Montreal student in virus-plagued China: ‘I try not to freak out’
Whenever Mitchell Hibbert ventures out of his dorm at East China Normal University in Shanghai, he must don a surgical mask and fill out paperwork under the watchful eyes of security guards. He doesn’t have to wear gloves, but the 22-year-old student from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce doesn’t want to take any chances.
Hibbert’s dorm is usually packed with 150 students, but since the coronavirus started sweeping through China in January, the building is nearly deserted. Classes have been suspended. Students can’t eat in the cafeteria.
“I was quite panicked and nervous in the first few days, but then after I calmed down, thanks to my friends,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Hibbert has been studying Mandarin for the past three semesters at the university in Shanghai, a sprawling port city with a population of more than 24 million. On a typical day, Shanghai swarms with cars and pedestrians, the atmosphere thick with smog.
But since the coronavirus outbreaks erupted — killing at least 414 people in mainland China and infecting more than 20,000 — Shanghai has become a virtual ghost town, Hibbert noted.
“The streets are practically empty. It’s way more quiet than usual. It’s strange. I wouldn’t say its Zombieland. Wuhan is like Zombieland right now. But in Shanghai everyone is staying at home.”
To date, 219 infections of the 2019-nCoV virus and one death have been reported in Shanghai. That compares with 414 deaths and more than 13,500 infections in Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan. Hubei is located in central China.
It was while studying business at Concordia University that Hibbert decided to learn Mandarin. The first hint that something was off was when Hibbert boarded a flight from Malaysia to Shanghai on Jan. 22 and saw that every passenger and crew member on the plane was wearing a mask.
Three days later, East China Normal University suspended all classes.
“They’re making things strict,” he explained. “No one without a student card is allowed on campus. You have to have your temperature taken before you return to the school. They’re handing out masks to the students, more than needed.”
The fear and panic that seized Hibbert in the first few days after the university imposed the lockdown has given way to boredom.
“Now I just stay in my room, study, watch some Chinese videos and try to relax.”
He’s been to the local supermarket three times to buy veggies and eggs. But fresh chicken is no longer available.
A guard at the supermarket entrance points an infrared thermometer at the forehead of every customer wishing to shop there. Anyone with a body temperature higher than 37.2 Celsius won’t be allowed inside.
Customers have to clean their hands with sanitizer before entering and after leaving.
Once in the supermarket, Hibbert keeps his distance from other customers. He wears gloves, even when picking up vegetables from the stands.
“When I see people cough, I walk away. I try not to freak out. It’s winter and it’s normal to have a cough, I tell myself.”