Three Nights in Shanghai

The first leg of quarantine.

Quarantine

All visitors to China must undergo compulsory quarantine at their own expense. You do not get to chose your quarantine facility, nor do you choose your length of stay. Due to recent heightened restrictions, quarantine is now four weeks long. Meals are delivered three times a day and you are not allowed to leave the room. We were required to spend our first three nights of quarantine in a designated hotel in Shanghai, before being moved to Suzhou.

Checking In

We boarded the bus at Shanghai airport and were driven almost two hours to our hotel. Our passports were redistributed on the bus and we filled out forms with our personal and contact information. A small outbuilding comprised the check-in center, where we paid for our stay and were given a bag of complimentary toiletry items and sanitizing products.

Five Flights of Stairs

With check-in complete, we were directed to the service entrance at the back of the building and informed that there was no elevator for our use. The building had five floors, and I was room #515. Thus began one of the longest and hardest stair climbs in my life as my T-Rex arms slowly hauled my two checked bags and backpack up the levels, one stair at a time. I'm not known for my arm strength. Shanghai's summer weather is hot and humid, and it was a great pleasure to reach my air-conditioned haven at the top of the trek.

Three Nights

We arrived at the hotel around 10pm which made for a short "1st day" of quarantine.

The next two days passed relatively quickly. Meals magically appeared on the small table outside of our door: breakfast around 7am, lunch at 11am, and dinner near 5pm. The food was not fancy but tasty and delivered hot. Twice a day, at 9am and 2pm, an attendant in full hazmat gear knocked on our door to take our temperature with an infrared thermometer. Bolstered by my previous quarantine experience, I came prepared with snacks, books, sheet music, Pimsleur Mandarin lessons, and am also working remotely for my day job.