In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many LSE international students have chosen to return to their families and home countries. Students who have managed to return to China spoke to The Beaver about their experiences returning home, transitioning to learning online, and their thoughts on LSE’s response to the challenge.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
Even before LSE Director Dame Minouche Shafik officially announced on March 12 that LSE would be shifting to online teaching from March 23, students from LSE’s Chinese community were already booking flights home. On March 10, just two days prior, LSE had extended its policy of not penalising non-attendance to cover the rest of term. As COVID-19 cases started to climb in London with school closures and public gathering bans yet to be introduced, Chinese students familiar with the impact of the virus at home grew increasingly concerned.
Indeed, the Government’s “herd immunity” strategy, which chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance claimed required an infection rate of 60% of the population, was a key worry. Many students did not wish to become infected with the virus, and their families echoed this concern. It was on March 23 that the UK Government finally introduced a lockdown, after the death toll reached 335. In comparison, China implemented a lockdown on Wuhan and other cities in the Hubei province on January 23, after the death toll reached 25.
Though LSE has reiterated the importance of “mutual respect and deep care for one another” in its coronavirus updates, students in wider London have been subjected to disturbing reports about racist attacks and encounters. Videos, pictures, and stories of people being beaten or coughed at due to how they looked or for wearing a mask have been circulating social media. LSE students of Chinese ethnicity have personally experienced such racist encounters, ranging from being coughed at on the streets to being called “corona” and chased next to 32 Lincoln’s Inn’s Square.
As China’s spread of the virus has slowed, imported cases have become an increasing risk. LSE students returning to Beijing from March 16 onwards have had to quarantine in hotels, paying for their own accomodation and food expenses. Prices vary across different hotels, with students reporting a range of around £20 to £40 pounds a night. This was in addition to the increasingly high prices for flight tickets from London to China, as some airlines reduced flights and students scrambled for scarce seats.
Students who considered transiting also had to consider increasing travel restrictions in usual transit locations, such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s ban on all transit passengers starting on March 25. In addition, many students could not leave as quickly as they would have liked to in order to safely avoid potential travel restrictions or quarantine, as they had to pack and find a place to store their personal belongings for the following academic year.
Lisa*, a 2nd year BSc Economics student whose flight to Beijing was diverted to Tianjin remarked, “All international flights to Beijing have been directed to nine surrounding cities to avoid cross-infection and ease the pressure on the capital. Before boarding, I had to fill in a form but people originating from the Hubei province had to fill in additional forms, as well as have my temperature taken by flight attendants in full protective clothing. As it’s very crowded at the airport, there is a risk of cross infection without good precautions.”
At Heathrow airport, that sense of worry was palpable as some students donned masks, gloves, hazmat suits, shower caps, and goggles to reduce their risk of infection on the plane. Some of these students allegedly had help from members of CSSA (Chinese Students’ and Scholars’ Association) in acquiring protective materials. Some others who lacked access to full hazmat suits used raincoats instead, where stocks were still available.
Once on the plane, Lisa* said, “The first thing to do is spray all the possible contact points, including the seat, handle sides, seat belt, etc. with disinfectant spray and wipe with disinfectant wipes. I didn’t eat dinner but had packaged snacks and bottled drinks, changing my gloves every time I ate and mask every four hours.”
From 16 March, all travellers entering Beijing have been required to quarantine at a central facility for 14 days. The process of being transferred to quarantine can be lengthy and begins once the plane lands. “I received two forms to fill out on board from customs quarantine officers: an immigration and health form. Five people were taken away by ambulances. It is said that some planes that landed in the morning weren’t allowed to disembark until nearly night. I was let off the plane seven hours after landing,” explained Lisa*.
The quarantine transferral process also includes filling in another information card and screening for symptoms. “I was told that there was a person with a fever nearby, and would have to do a pharyngeal swab test. We then waited for buses to designated centres. Three hours after disembarking, we reached the quarantine hotel where armed quarantine personnel disinfected and carried our baggage – a difficult task. The staff sympathized with us – I didn’t eat a meal for more than 24 hours – and each room was sent a box of instant noodles. The next day, I was allowed to fly to Beijing and start my 14-day quarantine,” Lisa* recounted.
Once they returned to China, these students needed to adapt to LSE’s shift to an online platform as well. Lily*, a 2nd year BSc Maths, Business, and Statistics student said, “Though the internet isn’t very good here, LSE has tried their best to minimise this problem by uploading course materials online, allowing us to download videos, and lengthening time available to hand in assessments. Staff have also been very responsive to email queries. It is however true that studying is much harder than usual.”
Mary*, a 2nd year BSc Economics student, noted, “I feel like studying in China doesn’t make much of a difference. Watching the lecture recordings and reading the Economic department’s online forums are helpful.” She also added, “The speed of the internet can be very slow, and though VPN can be used to access blocked sites, the connection can be a bit unstable sometimes. I miss the library and the environment it creates, since studying at home can lead to a lax attitude. I try to Facetime my friends and do work together to create the study atmosphere.”
A 1st year student disagreed, however, complaining that office hours and classes were set to UK time, which made attending very difficult. They argue that LSE should be more considerate of the fact that many of its students are internationals who live in different time zones, and that it would be unreasonable for the school to expect students to wake up at three or four in the morning to attend classes. Whilst class attendance was no longer recorded for courses in certain departments, other departments still required students to attend their classes virtually at their designated time-slots. The China Standard Time Zone is GMT+8.
Other students had issues with Zoom, which often had limited connectivity in China, and sometimes required a VPN to use. Another key concern was accessing reading material, since many of the paper-based texts were not available in China and not all writings in the library were digitised.
Moreover, whilst many countries are entering or in the middle of lockdowns, from Europe to the Americas to Southeast Asia, China lifted the lockdown on Wuhan, the first epicentre of the virus, on April 8. As such, Mary* commented, “The government has already lifted some restrictions, so things are getting back to normal, like going to the shopping mall or hanging out with friends, visiting relatives. I feel less stressed and more secure after coming back home and seeing my family.”
