PARKVILLE, Mo. — Focusing on school is difficult these days for Park University sophomore Yi Li. Her family lives in Hengyang, Hunan, China – only 300 miles south of Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus.
So far in China, the coronavirus has claimed more than 2,700 lives.
"Everyday, the numbers [were] increasing,” Li said. “At that time, I get worried about it.”
Li said she calls her parents often, and her family is facing difficult times, like all families near Wuhan.
"They only stay at home,” she said. “So I was like, tell them and ask them to not go out, like wash their hands regularly, and everytime when my dad goes out, they have to wear the mask.”
Each family, according to Li, gets one ticket per day that allows one person in the family to leave their home and go to the grocery store.
"And when you come back, they have to measure your temperature to make sure you are fine," she said.
But Li is not alone in her concerns. Several Park University international students are from China. Some visited their homes in China during winter break and returned to Park University. Jayme Uden, Park University associate vice president and dean of students, said the university is following protocol.
"[We have] contacted them all,” Uden said. “Checked in with them to see how they're doing. Made sure they understand what symptoms to look for and when to quickly get medical attention.”
The International Student Services office also is helping to make sure Chinese students have the support they need to stay in school and stay up-to-date on their families in China.
Li said she had been planning to go home this summer, but now she can’t.
"Well, I will choose to stay here instead of go back to China,” Li said, “and my parents said it's not really safe to go back to China at that time.”
She said Chinese students at Park are encouraging each other as they wait and hope for the coronavirus threat to end.
