Amoo Musa Olalekan has been staying in his dormitory and writing thesis these days as a final year master student in Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“I have stayed in my dorm since the inception of this outbreak. We are told not to go outside, but I know this is to prevent us from being exposed to the virus,” said the 28-year-old Nigerian majoring in crop breeding and genetics.
Olalekan is among the 3,000 to 4,000 African students in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, which is home to a number of prestigious universities attracting many international students.
Life continues as normal on campus. “During my spare time, I watch movies, chat online with my friends, and also sleep,” Olalekan said.
Apart from having dinner in a halal canteen, Olalekan likes to cook for himself.
“Having some rice, chicken, peppers, tomatoes and a few eggs in refrigerator, I can cook some basic food to eat. If I use up all the food items, I can go to the supermarket in my school to buy things,” he said. “But the price has gone up these days, I used to pay 2.9 yuan (41 U.S. cents) for 0.5 kg of tomatoes, which now costs me around 8 yuan.”
Olalekan said his university is working hard to keep the students safe on campus. “They provided us with masks, thermometers, disinfectants and other materials.”
“I am among the volunteers who work with the international office of the university to ensure the safety of the international students in their respective dormitories on a daily basis. We are advised to check our temperature daily and also to maintain good personal hygiene through washing hands regularly as well as maintaining a clean environment,” he said.
“For now, my friends and I are all healthy. We will surely overcome this threat,” Olalekan said.
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