Unity in fighting COVID-19 at CityU highlights mutual care and support
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In its firm commitment to safeguarding the health of its students, staff and the community, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) wasted no time in mobilising all to activate its comprehensive and robust anti-COVID-19 mechanism to contain the spread of the virus as soon as the first positive case in Student Residence emerged on 8 February 2022 under the fifth wave. The confirmed case in Student Residence continued to rise and hit the peak of around 110 infections, later turning COVID-free in early April. Its success reflects not only the unity at the University, but also the mutual care and support shared by the CityU community.
University hall life enriches students’ learning experience. But on top of this, international student Aleksa Jelaca at CityU received generous support and care from the University when he became sick with COVID-19, so much so that he likens his student hall to ‘a home away from home.’
While the number of COVID-19 infections continued trending up amid the fifth wave of the pandemic in mid-March and overwhelmed Hong Kong’s healthcare system, Aleksa, who hails from Serbia and is a third-year student of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science programme, found that he had been infected after taking the rapid antigen test (RAT).
“I went to the clinic on campus for medical advice after experiencing a runny nose, cough, and sore throat for several days. Initially, I thought it was some allergic reaction, as I usually experienced these symptoms during the change of seasons. But the doctor advised me to take the RAT,” says Aleksa, who is the President of the Scholarship Team and plays a leading role in organising a wide range of activities for student-residents of Chan Sui Kau Hall (Hall 5), where he stays.
Although Aleksa had been fully vaccinated, he could not help but feel apprehensive initially. “As a non-local student, self-isolation sounds stressful,” he notes. Fortunately, Aleksa’s apprehension was unnecessary because he was in good hands. The immediate support from the Student Residence Office (SRO) at CityU assured him that his recovery in isolation would not be a challenging experience. A chain of events was triggered shortly after the SRO was notified of Aleksa’s positive RAT result. Prompt arrangements were made to put him into self-isolation to cut the spread. “I was pleasantly surprised by SRO’s speedy response. As soon as I returned to Hall 5, my isolation room was ready, complete with RAT kits and medication,” Aleksa says.
The constant support and care from the Hall 5 management team enabled Aleksa to focus on his recovery and helped reassure his family back in Serbia. “I received a sufficient supply of healthy food, fruit, water, and vitamin C. The Residence Master (RM) and Residence Tutors (RTs) of Hall 5 called in to show daily care to me.”
Additional thoughtful gesture from the SRO also touched Aleksa. “They arranged extra quick delivery of items from my friends throughout my week of isolation. It’s so heartwarming,” he says. “I’m grateful to SRO’s management, the RMs, RTs, and my friends. I relied on them during my isolation, and I did not feel alone.”
Unity and resilience against adversity
The timely attention and caring received by Aleksa exemplifies the effective preparedness engineered by CityU’s senior management and SRO, as well as the mutual support and collective determination to minimise the pandemic’s impact on learning and the community, which turned out to be effective by the first week of April, there was not a single case in the Student Residence.
Vice President (Student Affairs) at CityU, Professor Raymond Chan, attributes the success to the swift mobilisation of all at CityU under the Emergency Response Unit that set up by Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, to implement the comprehensive set of anti-COVID-19 strategies. At the localised-level of Student Residence, a task force under the fifth wave was also led by Professor Wing Lo, Associate Vice President (Student Affairs), with reps of RMs and SRO, who met regularly to stay on top of the latest development of the pandemic and the constantly updated guidelines issued by the Centre for Health Protection. “We are united by a shared goal,” says Professor Chan.
Reflecting on his experience in implementing the anti-virus measures on campus during the fifth wave, Professor Chan says staying vigilant is the key. At the onset of the fifth wave, CityU switched to online teaching from the hybrid mode (in-person and online classes). As soon as the first positive case in Student Residence was reported on February 8 2022, the senior management, SRO, and RMs responded speedily by activating the anti-COVID-19 mechanism. Because Government’s isolation facilities and healthcare system were under tremendous pressure, CityU decided to be self-reliant and conducted a swift one-off voluntary withdrawal of student-residents from its halls (having a full house at the time) to minimise cluster on February 9 2022. Around 1,500 student-residents checked out, vacating up to three entire floors in each hall as the designated makeshift facilities for isolation and emergency use.
“Student bodies also volunteered to help the non-local student-residents pack and put their luggage into storage services in town,” Professor Chan recalls. “The hall canteens prepared healthy meals with more fruit while staffers in PPEs distributed the meals to those in self-isolation and cleaned the isolation floors frequently. The University and RMs organised the distribution of vitamin C, a card of health tips, and RAT kits to those student-residents. On-campus medical doctors provided online consultations.”
While instantly cutting the chain of transmission is a top priority, CityU has remained sensitive to the needs of students. “They enjoy their freedom,” Professor Chan says, adding that CityU aims to offer students a pleasant learning experience on campus despite the pandemic. This necessitates the maintenance of a delicate balance, effective communication and buy-in among the student-residents. “The RMs regularly communicate with the student residents in their halls about what to do when cases are detected. Both RMs and RTs act as the essential bridges in between the student-residents and provide pastoral care to them.”
Support from the community
Support for student-residents from the University and the community has continued even though the fifth wave showed signs of easing. The Youth of Guangzhou and Hong Kong Association donated 66,000 masks and 800 RAT kits to CityU at an “Appreciation Ceremony” held on April 1 2022 for over 2,000 student-residents’ free collection.
