Spain—Jinan, 34-Hour Return to China
I don't remember exactly from which day it started, the confirmed cases in Madrid increased geometrically. My classmates began to discuss returning home, so I booked a flight from Madrid to Beijing on March 3rd. Because it was free to change and cancel, I took it with a relatively relaxed attitude, in case the Spanish government controlled it and could cancel it. As the situation spiraled out of control, I still embarked on the journey back to China.
Before returning, you must definitely inform your parents and the relevant units and communities in advance. Considering the risks of returning, I prepared masks, disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes and glasses in advance, and made preparations to not eat or drink.
Because I wasn't studying at Madrid University, I first took a 5-hour bus to Madrid Airport. Because Spain officially “locked down” on the 16th, there were few people at the airport, all restaurants and duty-free shops were closed, and some Spaniards also wore masks. This was already very difficult for the Spanish people, but at check-in, Chinese and foreign passengers still had many differences in awareness. All Chinese passengers wore masks, gloves, and many even wore professional protective suits.
Madrid Airport didn't have much inspection measures, only a temperature check at check-in. After a smooth flight, the cabin crew would measure passengers’ temperatures regularly, about four or five times during the flight, and you had to fill out a health declaration statement on the flight. China Airlines temporarily canceled meals, only providing drinks. Most passengers on the plane didn’t eat or drink along the way, which reflected our strong protective awareness.
Upon arrival, you cannot immediately disembark, you must wait for the cabin crew’s arrangement, which took about 1 hour before the passengers were divided according to the order of their seats.
After the flight, you need to bring the health declaration statement, passport through customs and inspection. Staff will individually check and ask relevant questions, then go to the quarantine channel if no symptoms appear. If symptoms appear, you need to temporarily wait for the next step detection. Afterwards, staff will ask your destination, if your destination is Beijing, they can let you go first. Then it’s about security check, after security check you can take your luggage, luggage is not taken from the turntable area, but unified by staff to put in a fixed area.
The whole process was quick, perhaps because this time was a light flight. Each link would have a staff member tell you how to do it and was very patient.
Upon arriving at the International Exhibition Center, you first take your temperature, then you are divided into two areas: entering Beijing and other provinces. If your destination is Beijing, you will be directly tested and then taken to centralized quarantine. If your destination is other provinces, you will find your provincial window.
The waiting time is not fixed, it varies from city to city. I started waiting around 8 o’clock in the morning and it took about an hour before the personnel from Jinan arrived to lead us to the parking lot to wait for the bus. After arriving at the parking lot, we had to fill in another form. Because it was a private car, the bus came from Jinan to Beijing, constantly going back and forth, the parking lot had chairs, mineral water and disinfectant.
Around noon, someone came to deliver the food, and later the staff saw us waiting for so long, they arranged another car to let us rest on the car. Finally, at around 3 pm, we waited for the bus to pick us up, the driver said that he had set off at 8 am but because there were several inspections, he arrived late. Along the way, there was no food, the driver was really hardworking.
At 4 pm, we started the journey to Jinan, the car had the driver and a dedicated person who distributed gloves. They also counted each person’s information and destination again, then contacted the relevant responsible people to go to the station.
It wasn't until around 10 pm that we finally returned to Jinan West Station. The buses of each district were already ready and waiting for us. After arriving, we first took our temperature, after passing the temperature test, we went to the corresponding district’s car and went to the quarantine point for centralized quarantine.
On the car, we had to fill in personal information again, and it was already 11:30 pm when the doctors were waiting at the hotel entrance. They explained the precautions, and someone would take you to your room. They would also give you a bag with a thermometer, pen, temperature record sheet and a notice.
Completing the notice represents the end of the journey back to China. From the moment I decided to return to China to the moment I finally returned home, so many days I was full of worry and hesitation, and I finally let go of all my concerns when I arrived home.
In addition, more and more overseas Chinese and students returned to China during this time, and some bad things and bad voices emerged. I want to say that it’s very tiring to travel for hours, but look at so many people who are making sacrifices for your safety. You only need to spend a few hundred hours, but they may have worked for several or dozens of days without rest, please think about others, and express the gratitude and respect for all those who are working hard.
Finally, if you decide to return, you must inform in advance before returning, and you must strictly comply with all regulations after returning. On the way, you must do a good job of protection for yourself and others. If you don’t want to return, you must also stock up on supplies and try to stay out of the house. We believe that we will overcome the epidemic and get through this difficult time.
