Clementine On Living Under the COVID-19 Pandemic

Whilst spending her days as a senior student majoring in English at National Chengchi University, Clementine Lai is also an English tutor to several kids. 

She kindly agreed to answer a few of our questions.

Have the recent clampdowns affected you? What particular annoyances have you felt?

The clampdowns affect me when it comes to being in public places or on the metro system because I’m not a person used to wearing a mask. Due to the virus, I have to wear a mask every time I go to school or take a bus. In addition, owing to the measures taken by my university, NCCU, we can only get into the campus through a few select entrances, so we have to make a detour sometimes.

What particular annoyances have you felt?

When I’m taking public transportation, it’s particularly annoying when there’s someone not wearing a mask but they are coughing. It’s difficult to regulate everyone and the need to wear a mask, so I choose not to take the MRT or a bus until the pandemic is over.

Has Taiwan done a good job in its handling of the COVID 19 issue?

I think so far the government has done its best to deal with the COVID-19 issue. Before the outbreak of the virus, the government had warned its people about the danger of the virus. Furthermore, the government’s decisive to save masks and goods for its own people really benefitted us during the period of panic buying of masks and living supplies.

 

What could Taiwan do better?

As the number of imported cases has risen over just a few days, I think it’s an important task for the government to measure its policies on imported compatriots, and to consider how they should manage their health after entry.

How are you spending your time of late? – living as normal a life as possible or on edge because of the virus?

For the moment, the virus has not influenced my daily life very much. I can wear a mask when going outside. I can avoid taking public transportation, and I can wash my hands frequently but on the whole I keep my normal life unchanged.

Do you have any long term concerns related to coronavirus?

Personally, there are not many long term concerns that I have at this time. However, for many of my friends who are planning a period of exchange study this year, their schedules are totally influenced by the coronavirus, and they have had to shift their plans for future semesters, or even cancel their exchange plans.

Editor’s note: this is the second in a series of students around Taiwan being interviewed by our writer Mindy Lu. Her first interview can be read here.

Keep an eye out for more interviews conducted by Mindy in the coming days.