The Expat Families Who Decided Not to Flee

The last couple of days have been a harrowing experience for those of us who are still in Beijing. People all across the city have been glued to their phones, computers, and television screens, desperately tracking the progress of the Coronavirus. Despite there being a few happy endings with the number of those successfully cured from the otherwise deadly virus increasing, it hasn’t stopped many of us from still being terrified at the prospect of contracting it. This doubly goes for those with families of young children. In what can otherwise be described as a mass hysteria, masks, hand sanitizer, and other preventative products and devices have been flying off the shelves of open retail outlets, with residents both foreign and local determined to protect themselves against potential infections.

In any one of numerous WeChat groups, Beijing expats share their experiences and reactions to the advent and spread of the virus which has been met by numerous school closures and the official extension of the Spring festival period by the Chinese government to February 2.

Those who seem most caught up in these steps to curb the spread of the virus are overwhelmingly the parent and teacher community of Beijing, many of whom had traveled out of Beijing during the Spring Festival period, to begin with. Of those who are outside of China, travel restrictions, postponement of opening dates, and mass cancelations of flights to and from China by numerous international airlines have offered little choice but to remain in their current destinations and await further information. The cancellation of said flights has also lead to an exodus of sorts by those with families in Beijing.

Fearing being stuck in the city in the event of a full lockdown of the city, many families have opted to return to their countries before airline operations fully cease. According to one Beijing expat mom and teacher who is planning to leave the country with her children today, there doesn’t seem to be a better option in the face of current information.

However, many families are still in the city. But why? Surely it would be prudent for them to also follow in the footsteps of other families in the mass exodus from Beijing and indeed China?

Another expat mom and teacher affiliated to an international school here in Beijing shared her reasons for remaining in Beijing. “Our passports are at the PSB”, she elaborates. This is the case with a large number of teachers and other professionals whose visas are up for renewal at the beginning of the new Chinese year.

Those who might wish to travel at this time are left with little recourse but to wait for their passports to be returned. As procedure goes, those who might wish to get their passports back from the PSB must acquire an official letter from their embassy or consulate, explaining the urgency in their travel plans. That hardly seems a viable option for many, as there is still uncertainty as to whether many embassies are open and fully operational so for all intents and purposes, this particular group of families are stuck in Beijing for lack of a better word.

For the mom in this same position however, it might not make much sense to travel back to her home country at this time, given that schools are estimated to open in about two weeks. She further adds, “if the containment looks like it will go on for months, we will reconsider.”

There are those who also fear that they might be inadvertent carriers of the virus back to their home countries. Some might consider this an unlikely scenario but it is also heart-warming to see such a selfless reason for remaining in Beijing. Other families still are encouraged by their Chinese counterparts’ presence. In the spirit of what is good for the goose is good for the gander, they have chosen to remain in the city encouraged by the lack of panic among Chinese friends who have children.

Veteran expats in Beijing who lived through the SARS crisis 17 years ago are steadfast in their decision to remain thanks to their own past experiences in times of a similar if not greater crisis. Those who have chosen to remain have chosen to employ different entertainment strategies to keep their kids thoroughly entertained, with one mom converting her living room space into a makeshift gymnastics area for her sons in which they can practice their backflips.

Whatever the reason to remain, it is safe to say that all hope is not lost and Beijing families are all hopeful that the Coronavirus dark cloud currently obscuring their happy Beijing lives will soon lift.

Photos: unsplash, giphy