Outbreak
The irony
Almost two years to the day, the western world blew up with COVID and shut down. It’s a bit eerie, the timing of it all now. Here we are, two years later and China has its biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic. Jake and I find ourselves in yet another bout of lockdown.
It almost feels like the outbreak is chasing us. COVID sent me home two and a half years ago, and now that I’m finally back in Asia, things get worse here. It’s especially frustrating since at this point, the rest of the world is back to ‘normal’. In the US and the UK, they’re dropping all restrictions and learning to live with the virus. It makes it harder knowing that elsewhere in the world, I could be living my life more freely; no health codes, no mandatory quarantine or testing. In terms of COVID, I find myself living in one of the most restricted and regulated places in the world. The timing is impeccable isn’t it?
China and its protocols
Up until now, China was commended on its handling of the virus. While the rest of the world shut down and cases went rampant, China had its restrictions and QR codes in place and life was ‘normal’. Things were organized but nothing was taken to the extreme. They had contained it for the most part and the cases recorded were minimal to none.
Not the best first impression
It's been difficult to not allow the COVID protocols to taint my first opinions of the country. I wanted an authentic experience, to feel the culture and explore the countryside. We only had a few opportunities to travel thus far and it wasn't easy - 48 hour COVID tests required at most tourist destinations, hotels and parks, QR codes shown, masks mandated and many places closed. There’s definitely a feeling of uncertainty around what you’re allowed to do and where you can go. China is very specific in what it requires but as a foreigner, the information is not always easy to find. Because of this, you learn what you need as you go- there’s a whole lot of trial and error.
After previously living abroad for four years, the beauty of it all was the freedom. Moving around from country to country- exploring wherever and whenever you wanted. It’s been difficult to find that the experience feels very different now.
Madeline