To butcher a famous Shakespeare quote:
That which we call quarantine by any other word would be as boring.
Quick recap: In Shenyang at the time of writing this (April 2021), passengers arriving from abroad need to undergo 14 days of state-mandated quarantine at a designated hotel. After those 14 days, the passengers are then free to choose their location for the remaining 14 days of what is commonly called health monitoring or health observation. Technically, you can observe this time in your apartment (should you have one) – but only if the community you live in is equipped to accept people for health observation purposes.
What does it mean to be equipped? Basically, the community has to ensure they can monitor all the comings and goings from the apartment. In some places, this is done by sealing the door to the apartment with tape that is only broken when a food delivery is made. In other places, sensors are put on the apartment door that send a text message to an employee of the compound every time the door is opened.
For us, since we don’t have an apartment in a place that can accept people for health observation, we moved to another hotel. Really, I feel those two extra weeks were mostly just more of the same as the initial two weeks. In the spirit of completeness, however, I will share how the latter 2 weeks of our time went and give you a run-down of the lessons I learned about myself, isolation, and life in general while there.
What changed?
The change of location that marked the end of official quarantine and the beginning of health observation brought several changes with it – all of them positive.
End of solitary confinement
The new hotel we moved to put my husband and I into a suite, as opposed to the separate standard rooms we were housed in the first hotel. For families in the same situation, it would mean that now parents and children would be allowed to share the same space. As opposed to one parent and one or more of the children under 14 years old in one room, and the other parent and one or more of the children in another room.
Better accommodation
The hotel we moved to was a vast improvement over the quarantine hotel. The bed was bigger, as was the bathtub. The service was leagues ahead of what the quarantine hotel was providing, with actual 24-hour service if we needed it.
And, yes, this is due to the fact that the new hotel has a higher star-rating than the other one, but fact is also that for the initial 14 days, you don’t get to choose where you go, the hotel is assigned to you by the authorities.
Better food
Another thing that changed during health observation was the food. Where before, we were given food three times a day that was hit or miss. And, to hear my husband tell it – more miss than hit most of the time. I got somewhat lucky with my food. Because I have food allergies, I always got Chinese food that was totally fine – if a bit repetitive.
At the new hotel, we received a 2-page breakfast menu from which we got to choose what we felt like having, with 15-minute delivery windows between 6 and 10am. And for lunch/dinner, we were sent pictures of what the executive lounge buffet had on offer that day and could order from those dishes as we wanted. A definite improvement!
Faster internet
What improved drastically as well was the internet connection. At the quarantine hotel, the connection was sometimes so bad that working online became impossible. And in the evenings, the internet speed tended to slow down further, which made watching something online or even getting a WeChat call to work near impossible. At the hotel we moved to, the connection was perfectly fine for all our working and streaming needs.
No more PCR and blood tests
The last change I would like to mention is that during health observation, no PCR or blood tests were required of us. After being poked and prodded with needles and cotton swabs on a regular basis, this was a most welcome change.
A little caveat: We did have a last PCR test to officially end our time in quarantine/health observation/whatever you want to call it. That test was painless and quick, but scheduling issues led to us having to stay an extra 1.5 days inside our room. Not so pleasant.
What stayed the same?
With all these positive changes, there were also a number of things that stayed the same.
Impossible to leave
Like in the quarantine hotel before, we were still only allowed to open our hotel room door to receive food or place garbage bags outside. At all other times, the door needed to remain closed. So, the feeling of being shut in remained the same as before.
Employees in astronaut suits
Another thing that stayed exactly like during our two first weeks of quarantine was that any time we needed to interact with someone from the hotel, they were suited up like there was no tomorrow. Full-body medical protection suit, mask, safety goggles, face shield, gloves – the whole shebang. It did make me feel like a bit of a pariah. But what to do?
Taking our temperature twice daily
As before, we had to report our body temperature twice every day to the hotel staff, who passed this information on to the authorities. One evening, I had a temperature of 37.1 °C, which immediately prompted the employee in charge of me to check in with me on WeChat. Was I feeling well? Did I have other symptoms? Luckily, I was fit as a fiddle, so nothing came of it in the end.
What have I learned?
With now a total of 4 weeks of quarantine under my belt, I have learned a number of things about myself, isolation, and the world in general.
Incarceration is not for me
Note to self: stay on the straight and narrow to avoid jail time at all costs!
The first thing I learned in quarantine/health observation was that being held in a confined space for any length of time is not my cup of tea. I did okay for the first week or so, but then being totally by myself in a room was starting to wear on me. And, the longer it went on, the more annoyed I became at my lack of autonomy. It wasn’t so much about not being able to go out, but more about not being allowed to decide whether I felt like going out in the first place!
Circumstances change, but we don’t
Another thing I learned, was that the problems you encounter in quarantine are the same you encounter outside of quarantine – just magnified. For me this meant that I was just as prone to overworking and underresting in quarantine than outside of it. I also noticed that I became less and less flexible toward schedule changes the longer quarantine lasted and the more stressed I became. I also became extremely impatient and moody toward the end, when we were told we needed to stay in the hotel room 1.5 days longer than anticipated.
None of these traits are new to me, but it just became obvious that quarantine magnifies many emotions, and makes one less well equipped to deal with adversity. I am so glad this period of my life is now over!
Preparation is essential
The most important lesson I learned from quarantine and health observation was that preparation for this period is incredibly important. And, since I was in charge of a whole chartered plane full of passengers in quarantine when they came to China in September 2020, I had spent a long time getting ready for my own quarantine. With the research, inquiry, and lessons learned from what others went through during quarantine, I have put together an entire handbook that helps you prepare.
This book is jampacked with tips and tricks, tons of resources, links, and explanations, and available here. And, because I am so happy my own quarantine is over now, I am giving everyone 20 USD off the original price! All you need to do is use the coupon TAKE20OFF at check-out.
