"I just phoned my parents thousands of kilometers away in eastern
Fujian Province to tell them I'm well," said Zhou Chengzu, a
college student in Beijing who is under quarantine as part of the
battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
"I
and another 300-plus schoolmates in the dormitory compound are not
allowed to go outside and the college staff bring us meals and
fruits every day," the freshman at Northern Jiaotong University
said.
Seventeen SARS cases were found in the building before it was
sealed off on Thursday afternoon.
"The isolated life here is a little bit dull since our freedom of
movement is restricted. But, fortunately, there is a small sports
field behind the building which is also under quarantine. We can
play soccer, basketball, badminton and do other exercise there,"
said Zhou.
He
said they were asked to take their temperature twice a day and his
dormitory was also sterilized daily. No new SARS cases have been
reported since the building was quarantined.
"It seems that the quarantine will not be lifted until May 10. I
have to adapt myself to an isolated life I have never experienced
before. After all, the quarantine order is a responsible one and
protects our and other people's health," said Zhou.
Nearly 8,000 have been isolated in the capital city of 13 million,
as part of the government's increasingly drastic measures to curb
the spread of the deadly disease.
Apart from Zhou's university, quarantine measures were also in
force at a residential quarter of the People's Hospital, a
residential building of the Central University of Finance and
Economics, and two dormitory buildings in Beijing Science and
Technology Research Institute.
A
construction site in Beijing's Dongcheng district was also
isolated.
Telephone calls, flowers and fresh fruit from relatives and the
public at large have poured into the quarantined buildings.
"Despite being quarantined, we continue to feel at ease and
connected closely to society," said a man surnamed Jiang.
Jiang and his wife, as well as 37 other families, are quarantined
in a residential building of the Central University of Finance and
Economics which was sealed off on April 24.
According to an official at the Beixiaguan Subdistrict Office
responsible for the quarantined building, residents there
understood the need for the isolation order and co-operated with
it.
"Let's unite and overcome this hardship," a banner at the building
says.
(China Daily April 29, 2003)
