York Region has become a hot spot for coronavirus in Ontario, with a total of 883 COVID-19 positive cases reported as of April 15.
Air Canada has cancelled all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai, and many Chinese airlines have drastically reduced the number of flights between the two countries during the pandemic, leaving a lot of people who came to Canada before the outbreak trapped here.
Scott Cao is a professor at Liaoning University in China. He came to Richmond Hill to reunite with his parents and family in December. He had planned to go back to China on March 1; however travel restrictions resulted in an indefinite return date.
“I came here for Christmas, but Easter is over and I’m still here,” said Cao, whose flight had been delayed until after May 31. It remains unclear when he will be able to take off.
In terms of daily life, Cao lives with his family, so it’s quite convenient. He is able to stay at home and doesn’t need to worry about groceries. The only thing affected is his teaching work in China.
The university that Cao works for has kept its campus closed from December, but it launched an online program that allows students and teachers to attend virtual classes at home.
According to Cao, the school is providing teaching software to meet the needs of the video class. Virtual classes are not as effective as the physical classes, he said, but at least it will ensure students don’t waste the whole semester.
“These technologies allow me to work 'ultra-remote' from home while I'm stuck in Canada,” Cao said. “Everything is fine, except the jet lag.”
One of Cao’s classes runs from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. every Monday in Beijing time, which is 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. in Toronto time. In order not to affect the rest of his family, Cao has had to hide in the basement for preparing and teaching.
“It was fine, except I was a bit sleepy on Tuesday morning,” Cao said with a laugh, adding that the outbreak had indeed disrupted his normal holiday and work plans. But, on the bright side, he had gained extra precious time with his family.
His only concern right now is to extend his tourist visa as soon as possible.
Cao estimated his visa will expire on May 20, and said he will probably not be able to return to China before that date.
“All I can do is renew my visa, and for the rest, I’ll just have to go with the flow,” he said.
Cindy Lin, who was visiting Toronto in early February, was stuck in Canada for some similar reasons.
After the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2020, Lin took her kindergarten-aged child on a long-planned trip to Canada.
“When we first came here, the epidemic situation was very severe in China, and we were visiting Toronto and felt lucky that we didn't have to be in lockdown like our family and friends back home,” she said.
But it didn't take long for things to turn out in a way that Lin didn't expect.
The coronavirus pandemic swept across Canada starting in March, leaving Lin and her child trapped here for more than two months while her original plan was to stay for 20 days.
To save money, she rented a house in Aurora owned by a distant relative. Because she was a stranger and had no transportation, Lin and her child hardly ever left the house.
“I made some local friends through WeChat, and they taught me to order groceries online,” she explained. “Although online shopping and takeout services are not as convenient as in China, the basic needs can be met.”
Because her child is very young, there is no need to worry about school. And Lin’s job did not suffer much since the company in China hasn’t resumed operation. The main problem is that they miss their family and don't know when this will be over.
“I tried to buy a ticket twice, but the airline forced me to cancel it because the flights were cancelled,” said Lin.
She knew of a few flights that could still be shuttled back home, but she didn't want to risk the crowds and uncertainty of the flight with her young child, so she chose to stay.
Not only are travel plans in tatters, but now they can't even get out the door. Lin spends most of her days at home with her child, having nothing to do, passing the time by surfing the internet and chatting with family and friends in China.
“I thought I was lucky to have made the trip to escape the domestic outbreak, but now that the situation in China has improved significantly, while we are stuck here with an uncertain return date,” said Lin, who hopes Canada will soon overcome the coronavirus.
“If the outbreak could be over one day earlier, we can go home one day earlier,” Lin said.
