24 hours.
24小时。
This was when a situation, without notice, became dire, and life was uprooted in a sliver of time. Reminiscent of a scene from bygone pandemic films; a city of nearly 8 million inhabitants went into full quarantine. Face masks were no longer donned to just block the pollution, but to quell the surge of infected cases. Temperature checkpoints surfaced in nearly every congested area. Domestic travel slowed to a grinding halt.
就在这时，情况在没有任何通知的情况下变得可怕，生命在一瞬间被连根拔起。让人想起过去流行病电影中的场景；一座拥有近800万居民的城市进入全面隔离状态。戴口罩不再只是为了阻挡污染，而是为了平息感染病例的激增。几乎每个拥挤的区域都设有温度检查点。国内旅行放缓甚至停滞。
An Anecdotal Pandemic
一场轶事大流行
It was as if my life was catapulted at maximum velocity into the film 28 Days Later. A heavy sense of dread loomed over my consciousness as China began implementing stringent regulations due to a microscopic enemy many knew little about. Surreal, the only word one could muster up in one of the worst pandemics the world has faced since the Spanish Flu of 1918.
就好像我的生活以最快的速度弹射到电影《惊变28天》中。当中国因为一个许多人知之甚少的微观敌人而开始实施严格的规定时，一种沉重的恐惧感笼罩在我的意识中。超现实，这是自 1918 年西班牙流感以来世界面临的最严重的流行病之一中唯一能想到的词。
A stark contrast from one day to the next. The packed city of center of Xinjiekou became a ghost town within days. Hunched in my apartment, the John Hopkins Coronavirus map became my ally. I scoffed at the outbreak in its initial days thinking it would be no worse than other pandemics in recent memory. Afterall, not much time had passed since the Ebola virus made headlines. As the days dwindled on, the numbers of infected grew exponentially, and every city began reporting its own cases in droves. Due to Nanjing’s proximity to Wuhan, it did not take long for cases to arise.
一天与一天形成鲜明对比。几天之内，拥挤的新街口市中心就变成了一座鬼城。蜷缩在我的公寓里，约翰霍普金斯大学的冠状病毒地图成为了我的盟友。我在疫情爆发的最初几天嘲笑了它，认为它不会比最近记忆中的其他流行病更严重。毕竟，距离埃博拉病毒成为头条新闻还没有过去多久。随着时间的流逝，感染人数呈指数级增长，每个城市都开始大量报告自己的病例。由于南京距离武汉较近，没过多久就出现了病例。
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During this time, I even made the bold journey to visit the nearby city of Ma’anshan, and this is when the situation was really put into perspective. Hazmat units greeted me at Nanjing South Railway Station, and so was the case when I arrived at the neighboring city. Standing in a line with dozens of people to get our temperature checked had become the new way of life.
这段时间，我还大胆去了附近的马鞍山市，才真正了解了情况。危险品单位在南京南站迎接我，到达邻市时也是如此。和几十个人一起排队测体温已经成为新的生活方式。
The outright irony of it all was that this occurred during the largest mass migration of people globally, Chinese New Year. Cities were already somewhat empty due to the outpour of people, but it became much bleaker in the following days and weeks. Businesses were effectively closed, and ESL schools required to now teach online. Each day, the number of confirmed cases grew larger and other nations began reporting their own cases.
彻头彻尾的讽刺是，这一切发生在全球最大规模的人口迁移——中国农历新年期间。由于人口涌入，城市已经有些空旷，但在接下来的几天和几周里，情况变得更加黯淡。企业实际上已经关闭，ESL 学校现在被要求在线教学。确诊病例数量每天都在增加，其他国家也开始报告自己的病例。
To lay low during this unprecedented situation, I fled to the UK for a short while, and saw no impacts of the COVID scourge just yet. This was well before the Coronavirus got its official name. News had reached the west, but there were no consequences or ramifications in place just yet. It appeared China had been the only place taking this matter seriously, and for that, I commend their urgency. Several months into the ordeal, and China has taken a peculiar turn for the better.
为了在这种前所未有的情况下保持低调，我逃到了英国一段时间，但目前还没有看到新冠祸害的影响。这是在冠状病毒获得正式名称之前很久的事了。消息已经传到西方，但尚未产生任何后果或影响。看来中国是唯一认真对待此事的地方，为此，我赞扬他们的紧迫性。经过几个月的磨难，中国出现了奇特的好转。
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Despite being ground zero, it now seems to be a bastion of hope for a world on fire. And this is where humanity should concentrate its efforts. Replicating the success made in China and even smaller nations like South Korea can possibly flatten the curve globally.
尽管它是归零地，但现在它似乎是一个充满希望的堡垒。这才是人类应该集中力量的地方。复制中国乃至韩国等小国取得的成功可能可以使全球曲线变平。
An Unlikely Scenario
不太可能发生的情况
Lockdown of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, was retroactive on January 23rd, however, the ensuing weeks morphed from an epidemic in China to a pandemic impacting nearly every sovereign nation. As it continues to sweep across the globe, normalcy has been reduced and disrupted on a scale not previously seen in our modern age. Economies have seemingly been put on hold, health care systems are overloaded, nations have closed their borders, and businesses have shut down for weeks on end. Many in the western world are now wondering if their lives will return to what they once were, and, perhaps, the way forward can be found by examining China’s response.
1 月 23 日，Covid-19 爆发的中心城市武汉的封锁具有追溯效力，然而，接下来的几周从中国的流行病演变成影响几乎所有主权国家的大流行病。随着它继续席卷全球，常态被削弱和破坏，其规模在现代是前所未见的。经济似乎已陷入停滞，医疗保健系统超载，各国关闭了边境，企业连续几周关闭。西方世界的许多人现在想知道他们的生活是否会恢复到以前的样子，也许可以通过研究中国的反应来找到前进的方向。
In a matter of weeks, the People’s Republic of China released a full genetic sequence of the virus to the world, isolated Wuhan, constructed a dedicated hospital in 10 days, and began implementing widespread restrictions to combat and halt the spread of COVID-19. For expatriates and citizens living within the confines of China, these effects were felt immediately, and a unified spirit could be felt throughout.
在短短几周内，中华人民共和国向世界发布了该病毒的完整基因序列，隔离了武汉，在 10 天内建造了一家专门医院，并开始实施广泛的限制措施，以对抗和阻止 COVID-19 的传播。对于居住在中国境内的外籍人士和公民来说，这些影响是立即感受到的，并且可以在整个过程中感受到统一的精神。
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In a relatively short period of time (considering the scope of the pandemic), the country continues to make significant strides to return to a sense of normal. However, that normal still involves maintaining precautions to protect public health while life has endured in Nanjing. Once dimly lit alleys are illuminated again as shops continue to open. Malls are beginning to bustle, restaurants are serving fresh meals, and recreational activities have been revived. Furthermore, a 76-day lockdown has liberated the city of Wuhan and its denizens of the ongoing corona scourge. New cases are scarce, and life has bounced back. It will take some time for the country to return to what once was, but significant progress is made daily to insure that.
在相对较短的时间内（考虑到大流行的范围），该国继续在恢复正常状态方面取得重大进展。然而，在南京的生活继续下去的同时，这种常态仍然需要保持预防措施以保护公众健康。随着商店继续营业，曾经昏暗的小巷再次被照亮。购物中心开始热闹起来，餐馆开始提供新鲜的饭菜，休闲活动也开始恢复。此外，为期 76 天的封锁使武汉市及其居民从持续的新冠祸害中解放出来。新病例很少，生活已经恢复。该国需要一段时间才能恢复到原来的状态，但每天都会取得重大进展以确保这一点。
Let Hope Prosper
让希望繁荣
Despite the ramifications implemented worldwide, China’s prudence is a beacon of hope that can ripple through every corner. Life came to a standstill but was resuscitated through its adherence to combat the spread, and the rest of the world will follow suit. Such a calamity could not have been foreseen, but the endurance of China should inspire us all to weather this storm. Remain in solidarity and glean on the success seen elsewhere. Emulate China. That is the gold standard that all people should follow during these trying times.
尽管在世界范围内产生了影响，但中国的谨慎态度是希望的灯塔，可以波及每一个角落。生活一度陷入停滞，但通过坚持抗击疫情而得以复苏，世界其他地区也将效仿。这样的灾难是无法预见的，但中国的忍耐力应该激励我们所有人度过这场风暴。保持团结并借鉴其他地方的成功经验。效仿中国。这是所有人在这段艰难时期都应该遵循的黄金标准。
If China can do it, then so can the world as we rally in support for our international medical professionals, adhere to social distancing, and continue to remain optimistic about the same fruitful outcome. Shops and restaurants will reopen for business, places of worship will welcome their followers, and life will find a way to pursue on.
如果中国能做到，那么世界也能做到，因为我们团结起来支持我们的国际医疗专业人员，坚持社交距离，并继续对同样丰硕的成果保持乐观。商店和餐馆将重新营业，礼拜场所将欢迎他们的追随者，生活将找到一种追求的方式。
Our light through this time is brighter than ever, but it is up to the citizens of every nation to indemnify that. If we unify as a people, then hope will come with every day that passes. Numbers of newly infected will decline, recovered cases will spike, and the world will vivify. It can be astonishing what the human spirit can achieve with hope.
我们这段时间的光芒比以往任何时候都更加明亮，但每个国家的公民都有责任对此进行赔偿。如果我们作为一个民族团结起来，那么希望就会随着每一天的到来而到来。新感染人数将会下降，康复病例将会激增，世界将会充满活力。人类精神充满希望所能取得的成就是令人惊讶的。
