What is life like in the US under this unprecedented situation

There have already been more than 70,000 people in America that have been tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Many cities have been locked down and nearly all colleges and universities have turned to online courses for the rest of the semester. What would life be in this unprecedented situation?

Asian people and Western people

Culture and history reasons have great impacts on taking precautions to combat the virus. Nearly all of the Asian people, young or old, male or female, have chosen to stay at home most of the time and they will wear surgical masks if they have to go outside. However, for most of the Western folks,they would prefer to do outside activities as an effective way to prevent the virus. Additionally, not only do they seldom wear face masks, but they would probably discriminate against people who do that.

Culturally, in their opinions, they would regard one who wears face masks as someone who is seriously ill. Therefore, they would probably not wear face masks unless they get infected. Historically,most Asian people have experienced the 2003 SARS, so they will have a stronger awareness of the pandemic.

Anyway, as an international student here, I, along with many other classmates, would respect cultural differences and individual choices. But at the same time, we have also chosen to stay at home and practice social distancing all the time in order to better prevent the virus.

Supermarkets

The supermarkets seemed to be a little bit busier than usual, with people walking in a hurry. Fortunately,there have been sufficient stocks of food and goods here so far. In Costco, which is one of the most famous shopping malls in the US, things would be different.The staff shout to people, directing them to the sanitized shopping carts in front of the gate. Inside the market, most of the toilet paper has been snapped up. Sometimes it would also be hard to buy spaghetti and fresh vegetables, which indicates that many Americans are also beginning to panic.

Schools

All of the schools, including high schools and universities, have turned to online courses. Not only that, universities are also evicting （驱逐） international students, urging them to go home. This has caused a lot of protests as well as hopelessness among our international students. However, as far as I know, many international students choose to stay in the US out of the worries of safety in the long flight back home and visa issues.

Even though this is a very stressful time for all of us, we are still thankful for the strength and care of the Penn community. Let's continue to be kind, considerate and compassionate to all of the people.

Stay strong, Penn!

Stay strong, everyone!

Stay strong, China！

Stay strong, the world!