The COVID-19 coronavirus has persisted since its first appearance in January 2020, having a large ripple effect from the base of Wuhan, China and spreading across the globe. As time progressed, the impact of the virus was no longer merely an incident that was only observed through the national news networks, online, and on TV. COVID-19 mutated from a minor inconvenience into a tangible fear that spurred millions to the grocery stores to stock up on various goods. This article will be observing a progression of COVID-19’s effect in San Diego, California.
Coinciding with the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year, COVID-19’s initial appearance unfortunately occurred during the peak of travel in Asia. Many commuters in China were already traveling outside of the country when news of the virus hit. Due to fears that visitors from China may be possible carriers of the virus, the Chinese-American community took extensive action to prevent viral spread. As a result, many local Chinese New Year events featured many of its visitors wearing medical masks for fears of getting infected.
As a Chinese American myself, I participated in the Chinese New Year Festival hosted by the San Diego Chinese Academy. Although the festival itself went on unfazed by the news of the coronavirus update, there was a certain air of tension about the festival. The opening ceremony featured warnings from the president of the school, with several members of the audience wearing medical masks and taking care to avoid contact with others. The food stalls at the festival all placed heavy emphasis on wearing gloves and maintaining a hygienic environment. Among all the standard commotion one might hear at a festival, there was a feeling of underlying unease in the conversations that could be heard in the courtyard.
I had personally attributed it to the standard fare of Chinese gossip and paranoia that I was used to whenever any notable event had occurred, as the latest global news items were often hot topics of discussion among Chinese parents– especially if it had to do with China or Taiwan. This caused many students, including myself, to be more aware of the situation outside of our community, but also rather dismissive of its implications, having become accustomed to standard gossip such as this. However, the implications of this line of gossip soon became much more clear.
Not long after the San Diego Chinese Academy’s New Year’s Festival concluded, it was announced that North County Chinese School would be postponing their Chinese New Year festivities, an announcement that startled many of the parents who had been preparing for this event since November. The postponement of the festival was completely unprecedented, especially considering that this was a crucial fundraising event for the Chinese school. Although this was an astonishing development, many parents were confident that the festival would be held on a later date once COVID was contained.
Unfortunately, the containment of the virus was not as easily achieved as many parents had initially believed it to be, and the decision was made to cancel the event altogether. This was an ominous foreshadowing what was yet to come.
Discussion of the virus soon became not just limited to Chinese parents and Chinese schools. As the president ordered more and more U.S. citizens be flown out of China and placed in quarantine within the Miramar military base, the concerns over the virus spread faster than COVID-19 itself. Soon, students at general public schools were discussing the situation, some concerned that the virus would spread from those currently quarantined in the military base, others ridiculing the situation.
Perhaps not entirely out of paranoia, consumers began to avoid dining at Chinese establishments as well. A recent visit to a high-class Chinese restaurant revealed a nearly barren interior, very few guests could be seen dining inside the restaurant. It seems that COVID’s Chinese origins had scared many away from dining at even the most high-class Chinese cuisine. During my visit, I noticed a tired Chinese waiter sitting at a table on the opposite side of the restaurant– a Corona beer in one hand, and a surgical mask around his neck.
The concerns over the virus subsequently escalated, leading to many joining in the now-iconic mass purchasing of supplies from grocery stores and warehouse markets, with toilet paper being a favorite among shoppers. While COVID-19 is not known for symptoms that would require toilet paper, the sight of others purchasing bundles of toilet paper spurred many others to follow suit. What was brought about by this was a massive frenzy for consumers to claim their stake in the paper commodity that was now under higher and higher demand, leaving nearly all stores with an astonishing dearth of the supply for general shoppers.
Many high school students found great humor in the shopping frenzy, mocking consumers for worrying about the crisis in such an irrational manner. Many teachers began to make backup plans in the case that school was canceled, but the general consensus was that the virus was still not something that we had to be concerned about.
However, on Friday, March 13, the San Diego Unified School District elected to close schools in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. The students I encountered who heard of this all celebrated, seeing this as an opportunity for them to have an early break and relax from all their academics. This was by far the greatest thing to happen to the school. However, as the weekend closed, many soon realized the true consequences of this development. If students weren’t allowed to attend school, then their outside contact was to be kept to a minimum as well. On top of that, many establishments were closed due to concerns of gatherings that could further spread the virus. Students could now relax at home, but at what cost? California Governor Gavin Newsom even announced that the rest of the academic semester was likely to be canceled, to the fears of many California parents. The three-week break has only just begun, and many students are already becoming aware of the implications that this break may have not only academically, but internationally as well.