Quarantined arrival from London tells of his 40-hour journey to reach home

Yu Jingping, 25, a postgraduate student at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, is about to end two weeks’ quarantine at a hotel in Huadian, Jilin province, his hometown, to which he returned recently.

On March 13, after hearing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s speech about his government’s controversial approach to develop “herd immunity” against COVID-19, Yu booked an air ticket to China. The flight departed three days later.

When he arrived in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, after changing planes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, all passengers on the flight had to complete health declaration forms and staff members stuck colored tags on their passports.

Red stickers denoted those who would have to be quarantined in Guangzhou, while yellow ones indicated passengers such as Yu, who could continue their journeys and self-isolate at their destination.

At Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, he lined up to take a test for COVID-19 before attempting to catch a flight to Changchun, Jilin. He was told the result would be known after 48 hours and only those who tested positive would be notified. Yu never received a call to this effect from medical authorities.

The line at the check-in counter for the flight to Changchun was so long that he waited for four and a half hours and missed the plane. He had to get his ticket changed for a flight the following morning.

Passengers who arrived on overseas flights were kept in a separate area in the terminal. Yu was given a boxed meal, biscuits and drinking water, provided by the airport free of charge.

But he only dared eat and drink a little when he felt exceptionally hungry and thirsty. He had last eaten before boarding the flight from London. He was afraid to eat or drink in the enclosed space on an airplane.

“I was also afraid of the risk of being exposed to the virus in the waiting hall, as I was among people who had arrived from different countries. However, I was impressed by one man who brought bedding with him and laid it on the floor to spend the night.”

Yu stood up all night in the hall, keeping at least 1.5 meters away from other people, and sometimes, walking around.

“It’s very uncomfortable wearing a face mask and protective goggles for such a long time. It’s both mentally and physically exhausting,” he said.

In Changchun, staff members from the local centers for disease control and prevention picked him and other arrivals up at the airport and took them to a hotel designated for quarantining passengers from overseas. It took Yu 40 hours to reach the hotel after leaving London.

He said he was able to get an air ticket because he acted quickly, adding that in the past two weeks, Chinese students have encountered frequent flight cancellations, and ticket prices have risen steeply.

Two months ago, Yu spent more than 1,250 pounds (11,042 yuan) on 1,100 FFP3 face masks, which offer maximum protection, and donated 1,000 of them to hospitals in Wuhan, the outbreak epicenter, in Hubei province.

“When I received the masks after waiting for several days, the price online had risen 10 times from that being asked originally. Someone suggested I sell the masks for a large profit, but I insisted on donating them,” he said.

Yu recorded his journey and posted footage of it on the short-video platform Douyin, where he has attracted some 1.5 million followers. He is now making short videos about his time in quarantine.

Some of his followers are parents of Chinese students studying overseas. They watch his videos to learn about his experience of returning to China, and also ask him questions.

As more imported cases of COVID-19

have been reported in China recently, some netizens have been speaking out against overseas Chinese students returning home. Yu said some people had sworn at him when they commented on his videos.

One of his friends in London, who is also a student from China, canceled her ticket home and chose to self-isolate in the British capital after learning she had met someone who had been in close contact with a confirmed patient.

Yu said: “Like her, many Chinese students have a strong sense of responsibility and are concerned about our motherland. Many donated money or protective devices to hospitals in China when the outbreak in the country was severe.

“I hope more people can put themselves in our shoes and consider the dilemma we face.”