WEB EXCLUSIVE With the deadly Coronavirus sweeping through China and other parts of the world, students are expressing concerns for friends and family members abroad. 

The virus started in the city of Wuhan in China and has spread to about fifteen other countries, including the United States. The virus has affected over 4,000 people and the death toll has exceeded 100 fatalities. 

“I’m worried about families in China who are being affected and all the people in quarantine,” freshman Noor El Qadah said. “It’s scary because this virus is spreading really quickly and I feel like it can affect a lot of families.”

Though the virus originally spread through animal-to-human contact, it is now being spread by person-to-person contact. As a precaution, citizens of Wuhan are encouraged to remain in their homes at all times, according to Mandarin teacher Yuhong Yao. 

“Many people, for example, eat wild animals, but they don’t have any knowledge about them,” Yao said. “Then they spread the germs to other people. People only think about the money made at the market, and not about their health.” 

Common symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, sore throat, coughing, and headaches, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also suggests frequently washing your hands as a precaution to help avoid the virus. 

“I feel like people are starting to stereotype Asian people as always having the virus but that’s not actually how it works,” sophomore Shana Ong. “Overall, I feel pretty safe but we should be washing our hands a lot.” 

Any passengers arriving from Wuhan to the United States will be directed to five different airports, including the San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport where they will be checked for coronavirus symptoms.

“I’m glad that the airports are taking extra precautions to check people for the virus,” El Qadah said. “It makes me feel better that the government is trying to regulate the disease.”