The government of the People’s Republic of China has stopped all students from returning to school indefinitely, as the country records a number of deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus (nCoV).
Among students affected are Antiguans studying in Beijing. Classes were expected to resume on January 15th.
“They said they would notify us, they haven’t given a specific date”, Zijazo Lewis and Antiguan student studying in Beijing told our newsroom over the weekend.
Lewis said in Beijing, home to 11 million people, there are several restrictions and non-essential vehicles have been banned from the roads.
D’jante Payne, another student said there are concerns about the virus among students.
“I don’t feel threatened, I just follow the safety precautions “he said, explaining that the safety tips include frequent hand washing, wearing of face masks, lessening contact with sick people and dead animals.
The students have also been asked to stay inside as much as possible and to avoid crowded places.
“Normally we would go to the cafeteria which is down the street from where we are right now to get lunch and stuff like that but because of the New Year’s Day celebrations they basically closed the cafeteria …we don’t necessarily have the need to go outside because we can just use our phones and we can order from a restaurant and they bring it to the building and we just downstairs to pick it up”.