Students studying in the United States (US) narrated how life is for them during the lockdown in their cities.
Alvine Kapitako, a former employee of New Era, told Youth Corner that all their classes are online for the rest of the semester. ‘’The decision was made three weeks ago. Library operating hours and other on-campus facilities have been reduced. This is to ensure there are not too many people on campus, and it’s a measure to reduce the chances of contracting the disease,’’ she said.

Kapitako, who is doing her master’s in public health in Raleigh at North Carolina State University, said the online facilities include gyms and other services such as the writing centre. ‘’There are other facilities that students can use when they need to do their school work. But all these services are online and we can contact the people anytime if we need help,’’ she ended.

Marcella Katjijova, who is based in Richmond, Virginia, said the situation is nerve-wracking and very worrisome for her. ‘’The situation is becoming more and more intense and scary, especially for a country that is big on individualism and personal space. International students are currently being accommodated at their respective dorms and others are requested to go home (meaning anybody that has a home in the US),’’ she explained.

Marcella feels the embassy might not know how many students are there and she has not reached out to many Namibian’s since the crisis unfolded. However, in the past, she got in touch with the embassy on other matters but received poor responses from them. 

She feels the crisis has two folds to it. ‘’It’s bad and lonely because it’s no one’s home country, but it is also great to see how the USA is in a panic state and witnessing how policies are being changed on the affected population. It’s a learning curve for all of us and trying to keep sane of an insane situation,” she ended. Marcella is studying at the Virginia Commonwealth University, focussing on Substance Abuse, Prevention and Treatment, with a special focus on Mental Health and Trauma.

In New York, the death toll surged by 237 since Monday, and the state announced 7 195 new cases.
Worldwide, the number of cases has reached more than 710 000. Some 149 000 people have recovered, while more than 33 000 have died.
– slunyangwe@nepc.com.na