Home at Last From China: A Foreign Exchange Student’s Travel Ordeal

5000 travelers came back into the US from China over the weekend, before the restrictions, without a single question from customs for this guy? Completely negligent. Also, reading about some universities, it does not seem they are properly vetting where Chinese students have traveled from over the holidays. Customs, schools, etc., need to step it up and take this seriously. While some people sound exceedingly responsible upon return, there are others who seem ignorant to the risks they pose to others based on their travel history.

Kid reminds me of the sort of thing trump would do and to heck with anyone else. Mother too

Even if this student was let through customs without any questions—thanks, white male privilege!—it is the height of irresponsibility that his family did not immediately quarantine h8m for 14 days. Great parenting. Not.

When you are in an airport you lose your freedom. Authorities can make with you anything even if you have the Constitution with you.

Wow. Customs didn't ask any questions? Shocking! And, he and his mother felt it was wise to not self-quarantine, instead choosing to eat at a very public fast food establishment? That wouldn't have been my first choice. I hope the actions of this young man and his mother do not result others falling ill. I'm glad he is home safely, but this story shocked me (on many levels).

Really? What is the "ordeal"? He had to get up early for his flight, he had minor travel arrangement issues, he might not get his luggage right away and he waltzed through US Customs on arrival. Can someone point out his "ordeal"? This article is somewhat ridiculous. (Read - will not be posted.)

It was hard not read this without thinking of the vast oeuvre of post apocalyptic novels where one person's "safe exit" or "close call" becomes the vector for the spread of a plague. I just reread "The Stand" this past fall (wrong year to reread it!) and was struck by how brilliantly King plays with our investment in the first family's attempts to flee, only to realize that their exit from the military compound where the flu has been weaponized is precisely what ends up dooming everyone else. I'm not remotely comparing this to anything apocalyptic. I was just struck at how canny writers in this genre are. They know that you cannot take the human out of the equation. What we're seeing in the mad scramble to leave a nation in crisis is precisely the vector that spreads first panic and then the disease. In all pandemics (and this still is not that) the only sure way to break the back of the virus/infection/disease is to quarantine.

I am struck by how cavalier and almost congratulatory the tone of this article is: this boy should have immediately self-quarantined himself. Instead, he and his mother went to a Chipotle restaurant, seemingly days after he snuck out of his host’s apartment to say goodby to friends and the deserted streets of Wuhan? He and his mother showed completely disregard others in their behavior.

An ordeal? Tell that to the Syrians fleeing war, for instance.

It is not safe here eithe ronce the virus takes hold, which it will. All we can do is slow it, with quarantine and containment until the summer (immunity improves) and a vaccine.

I agree with others here that the man should have self-quarantined. I hate to think he possibly has been spreading the virus around the airport, Chipotle, and wherever else he is going this week. Also it is highly disturbing that he wasn’t checked for illness or advised to self-quarantine by airport personnel. At the very least, he should have gotten a piece of paper from the CDC with advice on how to protect others, including his own family. I’m sure going to Chipotle wouldn’t be on the list of recommendations. This lax response is all under Trump’s watch.

He strapped on his mask again briefly as they left the airport — before realizing that he was no longer in the middle of a virus emergency. He removed it, and they headed to a Chipotle, where he dug into two bean-and-cheese burritos. “This is heaven,” he said. Yes he has left the epicenter, but did he not understand that he might be carrying the virus? So irresponsible.

I thought exchange programs were meant to foster cultural appreciation and an understanding that you’re not the center of the universe. I don’t think those lessons took.

Very brave young man to navigate this crisis and come out the other side so well. Thankfully his mom and other friends were able to assist and guide him along the way.

As an American living in China, this article irks me beyond measure. It's an ignorant editorial lacking factual information that only serves to worry the general American public. I understand fear is a powerful motivator but couple that with ignorance and you're left with fearmongering like this. Unlike Jaden, I stayed in China during this epidemic and put myself through self-quarantine at home. I'm still under self-quarantine and here's what I've learned over the past 2 weeks at home. Yes it feels apocalyptic when all masks are sold out and grocery stores are left barren. Yes it was impossible to find transportation in the early stages because everyone was worried about becoming infected. Is it so weird that a taxi driver refused to pick up a stranger in the middle of an epidemic? I don't think so. Is it bizarre to have people in hazmat suits check your temperature multiple times? No, not as bizarre as US customs letting Jaden back in without so much as a worry. The government, albeit Communist and different in nature from ours, is doing a decent job at maintaining peace and ensuring public safety. The entire country is cooperating in order to nip this in the bud and it's awe-inspiring to witness this first hand. I implore the writer to get a first-hand account from a "grassroots" level in China before publishing more content that further propagates fear and ignorance. I'm still in China and I'll continue to be here for a while. You're welcome to talk to me.

Jaden must be so happy to have lunch with his mother at the LA airport. A touching but real interesting story. I was an exchange student from China more than 70 years ago after WWII and I am still here.I worked for three jobs to support myself and I didn't accept any helps from the US government. Because I feel America is the greatest country on earth. No need to look further. Great schools and helpful people. I wouldn't allow my granddaughter to study in China. I have nothing to against China. But I feel safe in America. I was in Wuhan for a short stay with my parent s in 1938 but we didn't like the dirty city so we moved to Hong Kong. Hong Kong was a great, a British colonial island. Now it is ruined by the demonstrators.

The greatest story of how NOT to behave! Why weren’t all passengers quarantined. Great idea to immediately go to a restaurant.

What!? He wasn’t quarantined?!

Another example of white privilege in America at the detriment of most others. Or as Trump would put it, "Make America Great Again!" Let's just hope that he's not patient '8'.

Thank goodness we are just letting everyone in without any strings attached. The idea that we might inconvenience wealthy international travelers, just for the sake of public health and 330,000,000 people, has kept me up all night.

Could this young man's irresponsible behavior be any worse? He should self quarantine for 14 days to avoid starting a pandemic in Los Angeles. If his mother was so concerned as to get him out, she should be equally concerned about others her son might infect in case he has the virus. But they won't know that for 14 days. 1. He was living next to the epicenter of the outbreak. 2. He flew on China Eastern Airlines presumably with other people from the area. 3. Upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, he removes his mask at the passport control. 4. He immediately goes to Chipotle with his mother without a mask. What if this man comes down with the virus tomorrow? He will have exposed people at the airport, at the restaurant, and wherever else he goes.

More than 55 years ago I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in an African country. Even back then, long before cell phones and personal computers and the internet and texting and WhatsApp, there was a comprehensive plan for notifying, assembling and evacuating all the 1,000+ Americans in the country should the need arise. I was therefore greatly surprised that today’s story seems to show American Field Service as a bit slow and disorganized in dealing with the problem of repatriating Jaden Taylor and possibly a few hundred other A.F.S. participants in China. A.F.S. and similar organizations have been around for decades, so I would have thought they would have comprehensive contingency plans and protocols for dealing with individual or group emergencies, at least piggy-backing on the plans that all US embassies have for assisting Americans in emergencies. I also wonder why A.F.S. was not in constant touch with Jaden and others to offer reassurance, provide updated information and describe pending arrangements for evacuation. That his mother had to call A.F.S. headquarters and relay information and guidance to him via texts is shocking to me. If A.F.S. does not have such emergency plans I hope it will soon initiate contact with some of the corporations and government agencies that have, and are certainly willing to share, their expertise in such matters. I am happy that Jaden is back safe, though I don’t understand why he wasn’t quarantined for 2 weeks.

I am glad that he arrived home safe and sound. But from the public health perspective, he should be in quarantine. Inconsistent health directives may put others at risk.

I had a similar experience leaving Shanghai China on Saturday. In China they checked my temperature at the hotel and at the airport. Oddly, they didn't check passenger temperatures before boarding the plane. On the flight there was one passenger nearby who was audibly sick with horrible nasal drip. Upon entry to the United States, there was no temperature check, and there was zero health screening. Given that US airlines are canceling flights and immigration does no health screening, it shows how underprepared we are for this epidemic, and we have no capability for a nuanced response. The MO here is 'just panic and shut it all down.' I asked the CDC about having my kids return to school. They said if they have no symptoms they can carry on as usual. Obviously I'm not following that guidance and potentially putting others at risk. So we are self-quarantined for 14 days.

I can appreciate the challenges and the relief at the end for both mother and son. Glad it all worked out. But there were some aspects of this story that troubled me. 1. This kid, while no doubt important to his mother, is just one of thousands of people stuck in this situation. He seems to not realize how fortunate he was and how much other people wish they were in his shoes (the wife of the person in the preceding story, who is now stuck indefinitely, for one). And he doesn’t seems as grateful to the people who helped him as I would have imagined. Also, where is the concern for his host family or for the driver who helped him? 2. The fact that he was able to skip any and all scrutiny by customs and immigration simply because he’s a white American is troubling. Asian and Chinese people are being detained, questions and subjected to health checks even if they were no where near the epicenter of this outbreak. Yet, here is a kid who knowingly snuck out of his host home to wander around a quarantined city, adjacent to the hot zone, and then traveled to the US where he got a pass because he took his mask off. Hmmm... 3. Here is the perfect illustration of what not to do and how quarantines break down. He broke quarantine while in China, potentially exposing himself to the virus; he was not checked upon his arrival; and then he immediately went to a very public, very crowded restaurant. I hope for everyone’s sake he’s healthy.

Um, is it possible he is contagious even though he’s not showing symptoms? Also, kind of scary that U.S. customs didn’t ask any questions. Elephants in the room.

I'm most impressed that he dug into two Chipotle burritos. Those things are huge!

I would feel a lot better about this story if the man was going to go straight home and self-quarantine for 2 weeks, rather than going straight to a fast food restaurant. Or at least ask him if he was going to report himself as someone who should be monitored. From the CDC: “ Travelers who have been in China during the past 14 days, including US citizens or residents and others who are allowed to enter the US, will be required to enter the US through specific airports and participate in monitoring by health officials until 14 days after they left China.” “Will be required.”

What a great kid!

The virus can take two weeks to show symptoms....

Wait - he flies into Los Angeles, the burrito capital of America - and eats at Chipotle?

I sincerely hope he's virus-free, but he definitely should have been questioned on arrival and most likely quarantined until certain.

Great article with realistic details of Jaden's situation in China. Why is the mother's age noted in the photograph with her son? Why does the NYT put this information with her name? I don't see how this is relevant to the article. I notice this often in NYT articles. Jaden's age is relevant, his mother's is not.