it so eloquently, in the end, it doesn’t even matter.

After we arrived in Shanghai, we scanned at least three QR codes, which led to a different form each time that we had to fill out to generate yet another QR code, which was required to pass each checkpoint in the airport. No one asked to see our small mountain of paperwork at all. What a waste of trees.

One of many QR codes you’ll have to scan

2. NAT NAT NAT

We did a NAT (Nucleic Acid Test) on-site at the airport. This was of the throat swab variety, which I had always preferred, until this deep-throat version that made all of us gag. Later, we would do another NAT on-site at the designated quarantine hotel. And then every other day during quarantine.

3. The Waiting Place

I had over three hours for Dr. Seuss’ words to echo in my head as we stood in line that night. One of the longer waits was the usual airport customs clearance line. Fun discovery: As we stood in the line for foreign passports, a customs officer tempted me with a shorter queue when he found out that I bore a non-US foreign passport (Singapore).

No more pee places for a while after this point

Make sure you pee in the airport before you claim your baggage, because after that there isn’t an easily-accessible toilet until after you get assigned your mystery quarantine hotel, and that wait was over three hours long for us. Some details to this vague process: You will get grouped into different sections following a letter of the alphabet – our family ended up in section F. I would like to emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether you stand at the front of the queue here, as every person in the group will need to be registered before we can all move on to, you guessed it, yet another waiting place – this time for the shuttle bus to bring us to the hotel.

4. Answering the Million Dollar Question: Do They Split Up Families?

In our case, yes. Once we got to the hotel, we were told that each adult gets a room. This meant that even if you are a family of two adults + one kid, they would want to split the family up into one adult + one kid in one room, and the other adult in another room. Now pay attention: This can be avoided if one of the adults has a medical condition that requires medical attention. This can be proven by prescription medication in your possession (Excedrin doesn’t count) or a doctor’s note or prescription. Be courteous as you make your request, no matter how exhausted you are and how justified you feel about your right to stay together as a family because that really helps your case.

5. What’s it really like? 

We were intensely relieved when our shuttle bus pulled up to a JW Marriott hotel, even as I noticed that it was fenced off entirely, and as we were processed for registration inside a shipping container-turned makeshift office at the service entrance of the building. This wait was hours long again and resembled that scene in movies where people are shoving to go first to escape the zombie virus outbreak, except this time they all brought their luggage with them.

As I stood at the back of the line and watched one boy, close to my own child’s age, perched unsteadily on top of his father’s luggage, his eyes heavy with sleep and fatigue, I wished they would have prioritized those of us with young children. But we were lucky that a couple of the 大白 running around in hazmat suits did try to help process us faster, and some even helped us with our luggage. I can’t promise the same of everyone you will encounter through this process, but I thank the universe for sending me little acts of kindness that kept my faith in humanity alive.

After I managed to convince the registration staff that my migraines were debilitating enough to require my family to stay together in one room, we were subjected to another NAT before finally heading to our room. We secured a luggage trolley for our 10+ pieces of luggage and were again kindly assisted by the 大白 who saw us to our room. The hotel was eerily quiet, but it was after midnight at this point. A short coffee table sat outside each room door – the landing pad for our meals and any other things we might need during our “stay.”

The room itself was dusty and the linoleum they had hastily installed over the carpet kept wrinkling no matter which direction we pulled it in. There was dirt and hair in the shower, and even though we had been thrilled to see a bathtub in the bathroom at first, we quickly discovered it did not have a plug to stop the water from flowing. Our hopes of enjoying a bath went down the drain, literally. After I begged for a vacuum cleaner and rigorously performed the housekeeping the room sorely needed, it began to shape up into a pretty nice place.

Ah yes, why ten days instead of seven? Well, the rule is for seven days in centralized quarantine, with an additional three in your own domicile in the arriving city. But since our domicile is in Beijing, we had to stay all ten days in this quarantine hotel (especially since they told us that nobody else would take us for the last three days). Truth be told, we had been ready for 21 days of quarantine when we first left the country, so ten days is totally doable, right?

Stay tuned to see if I maintain my sanity over the next few days in quarantine!

KEEP READING: Quarantined One Day After Giving Birth To Baby; New Mom Tells It All

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

In this confusing pandemic era where rules and restrictions are set on everything, what are the protocols for traveling around Beijing? Here is a guide to making your journey around China’s capital as easy as possible.

天安门 Tiananmen Square

1. Remember to reserve your spot here or here at least one day before your trip, as there is a limit on the number of guests who are allowed to enter.
2. Bring the form of identification you used to reserve your spot with you！
3. You need a negative PCR test within 72 hours visible on Health Kit to enter.

Tickets: Free. You don’t need to buy tickets.
Hours: 5am-10pm
Subway: Line 1

故宫 Forbidden City

1. Remember to buy your tickets beforehand here, as a limited amount of guests are allowed.
2. Bring the form of identification you used to buy your tickets with you！
3. You need a negative PCR test within 72 hours visible on Health Kit to enter.

Tickets: RMB 40
Hours: 8.30am-5pm
Subway: Line 1

颐和园 Summer Palace

1. Access the QR code to buy tickets here
2. Bring the form of identification you used to buy your tickets with you！
3. You need a negative PCR test from within 72 hours visible on Health Kit to enter.

Tickets: RMB 60
Hours: 6am-8pm (7pm no more entry)
Subway: Line 4

八达岭长城 Badaling Great Wall

1. Order tickets beforehand through WeChat mini programs by scanning this picture
2. Bring the form of identification you used to buy your tickets with you！
3. You need a negative PCR test from within 72 hours visible on Health Kit to enter.

Tickets: RMB 80
Hours: 9am-4pm
Bus: Line 877

Pictures: Unsplash, pexels

If your compound isn’t locked down, you’re one of the lucky ones. Yours truly, on the other hand, is not quite as lucky.

Earlier this week, in the middle of the day, my compound announced that we’d be locked down “for a while”. It’s been two days already and we still haven’t been told how long we’d be stuck at home. But that’s not the point of this post…

As soon as the lockdown was announced, residents were notified in any way they could be reached. A quick call from the community management company to inquire about whether there were elderly residents, pregnant women, anyone who might need special medication, or pets, and the door was officially closed.

So, as I buckle down for an unknown period of time at home, here are a few lockdown essentials that have helped me give me a relatively relaxed time at home.

Noise Cancelling Headphone

Get yourself a pair. With a toddler who’s constantly running around and screaming at home, it gets pretty difficult to concentrate on work. These have really come in handy recently.

Streaming Services

Whether it’s learning how to use iQiyi or Pumpkin Movies, get yourself some good entertainment. A WeChat service called MyPengYou can hook you up with Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO without you having to use an overseas credit card. They speak English and payment is done over WeChat.

To get in touch with MyPengYou, add them on WeChat at MYPENGYOU1

Delivery Apps

Lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have access to things outside your apartment. In the case of my compound’s lockdown, waimai and kuaidi deliveries are still coming in. So to make it easy on your stress level, learn to use the delivery apps so you can get all your favorite foods and essentials.

Recipe Blogs

I’ve been finding myself cooking more than ever. And why not? I’ve got plenty of time on my hands. Why not take advantage of it and attempt all the recipes I’ve always wanted to but didn’t have time to. My personal favorites are www.tastesbetterfromscratch.com and www.recipetineats.com where food blogger Nagi shares a ton of simple recipes that are easy to follow. Most of them have videos.

Workout Videos

To counter all that newly found love for cooking, find a few workout gurus with videos you love. Beijing’s very own Diva has classes on KEEP and also has plenty of workout videos along with inspirational videos on her WeChat Channel. Find her channel by searching FitnessWithDiva.

Diva’s also got free workout sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. Scan the QR code to add her on WeChat so she can tell you how to join.

If you’ve got a spinning bike at home, YouTube channel GCN Training makes amazing spinning classes for every level.

Stay Informed

Finally, don’t get caught up in the rumor mill. To keep yourself well informed, join one of the Safe & Sane groups where you’ll get fact-checked Covid-related information on the situation in Beijing. And for your own compound, be sure to join a WeChat group that’s started by the management company where you’ll be able to see the official decisions relating to your compound firsthand instead of hearing from a neighbor.

Add TBJButler and request to join a Safe & Sane group.

Images: Diva, Mina Yan, Pexels

Good news! All the efforts in the recent Covid restrictions are finally beginning to pay off! During the press conference on May 28 the city announced that starting today (May 29) many of Beijing’s residents will start to feel a sense of normalcy once again.

First and foremost, most of the Didi, taxi and public transportation limitations in Shunyi, Fangshan and parts of southern Chaoyang and Changping have been lifted. Fifty subway stations however remain closed — refer to this map for details.

50 subway stations have reopened this morning but many remain closed, here’s a map:

Additionally, starting today (May 29) all parks and outdoor tourist destinations can resume operations at 50% capacity.

However, tourist destinations have been advised to adhere to the “limited, served, and staggered admittance” to reduce the number of visitors at one given time and ask visitors to book online in advance. It’s highly recommended to call ahead to find out what regulations the venue you’re hoping is following.

Those in Fangshan and Shunyi districts can go back to work (100%) while Chaoyang and Tongzhou districts can begin to allow people to go back to work, but not all at once. The specific plan for these two districts was not mentioned during the press conference.

As of yesterday, there’s still no news as to when restaurants can resume indoor dining or when schools will be allowed to resume.

The city also announced an opening plan for much of the city’s other facilities: Any district that has gone seven days without a community transmission (“in the wild” case) can reopen its movie theatres, libraries, art galleries, cultural and sports centers, museums, theaters, and gyms at 50% capacity. (The exception to this rule is any venue located in basements, are still required to remain closed for the time being).

Hotels, B&Bs, and homestays in Mentougou, Pinggu, Huairou, Miyun, Yanqing will be allowed to resume operations starting today (May 29).

As recommended in the Safe & Sane groups, people should expect openings to be subject to interpretation, often these sorts of things can take a while to percolate through the city. It’s also worth noting that the rules to change at any time. We highly recommend you call ahead before visiting any venues.

The next question on everybody’s mind is: do I need to get tested?

It’s a little bit of a difficult question to answer, but these is our suggested guidelines：

Testing checklist:

1. Is there a general order for the city to get a test?
2. Is there a general order for the district you are in to get a test?
3. Does your community require testing?
4. Does your employer require testing?
5. Does your child’s school require testing?
6. Does your occupation require testing?

If the answer to any of the above is “yes”, follow their lead and get tested as they request.

If the answer to all of the above is “no”, then you do not need to get tested UNLESS you need access to a gated venue.

If you need access to a gated venue, you will need a test no older than 48 hours. You may test at any time, as long as you can find an open testing center.

If you are still not sure, just go get tested every day or every other day until someone tells you otherwise.

To keep yourself informed and sane through the latest Covid panic, make sure you’re getting your information from reliable sources. True Run Media’s founder, Mike Wester, started the first Safe & Sane WeChat group back in 2020, and since then the Safe & Sane network has been helping the Beijing English-speaking community do just that – stay safe and sane.

There’s reliable updated information on the latest Covid regulations in Beijing, and you’ll be able to ask Covid-related questions of other members of the group.

Scan the QR code below to join a Safe & Sane group.

If this group gets full, just add TBJButler on WeChat and request to be added to one of the Safe & Sane groups.

Images: Michael Wester, Pexels

By now, you must surely have done nucleic acid testing (NAT) for yourself and your kids at least once, or what seems like closer to one hundred times. Unless your kids have their own phones with their own WeChat accounts and Healthkits, they’re going to be sharing your or your spouse’s mobile number. So then, how do we view their test results on our Healthkit?

One way that some of us might have been managing this task so far might be to log out of our Healthkit, and log in by registering our child’s details. This will work, but is cumbersome and takes many more steps than a more viable workaround that we have discovered and will share below.

Did you know Alipay also gives you access to HealthKit? I didn’t! So I’m guessing there are definitely others who didn’t know this either. So the trick here is to search “HealthKit” in Alipay and open the English mini program in the app. This is important as there is a Chinese version of HealthKit, as well as a HealthCode mini-program, both of which will not work for our purposes.

Once you enter the HealthKit mini-program, simply log in using your child’s details, preparing to take a photo of their passport to complete the registration process. Once that is done, you’ll be able to easily and quickly access their NAT results with the last option “Query on Vaccination Services”.

This way, you won’t have to log in and out of your own HealthKit to access your child’s HealthKit! We hope this nifty tip that we picked up from other helpful parents in our supportive expat community helps to ease some of the stress of handling this Covid situation.

Each parent can do this for one child so as long as you and your spouse have both WeChat and AliPay apps, you’ll be able to have two children’s HealthKit at your fingertips. If you’ve got a bigger family then, well, you’re still going to have to log out of somebody’s HealthKit to access another’s. We haven’t found a way around that, yet!

KEEP READING: Where To Get Reliable Covid Information

Images: Pexels, Vivienne Tseng-Rush