Unfavorable Check for COVID and no shut contact: How I ended up in a quarantine camp run by the Hong Kong government . When I initially boarded a plane from Hong Kong to see my family in America for the holidays, I knew my return trip would be difficult. But I never expected a new coronavirus variety to appear and send me to the town’s quarantine camp.
Then, in October, I returned to Hong Kong, one of the few places on the planet that still uses a zero-Covid technique. To that end, the town has some of the tightest border management and quarantine systems on the planet, even before Omicron.
On November 26, five weeks before my return trip, the World Health Group announced that the newly discovered pressure discovered in South Africa had been dubbed Omicron.
Awakening Omicron By mid-December, the virus had spread to 77 countries and was the most prevalent in the US. Travel restrictions were recently imposed globally, including in Hong Kong, due to Omicron concerns.
Three weeks before I was due to leave the US, the Hong Kong authorities announced the “most draconian” quarantine measures for US visitors after one (yes, just one) tested positive for Omicron. This meant I had to spend my first four days of quarantine at a government quarantine center instead of the resort I had booked.
The Hong Kong government quarantine camp at Penny’s Bay houses close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases and visitors from high-risk countries where imported Omicron cases have been found in Hong Kong.
For guidance, I resorted to the HK Quarantine Assist Group on Facebook for guidance. It’s a massive, crowdsourced portal offering resources for Hong Kongers traveling overseas. Many members of the group had previously stayed at Penny’s Bay.
The veterans advise downloading my favorite Netflix shows and packing items like a WiFi hotspot, extension cord, lots of food, slippers, and drink.
The first day I arrived in Hong Kong on January 2,After boarding, I had to show a QR code from a health disclosure form, confirm my telephone number, acquire a quarantine order, and get a nose and throat swab.
My bags had been picked up, and I boarded a vehicle with five other passengers for Penny’s Bay.
Our vehicle passed the front of Hong Kong Disneyland, next to which the quarantine center is satirically located.
The vehicle passed rows of colorful two-story structures that resembled stacked shipping containers before letting us off at the registration desk. The “Blue Meanies” assigned me to a unit wearing blue disposable hats, robes, face shields, masks, and gloves.
The “Blue Meanies” at reception were kind and helpful, but they reminded me that breaking the quarantine order may result in a six-month jail sentence and a fine of $25,000 HKD ($3,200).
My camp room reminded me of my prior faculty housing room. With two single beds, a rough sponge cushion and a comforter, two tiny tables with a TV, an electric kettle and a hair dryer, Two folding plastic chairs.
I could open my window to grab the food and other items I brought, or just to catch some fresh air. Every day, three meals in plastic bags (morning, afternoon, and nite) are put on a tray outside my window for me to collect. Employees swabbed my nasal and throat thru that same glass as part of daily COVID-19 testing requirements.
According to the Hong Kong Center for Health Security, the camp can accommodate 3,416 models (CHP). Each building has 16 rooms, eight on each level.
After checking in, I was handed a menu with four choices: Chinese, Western, vegetarian, and mushy. I chose Chinese for several of my meals, but the menu cautioned that I wouldn’t get them for two days after submitting my choices. But, to my surprise, the options arrived almost immediately.
However, they tasted like boring airport food, and I was stuck with them because Deliveroo and Foodpanda don’t deliver to the camp. My room also got water bottles, garbage bags, and food. I was given a quarantine middle hotline number to call and a WhatsApp number to contact if I needed more of the camp-supplied items like instant noodles or towels, although it took awhile for them to arrive.
It was possible for family or friends to drop off items, but not easy. To acquire care packages, the deliverer had to either apply 24 hours in advance with a full checklist and photographs, or fill out a form upon arrival. Alcohol and cigarettes are forbidden.
My mattress was thin, so I stacked the other one on top. They were wrapped in plastic and made noises as I moved. My toes also brushed the mattress body while I slept — and at 5 feet 5 inches (165 centimeters), I can’t imagine what it was like for larger people.
On my last day, health workers came over early in the morning to check me for COVID. After being swabbed, I had to wait in my room until the Health Division notified the camp that I was approved to be transported to my booked resort. Then I had to wait for a staffer to come by and tell me I could exit my room, check, and line up for my allocated vehicle. My luggage was loaded onto a vehicle and driven to my resort for another 17 days of quarantine.
Apart from having to eat boring airport food, sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress, and worrying about one of my daily COVID-19 tests coming out positive, my stay at Penny’s Bay wasn’t as bad as I expected. Granted, I only remained for 4 days, unlike my COVID colleagues who had to spend 14 (formerly 21) days at the camp.
