Feature Story: The Long Journey Home in the Time of Covid

钛媒体  •  扫码分享
我是创始人李岩:很抱歉!给自己产品做个广告,点击进来看看。  

Feature Story: The Long Journey Home in the Time of Covid

Credit: TMTPost

By Huixia Sun

On May 23, Jessica Lu, a senior at the University of Toronto, boarded a China Eastern flight from Toronto to Shanghai, with a N-95 face mask, gloves and a white hazmat suit on.

“I felt like winning a jackpot,” Lu told TMTPost. She also noticed that the passenger capacity was about 75%, leaving some space for suspected Covid-19 patients.  

China has sharply cut the number of flights out of and into the county since late March, fearing that overseas travellers could reignite the subdued virus outbreak that had emerged in December 2019.

Six Chinese airlines have been carrying passengers between China and Canada, but there is only one flight route to Canada allowed for an airline and one flight per week. That allows about 4,000 passengers to fly back to China in a month.

However, there are about 11,000 Chinese students at the University of Toronto, where Lu was about to graduate, 200,000 Chinese students and 850,000 Chinese nationals in Canada. An overwhelming majority of Chinese nationals are set to be stranded and go through the entire pandemic in Canada.

Her friends were envious of Lu. She was not in a rush to return to China but her parents had been anxious since early March. Her dad was warned by his friend of a probable peak of coronavirus infections in Toronto by late March. They started a hectic last-minute search for scalp tickets right away.

While her parents scrambled for a ticket, Lu visited the official websites of Chinese airlines since Air Canada suspended flights between the two countries in late January. On March 31, she purchased a one-way business class ticket for over RMB20,000 (about 2849 US$). It was postponed once to late April and the price soared above RMB40,000. Over two weeks, she spent RMB200,000 on 4 tickets, of which 3 were with China Eastern and one with China Southern Airline. “My Alipay account almost went beyond its limit,” she exclaimed.

With four tickets locked up, Lu was still not sure if she could fly because flights could be cancelled any time. She was thinking of flying with EVA Air via Taipei to Shanghai. But quickly a stopover in Taipei was not feasible due to travel restrictions implemented on the island.  

Two China Eastern flights slated for April and May, which Lu held tickets for, were both cancelled. The fourth ticket was for June and she returned it after she landed in China.

When the ticket scalper told her parents that he could get a ticket. “My parents told him to nail it no matter how expensive it may be. The face value of that one-way business class ticket slated for April 8 was RMB60,000 but my parents paid the scalper RMB120,000,” said Lu.

It was an afternoon in China but dark night in Toronto. They could not reach her while she was asleep. Her parents had to return the ticket when they realized she had her last exam on that day. They paid the scalper over RMB10,000 nonetheless as it took a few people about a week to secure one ticket through using a purchasing plug-in for a week.

In mid-May, a suspected Covid-19 case was reported in Lu’s apartment building. Because of the shared elevator and sewage system, she was worried for a week, praying that she would not be infected.

After the plane touched on Shanghai, she was whisked to a Covid-19 testing center for a nucleic acid throat swab test. She was put under mandatory quarantine in a hotel designated by the Shanghai municipal government. During her quarantine, she saw her mom waiving to her, far away from the window of the room. Upon the end of the two-week quarantine, Lu’s father drove to Shanghai to pick her up.

The food during the quarantine was good and the hotel room was clean and spacious, she said.

The Chinese embassy in Canada has been organizing one-way chartered planes for Chinese citizens in dire need. They include the uninsured senior Chinese citizens who ran out of prescribed drugs, visiting scholars or underage students. Chinese citizens register with the embassy and consular officials draw a list based on urgency and pass on the list to an airline. However, the embassy is not involved in commercial operations such as ticket sale. 

An airline employee told TMTPost that he spotted a student roaming around the boarding gate area a few times. He was hoping for an abandoned seat at the last minute. One day, one passenger did not show up 30 minutes before the takeoff.

The airline employee phoned the passenger at three phone numbers he left. Even the passenger’s parents could not locate him. Eventually the passenger was reached but he said he would not fly.

The airline employee notified the student right away. When the student knew the price of the first-class ticket, he said: “It’s appallingly high to me.” He dragged his suitcase and left the airport. He was never seen again.    

Lu attributed her success in securing a ticket to her early start. Many classmates, who first went on a quest for a ticket in April, found it was already too late.

The University of Toronto has informed her that classes will be most likely taught online. She signed a year-long lease agreement in April, but she probably will end up not living in the apartment at all. Although the Canadian government says any student visa issued prior to March 18 will be valid now, a Chinese student was barred from entry. A customs official told him: “The school is closed. What are you here for?”

Due to a sharp drop in applications from China for the Master’s programs at the University of Toronto this year, all her undergraduate classmates have been accepted into graduate programs.

The convocation ceremony was held online. It was not as exciting as the in-person ceremony. However, the sliver lining of a black cloud is yummy food in Lu’s hometown. “I got amazing food delivery after the online ceremony. The Chinese food in Toronto is a bit boring,” Lu said.   

 

 

敬原创,有钛度,得赞赏


Feature Story: The Long Journey Home in the Time of Covid Feature Story: The Long Journey Home in the Time of Covid LS邋遢道人 钛粉90243 钛粉11017 钛粉09803
361人已赞赏 >
361换成打赏总人数361人赞赏钛媒体文章
  • 钛粉32504

    钛粉32504 赞赏了

    实现高级自动驾驶,一定要用激光雷达吗?

    昨天
  • 钛粉53982

    钛粉53982 赞赏了

    太空旅行离我们还有多远?亚轨道距离为零,地球轨道还...

    约2天以前
  • LS邋遢道人

    LS邋遢道人 赞赏了

    黄峥辞任CEO,大佬们为什么都要退居幕后?

    约4天以前
  • 钛粉90243

    钛粉90243 赞赏了

    英特尔“断货”浪潮信息背后:真的只是虚惊一场吗?

    约5天以前
  • 钛粉11017

    钛粉11017 赞赏了

    美的空调回应格力举报:清者自清,这是第一次也是最后...

    约5天以前
  • 钛粉09803

    钛粉09803 赞赏了

    比瑞幸造假更夸张,中概股金凰珠宝上演200亿黄金大...

    约6天以前
  • 钛aKbf3i

    钛aKbf3i 赞赏了

    跑马圈地三年,新茶饮仍是一场无限规模游戏 | 钛媒...

    2020-07-05 02:57
  • 科技新视角

    科技新视角 赞赏了

    黄光裕的电商梦:砸数十亿战京东斗苏宁,为何还是输了...

    2020-06-30 09:52
  • 钛粉98650

    钛粉98650 赞赏了

    Telegram传奇:一个关于俄罗斯富豪、黑客、极...

    2020-06-30 03:55
  • 钛粉94590

    钛粉94590 赞赏了

    抖音小姐姐请“喝茶”背后,我们翻出来了一整条涉黄产...

    2020-06-25 22:53
  • 钛粉20375

    钛粉20375 赞赏了

    赵爷:呼吁重审王振华猥亵案

    2020-06-25 07:25
  • 钛ifWjWY

    钛ifWjWY 赞赏了

    张小龙在下一盘大棋

    2020-06-23 22:00
  • htEqmw

    htEqmw 赞赏了

    不要再拿“学历不重要”的谎言,骗正在“入海”的95...

    2020-06-20 16:06
  • 钛粉11567

    钛粉11567 赞赏了

    一位从业8年运营达人自述:从门外汉到COO我经历了...

    2020-06-20 00:17
  • hPqOpl

    hPqOpl 赞赏了

    一家仅成立5年的台湾公司,是如何为淘宝“装上”AR...

    2020-06-19 17:08
  • h3mAvN

    h3mAvN 赞赏了

    ARM中国“夺帅”罗生门:关乎中国芯片产业未来?

    2020-06-12 09:31
  • 钛粉57273

    钛粉57273 赞赏了

    王健林电商帝国梦碎:曾拉拢腾讯百度组局,一年换一个...

    2020-06-11 10:20
  • 钛粉65850

    钛粉65850 赞赏了

    【钛晨报】苹果成为首个市值超过 1.5 万亿美元的...

    2020-06-11 08:39
  • hZTD1B

    hZTD1B 赞赏了

    被B站“背叛”的二次元,正成为微博的基本盘

    2020-06-10 19:19
  • 在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟

    在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟 赞赏了

    抖音和快手,哪个平台更适合明星“再就业”?

    2020-06-10 14:44
  • 钛粉59182

    钛粉59182 赞赏了

    快手教育,能教育快手吗?

    2020-06-07 11:08
  • hfJF9q

    hfJF9q 赞赏了

    首发丨企鹅杏仁集团构建深圳城市模型,全面布局基层医...

    2020-06-04 08:38
  • 商长君

    商长君 赞赏了

    有颜值有科技,奥迪Q3轿跑正式上市 | 一线车讯

    2020-06-01 16:29
  • 钛粉10448

    钛粉10448 赞赏了

    有颜值有科技,奥迪Q3轿跑正式上市 | 一线车讯

    2020-06-01 16:29
  • 钛ispSfx

    钛ispSfx 赞赏了

    从高端走向平民,这位蔚来前高管想让每个人都玩得起赛...

    2020-05-30 22:33
  • 钛粉15606

    钛粉15606 赞赏了

    当线上票务,无票可卖

    2020-05-25 15:35
  • 钛粉58399

    钛粉58399 赞赏了

    当线上票务,无票可卖

    2020-05-25 15:34
  • 钛粉08710

    钛粉08710 赞赏了

    华为海思深入无人区

    2020-05-23 21:17
  • 钛粉79603

    钛粉79603 赞赏了

    美国“卡脖子”的技术清单中,EDA软件如何突围?

    2020-05-22 20:50
  • 钛粉63198

    钛粉63198 赞赏了

    凯风创投文纲:多数人看重医疗大平台机会,我更看重深...

    2020-05-22 16:48
  • 在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟

    在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟 赞赏了

    独家最全解密:全球新冠疫苗竞跑大冲刺 | 钛媒体封...

    2020-05-22 16:44
  • 在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟

    在天空中自由翱翔的百灵鸟 赞赏了

    Keep 完成8000万美元E轮融资,投后估值已超...

    2020-05-22 10:21
  • 钛粉15007

    钛粉15007 赞赏了

    瑞幸裁掉了毕业生的胆

    2020-05-21 21:27
  • 钛aEMs4A

    钛aEMs4A 赞赏了

    梁建章、董明珠、李彦宏......谁能站上《直播1...

    2020-05-18 11:06
  • 钛a1D389

    钛a1D389 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-16 08:13
  • 钛a1D389

    钛a1D389 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-15 10:07
  • 钛a1D389

    钛a1D389 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-14 17:23
  • 钛粉46542

    钛粉46542 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 21:54
  • 钛粉46664

    钛粉46664 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 21:15
  • 钛粉46898

    钛粉46898 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 21:08
  • hEobMD

    hEobMD 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 21:02
  • 钛粉46484

    钛粉46484 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 20:53
  • 钛粉46935

    钛粉46935 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 19:47
  • 钛粉46434

    钛粉46434 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 19:42
  • 钛粉14290

    钛粉14290 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 19:38
  • 钛粉46939

    钛粉46939 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 19:37
  • 钛粉46399

    钛粉46399 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 19:30
  • hHbBsz

    hHbBsz 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 18:08
  • 钛粉28499

    钛粉28499 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 16:43
  • 钛粉46027

    钛粉46027 赞赏了

    平安好医生深陷“抄袭门”,创业公司该如何跟大厂“做...

    2020-05-13 16:34
  • 查看精彩文章,打开钛媒体客户端
关闭弹窗

挺钛度,加点码!

  • ¥ 5
  • ¥ 10
  • ¥ 20
  • ¥ 50
  • ¥ 100

支付方式

确认支付
关闭弹窗

支付

支付金额:¥6

关闭弹窗
sussess

赞赏金额:¥ 6

赞赏时间:2020.02.11 17:32

关闭弹窗 关闭弹窗

更多精彩内容,关注钛媒体微信号(ID:taimeiti),或者下载钛媒体App

本文被转载4次

首发媒体 钛媒体 | 转发媒体

随意打赏

提交建议
微信扫一扫,分享给好友吧。