At just 15, Zander Reagin has experienced something only a few international students have. From his time in Korea and China during the spread of COVID, Zander has lived through quarantine in both countries, and his rare experience shows us how each country handled the crisis.

Zander’s first experience with quarantine began in Seoul, Korea, where he lived as a fifth grader. His entire family tested positive for COVID, except him. A physical screen was installed in his home to keep him separated from the rest of his family.

He attended school alone, transported by a private bus arranged only for him. “I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone else for two weeks, not even my parents.”

Although isolated, people in white hazmat suits would deliver essentials once or twice a week, such as fresh meat, vegetables, and toilet paper. “They’d even pick up and throw your garbage for you, that’s how helpful they were.”

Zander and his family were eventually moving to Beijing, but due to China’s strict COVID protocols at the time, they were required to quarantine at Shenzhen before continuing.

Upon landing at the airport in China, Zander’s family and other passengers were held on the bus for six hours before being transported to a quarantine site through a bus ride that lasted three hours.

When they arrived at the quarantine site, they were instructed to stand in line, and were sprayed by disinfectant head to toe before checking into a hotel. “The whole place was falling apart,” he recalls. Keeping the windows open was a necessity because it was the middle of summer and the A/Cs were moldy.

He was required to take blood tests twice a day, a huge difference compared to the weekly nose swabs required in Korea.

“Somebody got COVID at school once, and we all had to quarantine for a month straight. Swabbed our mouths daily, but we had to walk all the way to the clinic.”

Zander looks back at his past and prefers his quarantine experience in South Korea compared to his experience in China. But despite his times of isolation and struggle, he learned a lot from his experience, making him more resilient and adaptable, traits that he carries with him as he continues his education in Beijing.

“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

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

On Monday, April 25, local authorities instructed all kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools in parts of the Shuangjing, Jinsong, and Panjiayuan areas to suspend classes with immediate effect. The news broke late in the afternoon after the school day had ended for some of the affected schools.

Affected schools include Beijing City International School (BCIS), which is located just north of the restricted area. School families have been told that online schooling will begin on Wednesday after teachers have had time to prepare following the late notice of the school closure.

Beijing has been on alert since 10 students at a local middle school in Panjiayuan tested positive for Covid-19 two days earlier, on April 23. City officials had suspended classes in that school for seven days following the discovery of the positive test results. Since this news, the city has increased mandatory nucleic acid testing at several schools, office buildings and residences from a weekly basis to every couple of days.

Yesterday the city moved to close off the neighborhoods in the areas surrounding the schools after discovering the virus had spread to students’ homes and at least one restaurant in the district.

Other international schools outside of the affected zone have not been asked to suspend classes, but many are preparing for a city-wide lockdown similar to what is being enforced in Shanghai.

A few grocery stores, mostly of the April Gourmet and Jenny Wang chain, around Beijing saw a mad rush of shoppers since Monday morning. Basic necessities such as milk, eggs, rice and oil flew off the shelves. Other local grocery stores have not reported the same phenomenon. April Gourmet suspended grocery deliveries on Monday evening and delivery times of other grocery apps were somewhat delayed, according to some users. At the time of writing, the earliest delivery time available on expat-centric food and grocery delivery app JSS was two days later, on Wednesday.

KEEP READING: Dongcheng District Schools Suspend Classes & Mandatory Testing Required at All Schools in Beijing

Images: Pexels, Xinjinbao

Yesterday’s announcement of a change in Covid quarantine policy set off a new wave of concern amongst Beijing parents regarding the possibility of children being separated from their parents, as they have been during hospital treatment.

However, a message sent out this morning by Beijing city officials gives a strong indication that families will be able to quarantine together.

The post, which quotes guidelines issued by the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, doesn’t explicitly state that families will be able to quarantine together, but outlines behaviors that should be followed when sharing rooms while in quarantine, such as separating beds, and avoiding sharing toiletries.

Up until this week, all patients diagnosed with Covid-19, regardless of the severity of their symptoms, have been treated in individual isolation wards at Ditan Hospital. In the rare cases of children contracting the virus, they have been separated from their parents for treatment, regardless of age.

According to Beijing residents who have gone through the process, children under 14 years old flying in from abroad have been able to quarantine with a parent, as long as both parties have tested negative.

This week, rules were relaxed to allow local residents who test positive but are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms to be quarantined at facilities other than the hospital, presumably at quarantine hotels (though to date we are unaware of the specific locations).

If indeed children can quarantine in the same room as their parents, it comes as great relief to families across the city. We will keep an eye out for further confirmation on this and in the meantime, here is a full-text translation (via WeChat Translate) of the story that went out this morning:

1. Centralized isolation in conditional cases as far as possible to choose a suite of isolation places, each one, relatively independent, but also convenient care. If the isolation point does not have the conditions, should try to choose a large area, there are two beds in the room, it is recommended to achieve physical isolation between the two beds.

2. Parents, as guardians, should pay close attention to the changes in their children’s health and report any abnormal changes in time.

3. Parents and children should wear disposable surgical masks when they are in the same room. Minimize unnecessary contact with children and their supplies during isolation. Do not hug or quarrel during isolation. Keep a distance of more than 1 meter. If close contact is necessary, both sides should wear N95 masks. Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

4. It is recommended to share meals, use special tableware, do not cross the use of tableware.

5. Do not share toiletries such as towels and electronics such as mobile phones during quarantine. Strengthen hand hygiene, provide hand sanitizer, and follow the seven-step method.

6. During the isolation period, the shared toilet should be cleaned and disinfected daily. After each use of the toilet, use 75% alcohol disinfection wipes to wipe and disinfect the toilet seat cushion, flushing on, toilet cover, and other parts of the skin.

7. For frequent contact with door handles, faucets, hand sanitizer, as well as remote controls, mobile phones, landline, and other personal items use 75% alcohol wipes for disinfection.

8. The isolation room should be ventilated at least once a day and in the afternoon, each time more than 30 minutes.

9. Clean the surfaces of the tabletop, countertop, and furniture in the room by wet cleaning. Use quaternary ammonium salt disinfectant or disinfectant wipes to wipe and disinfect the above surfaces at least once a day.

Images: Pexels

As if touring schools wasn’t stressful enough, now we need to consider what Covid-19 protocols are in place. Although most requirements are mandated by the Education Commission in each school’s district, it’s good to understand what you’re getting into as a parent. Hopefully, this won’t be a concern in the near future, but better to be prepared.

Decide from the list below what matters to you and your family, and bring it up in your conversations!

•    Are parents allowed onto campus? What is the process?
•    Do students wear masks all day? At lunch? What is the process if a student will not wear a mask?
•    How often do students need to get nucleic acid testing?
•    What temperature is too high at your school?
•    What is the process if a child shows a high temperature or other potential signs of Covid-19?
•    What happens when a child is sick with a cold or other illness that is not Covid-related?
•    What is the process for children to take the bus?
•    What precautions are taken when children enter the school?
  •    Temperatures taken?
  •    Sanitizer?
  •    Disinfecting?
•    How do students eat lunch?
•    How often is the cafeteria cleaned? Between lunch sessions?
•    How often are classrooms cleaned?
•    How are students kept socially distanced in the classroom?
•    How are students kept socially distanced on the playground?
•    Who is in charge of the enforcing of rules?
•     Are children allowed to leave Beijing (these rules change as needed)?
•    If parents or other household members need to leave Beijing for work, how does that affect the attendance of school?
•    What is the vaccination policy for teachers and staff?
•    What happens if a student at the school is found to be positive?
•    What are the communication channels used in the case of an emergency at the school?
  

  ---

KEEP READING: The 2021-2022 School Choice Guide is Out!

Images: Pexels

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 January issue

As a teen, traveling to China was something I was always excited about, and the thought of being able to see an entirely new part of the world, meeting new people, and being introduced to a new culture was all on my mind during the months before my trip. However, I found myself more and more doubtful of my positive outlook with each passing day. Of course, traveling to a new country is always a thrilling experience, but the idea of leaving behind who I was behind for the last 15 years seemed a bit extreme whenever I thought about it. Having already spent an entire year separated from my mother due to work bringing her to Beijing, I relied heavily on support from my friends, and moving there to stay for an extended period was a change that I’m not sure I was ready for.

Most of 2019 was uninteresting as far as I was concerned. I spent a large part on the trip I had planned for August. Well, soon enough the time to travel came, and it was definitely a unique experience. Being someone who has never traveled by plane before, getting on an airplane for the first time in my life was both stressful and exciting.

The first 40 or so minute flight that we took from our hometown of Skopje, Macedonia passed relatively quickly. However, after changing flights in Istanbul, all of us quickly realized how long and boring the trip from Turkey to China would be. After a grand total of 14 hours, our entire family had finally arrived in Beijing. Almost the entirety of our first day here was spent moving through the entire airport completing different documents, and the only thing that I can recall is the long DiDi trip that we took from the airport to our apartment in Daxing.

Exploring Beijing’s iconic landmarks

Looking back, not a single day has passed without me thinking about my home in Skopje, whether that would be my old house, neighborhood, or friends. The difference between now and then is that there were still many things I wanted to see and do in China, and was very hopeful that I would be able to tell all the people at home about my trip here in the summer of 2020. Most of the first months here were filled with different and unique experiences. Me, my parents, and my little sister traveled throughout Beijing and visited many different landmarks around the city, learning more about Chinese history, culture, and way of life in the process. Going to multicultural restaurants, historical monuments, and different city centers, we went to many places during our first months here, and all was going well until a sudden, and much unexpected, turn of events occurred.

The arrival of Covid-19 was unforeseen. Unlike people back home, I was able to experience this global crisis in a more unique way. Since China was essentially ground zero the pandemic, my family and I were the first of our folks to experience quarantines, wearing face masks and the like… People were forced to quit their jobs, others fell victim to the disease, while for some life barely changed.

At the start of February, quarantine in our school campus in the Daxing District was introduced. All of us were ordered to stay inside our apartments, and other parts of the campus were sealed off, preventing us from leaving and even exploring what was inside the campus itself. This left us with few options regarding what to do.

My parents and I loved traveling and visiting different locations, however, we quickly realized that this was no longer possible. For a long time, our entire family spent the nights watching different movies, and I was introduced to the vast world of Hollywood, learning about different actors, directors, screenwriters, and more which provided a source of entertainment throughout the entire lockdown for our entire family, and we frequently discussed the movies we watched together.

Around the same time period, I noticed that I had worsened my performance in many areas: namely, my love for reading, exercising, and learning new things in school. My life began to deteriorate as I spent more and more time communicating with my friends via the internet. There was always a feeling of homesickness throughout my entire stay here in China, however, it was never as noticeable as during this time. Whenever I spoke with my friends, I always felt as if I was back home. While interaction with other people is always good, spending too much time to the point that it damages my daily routine was something that I did not notice was harmful to my overall health until a later time.

Through all of this, I noticed drastic changes in my behavior. Conversations with others became more aggressive, I was quick to get angry and mainly wanted to keep to myself. Before Covid-19 induced lockdown started, I actually maintained some sort of contact with most of the students studying and living here on the school campus, however all of that quickly diminished when we were ordered to not leave our homes. My entire social life was almost ruined due to this entire situation, and now looking back, I believe that caused my change in behavior. I really did not enjoy anything other than speaking with my friends, which is what I did all day every day.

After spending a few days in Nanjing, as a sort of vacation as a reward for finishing school, I began to think about where my life was going, and reflect on the time I had spent in China. I was able to realize all the things that I was missing out on here by choosing to stay homesick and do nothing other than think about my home. It was after returning from Nanjing that I began focusing on making myself happier and improving my life in the process. I exercised more frequently, finished the book that I was reading at the time, started off well with my second year of high school, and started to feeling better overall. This marked a new beginning for me, as I was able to view this entire situation in a new light and use the best given to me out of a bad situation in order to improve myself.

Right now, I am feeling better with each passing day. My outlook on China has changed since I first arrived here, and instead of focusing on when I would return to my hometown of Skopje, I am now able to see Beijing as my home and be more appreciative of the large number of opportunities traveling to China has given me. Of course, I look forward to visiting Macedonia again, but for the time being, I have no problem staying here for a few more months.

We all leave behind certain parts of our lives when we go away from our homes, and for some, the risk of abandoning what they had been building for most of their lives isn’t worth the adventure of creating new ones. However, learning to start over, and rebuild what was started a long time ago from the beginning can lead to the experiences of a lifetime, and change the way people look at many things for the better.

KEEP READING: Social Media During Covid-19: A Teen’s Point-of-View

Images: Tadej Trpkoski

Ready, set, vaccine…. appointment. Good news is, sort of, in store for hopeful COVID-19 vaccine seekers. On Oct 12, state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) launched an online vaccine reservation system. The system is designed to accept COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Chinese students and essential workers living in Beijing and Wuhan. Here’s what you need to know:

Can I get one?

At the moment, it appears that you can’t, or at least, not easily. At present, this unapproved vaccine is intended for Chinese students who will travel abroad and for essential workers. Posts on Chinese social media on Monday indicate Chinese students who are planning to travel abroad from November to January 2021 will be eligible to receive the shot. More than 70,000 people in these categories have reportedly already rushed to make reservations for the COVID-19 vaccine.

But don’t count yourself out just yet, as residents of Beijing, along with Wuhan, will reportedly be among the first recipients of the vaccine.

Does it work?

The vaccine is still experimental. Sinopharm has two vaccine products that have entered Phase III trials in 125 countries, the company reports. Phase III is the final stage before a vaccine can be mass distributed. The company is allowed to distribute the vaccine prior to final approval due to an emergency use clause within Chinese law issued on Jul 22.

What’s the deal with these vaccines anyway?

There are currently about a dozen COVID-19 vaccines in the final phases of development. Chinese vaccine producers have developed four of these options, but Phase III trials are intended as a thorough screening process, establishing vaccine safety and efficacy across populations. Chinese vaccine makers have also reached agreements with countries where the vaccines are being tested. Sinovac, for example, has agreed to provide 60 million doses to São Paolo, Brazil, and 40 million doses to Indonesia by March.

Do other countries have these?

Yes, but most are still trialing these vaccines. Some, like Russia, have claimed that their vaccines are approved, but only for small scale use at present.

How much will it cost?

Both of Sinopharm’s vaccine products reportedly cost 2,600 RMB, but pricing is likely to change as the approval process progresses.

When will people start getting it?

There is no clear timetable for reservations, it appears to be more of a list than a clear appointment system. Chinese companies have reported that the vaccines could be available as early as November.

KEEP READING: Weaning Kids Off Screen Time Post-COVID

Photo: Unsplash

This article originally appeared on our sister site The beijinger.