Source Beijing News
Four days after parts of the UK entered lockdown, new variants of the novel coronavirus found in South Africa have spread to the UK, according to the latest news.
According to the BBC, on December 19th local time, British Prime Minister Johnson said in a national speech that the number of confirmed cases in the UK has soared in the past two weeks due to the new variant of the novel coronavirus.
In order to curb the spread of the epidemic, southeast, eastern England and London will raise the level of epidemic prevention to the highest level from December 20. The fourth grade of the high school lasts for two weeks.
On December 23rd local time, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the United Kingdom found two confirmed cases of another mutant novel coronavirus, and the viral strain was consistent with the mutant novel coronavirus in South Africa.
What is the lockdown in parts of the UK? Are people worried about the two new mutant coronaviruses? The Beijing News reporter connected with Xiao Li, an international student studying in London, to listen to her tell her story.
Arriving in the UK in September, it has adapted to the normalization of prevention and control in China.
The Beijing News: How long have you lived in the UK? Have you returned home during the epidemic?
Xiao Li: I came to England to study for an undergraduate degree. I have lived here for more than three years now. In the early days of the global outbreak, I was very worried about the British epidemic, so I always wanted to return home.
Finally, I bought a ticket for June and returned home for a summer vacation. Later, the school told us that some courses must be taught face-to-face, and I returned to the UK in September to prepare for offline courses. However, due to the severity of the epidemic in London, face-to-face courses were switched to online courses after only one time.
The Beijing News: What do you think of the British epidemic?
Xiao Li: At the beginning, I was really scared. I was worried that I was infected with the novel coronavirus in the UK and that I could not be reunited with my family.
Even if I met my friends, I would be far away. Later, I returned to China with this fear, but the domestic epidemic was not as serious as that of Britain, and I gradually adapted to the trend of normalization of epidemic prevention and control. When I return to Britain, I can look at the epidemic in Britain with ordinary heart.
However, I will do all the protection as much as possible, including spraying soles and coats with disinfectant immediately after going out, washing hands and washing all clothes in time.
For now, the epidemic may improve after the British people successfully injected against the novel coronavirus, but we still don’t know what side effects will happen after vaccination.
I had previously received a text informing me that I could go for the vaccine in late January 2021, but I should not be able to go for the vaccine because of concerns about the side effects of the vaccine.
My greatest wish is to attend the graduation ceremony.
The Beijing News: There are currently two mutant COVID-19s in the UK. Have you ever been worried about this?
Xiao Li: In fact, I’m not very worried about the mutant coronavirus in Britain, because I hardly go out. Since I returned to the UK in September, I have gone out twice, one time to attend face-to-face courses at school, and the other time to a friend’s house.
I usually buy vegetables and daily necessities online, and I have no reason to go out.
As for the reason why I don’t go out, there are two main considerations. One is related to the epidemic. Although I have adapted to the current epidemic prevention measures, I am still afraid of contracting the novel coronavirus. The other is that I need to spend a lot of time to complete my homework, which also reduces my idea of going out.
The Beijing News: What is the current situation of London’s lockdown?
Xiao Li: I have rarely gone out since I returned to the UK, so I don’t know the current lockdown situation, but in my impression, every once in a while, the British government will announce some policies similar to “lockdown”, as if London has not been long since the last blockade, and now it will be locked down again.
In my opinion, the British people are very worried about whether they will be infected with the novel coronavirus, but some people are unwilling to take strict epidemic prevention measures, which may be the reason why the British epidemic is repeated. With the mass vaccination program started and the number of confirmed cases increased again, I personally think the British people seem to feel that it will be safer after vaccination, so some people are more relaxed.
The Beijing News: Do you have any expectations for the new year?
Xiao Li: My biggest wish is to attend the graduation ceremony. At present, it is impossible to predict the next step of the epidemic in the UK, and it is not clear whether the school can successfully hold the graduation ceremony.
But as a design student, I would like to attend the graduation ceremony or hold a graduation exhibition, hoping that the epidemic will improve next year.
