Dedication and Responsibility: Keeping Others Safe in Quarantine

By Li Wanrong & Luo Qian

Guo Yue, a junior majoring in Accounting at Wuhan College, was diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to his hometown in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province. Ultimately, no one was infected by him. How did he manage to safeguard those around him in the face of such a highly infectious disease? Let’s take a look at his experience and the quarantine measures he took.

Wear a mask all the way home

On January 22, Guo Yue set off from Wuhan and returned home as planned. At that time, he had no obvious symptoms of infection, but cautious as he was, he got himself fully equipped before boarding the plane, wearing three layers of masks and gloves. “There is an incubation period after infection, and on my way back home I encountered many people on public transport. Therefore, sufficient protection was necessary and good for everybody.”

Guo Yue holding a note which says “Stay strong, Wuhan; stay strong, China!”郭岳为武汉加油

At 5 pm that day, Guo Yue’s plane landed in Tianjin. During the two-hour trip, Guo Yue did not take off his masks and gloves, nor did he talk to anyone around him. He called his father who was going to pick him up at Tianjin Airport in advance and asked his father to bring alcohol to disinfect him and his luggage. At 9 pm, Guo Yue returned home and contacted the local community to explain his situation. Then he quarantined himself in the bedroom. “As I came back from Wuhan, I was worried about spreading the virus to others, so I planned to quarantine myself for 14 days,” Guo Yue said.

Quarantine in a room

Two days later, Guo Yue received news that a classmate of his had been diagnosed with COVID-19. It reminded him that he had a cough on January 17, so he immediately told the community what happened, and went to the hospital for quarantine the same day.

武汉学院会计专业大三学生郭岳寒假期间，从武汉回沧州老家后，确诊新冠肺炎但最终未传染一人，他是如何做到呢？我们来一起看看他这些天的经历和所采取的隔离措施。

回家途中全程佩戴口罩

1月22日，郭岳按计划从从武汉出发回家。当时，他没有明显的感染症状，但谨慎的他上飞机前做好充足的防护——戴了3 层口罩和手套。“感染后有潜伏期，途中要接触很多人，防护好，对自己、对他人都好。”

当天下午5 点，郭岳乘坐的飞机落地天津。两个小时的行程中，郭岳没有摘下口罩、手套，没和任何人交谈。他提前打电话给到天津机场接他的父亲，让父亲带上酒精，把自己全身和行李消毒。晚上9 时，郭岳回到家，主动联系社区说明自己的情况，然后他就把自己隔离在了卧室里。“因为从武汉回来，我担心传染给他人，就准备把自己隔离14 天。”郭岳说。

一直把自己隔离在房里

2 天后，郭岳收到同学确诊的信息。他联想到自己1月17日曾出现过咳嗽，于是马上联系社区，说明了情况，当天他就前往医院进行隔离。“虽然我没有发烧等症状，但作为密切接触者，我担心自己在潜伏期内会传染给他人。”郭岳说。

1月29日，郭岳确诊。“庆幸的是，回来后我一直把自己隔离在房里，没有密切接触他人。”郭岳说，他的父母和弟弟无一人感染，也没有其他人因他感染。

回忆起医院的治疗，郭岳告诉记者：“医护人员最辛苦。她们不仅要给我们治疗，还要照顾我们的生活起居，打扫病房。你只要觉得不舒服，按铃就有医护人员过来。”1月30日，郭岳情绪低落，医院护士长对他进行心理辅导，“她说我的情况不是很严重，让我不要焦虑，医护人员会全力救治。此外，我的家人、朋友和学校都给了我很大的帮助。”

出院后在车库隔离28 天

2月7日，郭岳出院后开始了车库独居生活。“我担心自己的病情会出现反复，回家后马上把自己再次隔离起来，避免传染给他人。”郭岳说。

车库约30 平方米，一边是居室，摆放着一张小床，还有一张可供学习、吃饭的桌子，一个小电暖器；另一边是洗手间。在小小的车库里，郭岳开始了自己的学习，一边上网课一边复习备战考研。“最近在复习英语，我之前住院的时候就带着英语资料书，状态好一点就学习。现在，每天学习时间更多了，希望能考上理想的学校。”

每天，父母会把他的一日三餐送到车库门外。他与家人乃至外界沟通，全靠手机。“我每天都会和我奶奶视频，老人家年纪大了，特别担心我，我就每天跟她视频，让她放心。”郭岳说。原来郭岳担心影响大家的生活，每天坚持只开一个小缝，所以一天中很少见到太阳。白天还稍好点，晚上车库有些冷，他就靠电暖器取暖。

记者采访郭岳时，他仍独自住在家中的车库里。郭岳说，他打算在车库再住满一个14 天，共有2个14 天。这样更安全一些，也不会给家人和周围人带去不必要的麻烦。因为郭岳教科书式的自我隔离，未造成一人因他感染，这是他一直特别欣慰的事情。

Guo Yue fully equipped on the way to the airport郭岳去机场路上时的装备

“Although I have no fever or other symptoms, as a person in close contact with my classmate who got the disease, I was worried that I might have others infected during the incubation period,” Guo Yue said.

On January 29, Guo Yue was diagnosed positive. “Fortunately, I had quarantined myself in my own room since I returned, and had not been in close contact with others.” Guo Yue said that neither his parents nor his brother nor anyone else was infected by him.

Recalling the treatment in the hospital, Guo Yue told the reporters, “The medical staff bear the heaviest burden. They not only treat us, but also take care of our daily lives and clean the wards. When you feel uncomfortable and ring the bell, the medical staff will come to you as soon as possible.” On January 30, Guo Yue felt quite down, so the head nurse gave him psychological counseling. “She told me that my condition was not very serious, there was no need to be anxious and that the medical staff would do their best. In addition, my family, friends, and school all helped me a lot.”

Quarantine in the garage for 28 days after discharge

On February 7, Guo Yue started living alone in the garage after being discharged from the hospital. “It worried me that there was still a risk of relapse, so I quarantined myself again immediately after I returned home so as to avoid spreading the virus,” Guo Yue said.

The garage is about 30 square meters. On one side there is a living room with a small bed, a table for studying and dining, and a small electric heater, while on the other side there is a toilet. In the small garage, Guo Yue resumed his studies, preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination while having online courses. “Recently I was revising for English. When I was hospitalized, I took an English book there and read it whenever I felt better. Now, I have more time to study every day. I hope to be admitted to my dream school.”

Every day, his parents put his meals down by the garage door. He communicates with his family and the outside world on his phone. “I video chat with my grandma every day. She’s old now and she’s particularly worried about me, so I chat with her every day to reassure her.” Guo Yue said. For fear of affecting others, Guo Yue insisted that his door could be only slightly open with a narrow slot. He rarely sees the sunlight throughout the day. It’s a little better during the daytime. During the night when the garage turns cold, however, he has to rely on an electric heater to keep warm.

Guo Yue prepares for the postgraduate entrance examination during his quarantine at home隔离在家不忘备战考研

At the time of the interview, Guo Yue still lives alone in his home garage. Guo Yue said that he planned to live in the garage for another 14 days, so there would be 2 quarantine periods. It’s safer and will not cause unnecessary trouble to people around him. Thanks to Guo Yue’s determined self-quarantine, no one was infected because of him, which is something he is particularly proud of.

After being cured, he donated his blood

On February 22, Guo Yue received a call from the Cangzhou People’s Hospital, informing him that a COVID-19 patient whose blood type matched his urgently needed plasma, and asked if he could go to the hospital for donation. “Life is always the first choice. I have to help others if I can. I agreed immediately, had some relevant consultation, and was later picked up by the hospital for the donation.” Guo Yue recalled. On the same day, he donated 200 ml of plasma.

On the morning of February 24, Guo Yue received a message from the Blood Donation Center of Cangzhou: “Dear Guo Yue: The plasma you donated on February 22, 2020 has been proved qualified after the blood test. Thank you for your donation!” At the beginning, he was actually a little scared at the scene of plasma donation, and he had a little chest tightness at that time. But when he received the phone call from the hospital saying that there was a patient in urgent need of plasma, he agreed without hesitation, “After all, it is more important to save lives.”

(Translation: Zhang Yiqiu)

治愈出院后捐血救人

2月22日，郭岳接到沧州市人民医院的电话，告知他有一名新冠肺炎患者急需血浆，血型和他匹配，询问他是否可以前往医院捐献。“生命是第一位的，有能力就要去帮助别人。我当即答应了他们，进行了相关资料的查询，后面医院就接我去医院捐献了。”郭岳说。当天，他捐献了200 毫升血浆。

24日上午，郭岳收到了沧州市中心血站发来的短信：“郭岳您好：您于2020年2月22日献血一次，检验合格，感谢您的无私奉献！”他告诉记者，其实一开始看到血浆捐赠他自己还是有些害怕，而且自己那段时间还有些胸闷。但是当接到电话知道有患者急需血浆时，他毫不犹疑地答应了，“毕竟救人要紧”。