According to NYC Health, the daily average of total cases for the last seven days was 8,269, almost doubling the highest case counts since last winter, making back to school a stressful endeavor.“The rising cases have worried me recently,” said Qingyu Mo, an undergraduate student at NYU. “I’m not most afraid of the fact that I’ll get COVID, but I’m concerned about the aftermath I’ll get. I’ll have to postpone my plans, being unable to travel, self-quarantining till I’m fully recovered, etc.”

New protocols require all faculty, staff, and students to be boosted before attending in-person classes. Masks are required throughout the university.

Some parents of NYU students are worried whether their children are safe in the Covid epicenter. Xiaojie Jiang has the extra stress of having her daughter study in a foreign country.

“We fear that as the pandemic is getting worse again, whether our children are safe taking in-person classes,” said Xiaojie Jiang, whose daughter, a Chinese international student, is graduating this spring. “She has been unable to come back home since 2020 because of the pandemic and the consequent border restrictions. We miss and worry about her deeply.”

Jiang said that she is nearly 10,000 miles away from her daughter and can do nothing to help. 

But the thrill of being on campus can not be dampened by the threat of the virus for some students.

“This is my first day and I’m really excited. The mask mandate is really good and keeps everyone safe,” said Diya Desai, a spring-admit freshman at NYU.

Desai is thrilled not to be taking online classes. The booster mandate, the strict sanitation guidelines, and the cleaning schedule at NYU make her more confident about returning in person. NYU is offering a temporary remote option for students. The campus positivity rate is about 10%.

“NYU has done a great job making sure that we can still go to buildings, libraries, and everything,” said Desai. 

The Omicron wave is receding in New York. Although the statewide daily average is still high, new daily cases have been falling in New York City since Jan. 3. Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the daily percent positivity is below 10% again for the first time since Dec. 20.

“For right now, I think we are doing the best we can,” she said. “And if everything goes as planned and everyone does what they’re supposed to, I think we’re definitely heading in a positive direction.”

The post New York University Reopens Amid the Omicron Surge appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

To shower and get donated clothes, Stephenie goes to Mary’s house on 2nd Ave. A lady in this neighborhood lends her books every week and an old man occasionally gives her cash (they declined to be photographed). People walking by also offer her some food and drink.

Unlike many of the other homeless people who live on the streets, Stephenie doesn’t drink or take drugs. She has a pile of books and spends her time reading.

“Reading and writing are the most important things in my life,” said Stephanie. “When I read, I like the process of visualizing the words in my head like a movie. Writing is like a canvas where I can draw any ideas. They keep my brain alert.”

8 am, Stephenie sleeping at 8th Street and University Place. This has been a home for her since March 2020. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

Sitting in the same spot, Stephenie watches hundreds of people passing by every day. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

Reading “The King’s Justice: A Maggie Hope Mystery,” Stephenie commented that she really enjoys it. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

Stephenie sitting at 8th Street and University Place. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

Some of Stephenie’s things that were donated by people walking by her. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

Stephenie stares as life around her moves by. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

A man walks by Stephenie who is lying down. Photo by Peiyu Jiang

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Roy Lalime was excited. He has stood at  this corner since 8 a.m. today waiting to cheer. He is a big marathon fan.

“I came to New York City for a concert on Friday and found out that the marathon happened to be today,” said Lalime. “I postponed my flight today back to Florida to Tuesday to watch this marathon.”

Lalime ran the New York City Marathon in 1999, one of many finish lines he has crossed.

“I’ve run 57 marathons and that was the only one I didn’t want to end,” said Lalime. “The crowds were so great and New York City was the best experience ever for a marathon. This city is so beautiful and friendly.”

He said it’s much harder to get into the NYC marathon now than he did in 1999. Back then it was first-come-first-serve and runners didn’t need to prove their capability, he said. Now, one has to have a certified half-marathon or full marathon course finish to be qualified  to run the course.

“Many of my friends and people I know who watch marathons always have the impulse to run a marathon after watching a race,” said Lalime. “But when I follow up with them months later, they would find different excuses and give up. It normally takes a year of training and it’s really hard. I get up early, work full-time, and I run.”

Lalime recalled the thrill of getting close to the finish line.  

“By the time you get to it, you go through it, you finish, and you complete. There is no other feeling better than the accomplishment. These runners are amazing and they deserve it.”

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Returning to school and attending in-person classes is difficult enough, and they say China’s Five-One policy, which limits  airlines to one international flight a week has turned it into a nightmare. And these restrictions could last until 2022.

“I bought my ticket five months before my departure,” Jiaqi Shan, a first-year graduate student at New York University said. “It’s a 40-hour transit flight and it cost me over $2,000. Normally before the pandemic, it only cost about $700 for a round trip between China and the U.S. The price just went crazy since March last year.”

According to Shan, the costs of a single flight ranges from $2,000 up to over $5,000, and one of her friends’ tickets were even canceled twice. As the Delta variant continues to spread in the U.S. and causes a significant increase in new cases, Chinese parents worry about their children studying here.

 “She will go to multiple places and meet so many people every day, I’m afraid she’ll get infected,” said Hongmei Peng, whose daughter just came to America to study. “Although she said that she will do all possible protections against covid and take care of herself, there’s still the possibility of being infected. Increased hate crimes and violence rates also worry me a lot.”

Peng said that although she  struggled to sleep the first few weeks after her daughter left, she didn’t let her daughter know how she was feeling.

“I don’t want to distract my daughter or cause her panic,” she said. “She’s already busy with studying and living alone abroad and I believe that she can take good care of herself.”

In April, President  Joe Biden signed a proclamation suspending the entry to the United States of certain nonimmigrant travelers and China carried out the “Five One” policy restricting international flights to and from China. Both acts were aimed to limit the risk of transmitting coronavirus across borders. 

Shan said that she understands the restrictions but they make travel very difficult for international students.

“I’m worried about the pandemic as well. But I still decided to come to America to continue my study,” Shan said. “I think face-to-face interactions and discussions, on-site practices and experience, library resources on campus, and other available resources and opportunities are important and integral parts to my college life.”

Miko Liu, a Chinese student who just graduated from the University of Washington this summer, is preparing for her upcoming GRE test this week and applications for graduate programs in biology and bioengineering. She said she was really torn between going to graduate school in the  U.S. or Singapore and Japan to study biology.

“These countries are also really advanced and professional in biology and bioengineering,” Liu said.“More importantly, these countries have better control in COVID-19 and are much safer I think.”

But after careful consideration, she chose the U.S. 

“America still owns the most advanced technology and the most opportunities to get in touch with the most talented and professional seniors and peers,” she said. “I will also be able to hear the most diversified voices in this country with the most variety in students race and ethnicity. As long as I remember to wear a mask in public places and monitor my health every day, the pandemic won’t bother me much I believe.”

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