As the number of COVID-19 cases climbed in Beijing in recent days, officials identified more than 350,000 people who needed to be tested. I was one of them.

随着北京近几天的新冠肺炎病例增多，当地官员表示，（通过大数据）确定了超过35万人需要接受检测。我也是其中一个。

Although I never entered the Xinfadi market and only took photos from nearby streets, unknown to me, I had been flagged as a potential vector for the virus. 

尽管我从未进入过新发地市场，只是在附近我不认识的几条街道上拍照，但我也被列为潜在的病毒携带者之一。

My phone rang on Wednesday afternoon. An official from my neighborhood’s community association informed me that I should shortly report to the gates of a nearby sports stadium to be bused to a coronavirus testing site.

周三下午，我的手机响了，一名社区居委会工作人员通知我尽快到附近一个体育场报到，乘巴士前往一个检测点。

Several dozen people milled about at the meeting point, eyeing each other suspiciously and staying apart. A few wore multiple face masks on top of each other. After checking in, we were escorted to buses — one person per row.

几十个人在集合点走来走去，相互怀疑地打量对方并保持着一定距离。有几个人戴了好几层口罩。登记后，我们被送上大巴：每排只坐1个人。

The buses took us to a large city park, where the grounds of a museum had been converted into a temporary testing site. Hundreds of people were already in line. Many said that, like me, they had not visited the market but just been in the area. Some complained that they had merely driven past on a highway.

巴士将我们送到一个大型城市公园，一个博物馆的场地被改造成临时检测点。好几百人正在排队等候。像我一样，许多人说没去过那个市场，只是曾到过附近那片区域。一些人还抱怨说他们只是曾开车经过。

I looked around with some worry — was I standing among Xinfadi workers or daily customers? I had not felt in danger photographing the market from a distance, but packed among people who had been flagged as a virus risk, I felt a bit unsafe.

我有点担忧地环顾四周——我正跟新发地员工和日常顾客站在一起吗？从远处拍摄该市场时，我不曾感到危险，但跟被这些列为存在风险的人员在一起，我感到一丝不安。

Eventually I reached the front of the snaking line. A worker in full protective suit and face shield took my temperature and checked my Beijing Health Kit app. I showed him my green code, indicating “No Abnormal Conditions,” and was directed to a row of tables to register for the test. 

最后，我来到了弯弯曲曲队伍的最前端。一名穿着全封闭防护服、戴着口罩的工作人员为我测温，检查了我的‘北京健康宝’健康码。在出示了‘未见异常’的绿色码后，我被安排到一排桌子前接受检测登记。

I was handed a bar-coded vial and waved into a large hall, where a half-dozen tables were set up with a pair of workers in protective suits at each one. I sat down in a chair and was instructed to tilt my head back and say “aaah”. The instinct to gag was strong as a worker waved a swab across the back of my throat.

我拿着一个贴有条形码的小瓶，跟随人群进入大厅内，大厅里有几张桌子，每张桌子后面都有两名身穿防护服的工作人员。我坐在椅子上，被告知要把头往后仰，说“啊”。当工作人员在我的喉咙深处移动拭子时，我本能地想要呕吐。

“Okay, finished”, said the worker in English. On the bus ride back, the mood was considerably lighter. People who had sat in stony silence on the ride out hours earlier chatted with each other about the virus outbreak in other countries and the merits of different brands of cellphones.

“好了，结束了，”工作人员用英语说。在返程的巴士上，我的心情轻松了许多。那些在几小时前的行程中还一言不发的人们开始聊天，除了谈论其他国家的疫情，还在议论不同品牌手机的优点。”

Back at our meeting point, we parted ways with a warning to stay at home until we received our test results. But needless to say I plan to stay at home.

在返回集合的体育场后，所有人被告知在收到检测结果前应避免出门。不用说，我计划待在家里。