Elaine's Repatriation
Donation protected
Some of you may know Elaine from her involvement in the arts & fundraising, or various educational and community boards, or the may ways she has been involved in the community over the years.
Elaine has been teaching English at a university in China since September 2018, in Changzhou, a city an hour outside of Shanghai.
When COVID-19 began its spread, China was the first country to go under lockdown. Travel by road was restricted; campuses closed; classes were cancelled; everyone was ordered to self-isolate. Countries began suspending flights in and out of China. All this began on January 26th, 2020. Elaine has effectively been in self-isolation since that time.
Currently, commercial flights out of China are next to impossible: one flight per week is permitted to a given country. And although Elaine has a job offer and a place to stay, her visa is expiring soon and the government is effectively blocking her ability to renew.
Fortunately, and in a drastically abridged story, Elaine was able to secure a seat on a charter flight on July 12th. It will fly from Shanghai to Vancouver, at which point she will get on a domestic flight to Toronto and then enter 14-day quarantine.
As you can imagine, the costs associated with repatriation during a pandemic are steep, particularly for someone living on a modest teacher's salary. The total costs of air travel will be around $3000 CAD.
Some people have kindly reached out to express a willingness to help cover these expenses. I am setting this up on behalf of Elaine to help her with these costs. We greatly appreciate any and all donations that would ease this already stressful and tumultuous process.
Thank you everyone for your kindness and generosity during this time. We are all hoping for a speedy and smooth journey home. ❤️
Elaine has been teaching English at a university in China since September 2018, in Changzhou, a city an hour outside of Shanghai.
When COVID-19 began its spread, China was the first country to go under lockdown. Travel by road was restricted; campuses closed; classes were cancelled; everyone was ordered to self-isolate. Countries began suspending flights in and out of China. All this began on January 26th, 2020. Elaine has effectively been in self-isolation since that time.
Currently, commercial flights out of China are next to impossible: one flight per week is permitted to a given country. And although Elaine has a job offer and a place to stay, her visa is expiring soon and the government is effectively blocking her ability to renew.
Fortunately, and in a drastically abridged story, Elaine was able to secure a seat on a charter flight on July 12th. It will fly from Shanghai to Vancouver, at which point she will get on a domestic flight to Toronto and then enter 14-day quarantine.
As you can imagine, the costs associated with repatriation during a pandemic are steep, particularly for someone living on a modest teacher's salary. The total costs of air travel will be around $3000 CAD.
Some people have kindly reached out to express a willingness to help cover these expenses. I am setting this up on behalf of Elaine to help her with these costs. We greatly appreciate any and all donations that would ease this already stressful and tumultuous process.
Thank you everyone for your kindness and generosity during this time. We are all hoping for a speedy and smooth journey home. ❤️
Organizer
Eden Merritt
Organizer
Stratford, ON
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