A day or so ago, my wife wrote our school to ask about plans to return. We've been a little worried because it's been over a month since we had any news about our work situation, when students will return, or when can return to China.
Their reply was encouraging. They thanked us for our hard work in continuing to teach and expressed their need for good teachers. It's nice to be needed and wanted. Unfortunately they have no idea about when we can return or what conditions we might be working under.
A return to work in China will surely come with some changes and there's plenty of uncertainty about what that will look like. We've had some seriously mixed messages. I've seen my kids online in class. Some wear masks and some don't. They do sit far apart from each other, though. At least one foreign teacher I've communicated with told me he can only travel to and from home during the week and is not allowed to meet with anyone outside the school during the week. He's not allowed on public transportation for now, but can have food and other needs delivered to his home. Others have talked about going to restaurants and being happy to finally see some of their friends.
For now things are incredibly up in the air and the possibility of a late night message from our school asking us if we can be on a flight next week is always present in our thoughts. At the same time, I just read an article saying China is only allowing one flight in per country per week to the tune of $8,400 per person. Flights are booked through the summer and it's mostly wealthy Chinese students that are desperately trying to get home. Here's the link:
So, our plan is to hurry up and wait, but be ready to go on a moment's notice.