Tag: Shanghai

Life @ Quarantine Hotel in Shanghai

I recently flew to China with my three children and small dog. We arrived in Shanghai (PVG) from Vancouver (YVR) on April 9, 2022. We spent 3 hours at the PVG airport, getting covid tested, passing through customs, baggage pick up, quarantine enrollment and waiting for our quarantine hotel bus. There were around a dozen passengers in our group, all from the same flight, and all with final destinations outside this city and neighboring provinces.

TRAVELING TO OUR HOTEL

As suspected, the streets were practically empty because of the recent city-wide lock down in Shanghai. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed taking in the views of the city.

HOTEL ARRIVAL

After another hour or so, we finally arrived at our quarantine hotel in QingPu district. We put our luggage all in one side, while we gathered in front of the registration table set up outside of the hotel. While our luggage was getting sprayed down to disinfect, a hotel staff person gave us instructions on what we needed to do to register and what the rules were for our quarantine. She spoke really fast, so I pretty much didn’t understand a single thing! Just about everyone can understand English though, and so I was able to get the help I needed.

quarantine bus
hotel registration
back of hotel

PET ISSUE

When the staff person disinfecting the luggage discovered that there was a dog (our dog) in a carrier there, it caused quite a commotion because apparently there were no pets allowed at this hotel. We were told we couldn’t stay and had to stand to the side and wait to be taken elsewhere. Eventually, since there really was no protocol for such a situation, they allowed us to stay anyway.

ROOMING RULES

We were all given rooms on the same floor. Everyone had to quarantine by themselves in their own room unless there was a medical condition (requires paperwork for proof) or if you were a minor. My 15 year old daughter was considered an adult, and so we each were allowed to have one minor in the room with us. So, my 15 year old and 13 year old roomed together. And my 7 year old and I were in a room adjacent. The walls are concrete, as is the norm in China, so we really couldn’t talk to each other through the walls. But there were phones where we could talk to reception or call other hotel guests.

FREE WIFI

There was also free wifi and the connection is surprisingly decent. With staying in a hotel room for such an extended period of time, I have allowed my kids more screen time than usual. I check in with my two older kids three times a day, and we have family video calls with dad every afternoon.

SUPPLIES

Since we were prepared to not be able to order and receive any kind of deliveries during this citywide lockdown, we brought tons of snacks, dog food, puppy training pads, toys, a drum pad, books, laundry bar soap, kids scissors and tape. My son brought his own pillowcase and nightlight toy. Things I wish we packed would include more wipes, a mini dustpan with brush, shampoo, travel power plug adapter (for my kids’ laptops with the 3 prongs), more paper/construction paper for crafts, and mini speakers for our laptops. They did supply: hand sanitizer, mini disinfecting cotton balls, slippers, towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, liquid all in one shampoo/soap, hair dryer, electric kettle, hangers, trash bags, bottled water, paper cups, tissue paper, a pen and a mercury thermometer. This may vary by hotel though.

MEALS

The food is quite similar every day. For breakfast, it has been two steamed buns (a mix of veggie & meat), congee, and a boiled egg. For lunch and dinner, it’s bento box style with rice, assorted stir fried veggies, and some kind of meat (pork belly, pork chops, fried chicken, fish, and even sea cucumber). The sea cucumber is actually the best I’ve ever had! I’m pretty sure they will only serve Chinese food, and my 7 year old son is definitely starting to get tired of the food. I hope we packed enough snacks!

sea cucumber
pork chop
veggies

SCHEDULE

Meals are left outside the door three times a day. No snacks. Sometimes meals have come with a yogurt drink or juice. We have a whole crate of bottled water too. We are to take our own temperature using the supplied mercury thermometer, record it, and share a photo of our record with our quarantine WeChat group twice a day. We are also supposed to disinfect our room with these tiny little cotton balls and put bleach/chemical tablets into the toilet tank twice a day. Garbage is to be left outside your room by 2pm for pick up.

LEAVING

Seven days in, we will have another PCR test taken. Results will come out 24 hours later. If we test negative, we will then be allowed to book our travel to our destination city a total of 14 days from when our flight first landed. You have the option of moving out into another hotel locally too. You can now arrange your own travel entirely, including taxi. Travel to Hongqiao Airport and train stations are permitted at 10:00AM each morning, and travel to local hotels are permitted at 3:00PM every afternoon. These rules are sure to change and hopefully things will get easier as the Covid situation improves.

In between worlds

The last few days in Vancouver before our flight to Shanghai felt like a crazy whirlwind. In an unexpected turn of events, we received an email the day of our flight informing us essentially that my husband could not fly. We scrambled to confirm with various people that myself and our three kids would still be allowed to enter China without him as our visas depended on his. Before we knew it, we were at the YVR airport checking in. Exhausted and stressed out, we hastily said our goodbyes and got in line to pass through security. Almost 24 hours later, we arrived at our quarantine hotel in Shanghai.

Though to many, this time in quarantine is an unwelcomed inconvenience, this time for me is a gift from above. I need sleep. I need recovery. I need to hit the reset button. This past month, I’ve been so busy packing and dealing with administrative tasks that I have not had enough time to prepare emotionally.

Stepping into my quarantine room and closing that door to the world, I finally had permission to digest the fact that I was here without my husband, and to grieve all the things that I am leaving behind, while looking to the future with all my hopes and dreams.

And so, I started journaling again. Having recently gone through the process of digitizing all my old journals, re-reading entries about falling in love, getting married, moving overseas, having my first child, and so on, I have come to realize again just how good it is to journal. I was beginning to see how each event doesn’t just shape me to become who I am today, but also sets me on a path to who I want to be tomorrow.

My goal during quarantine is to take advantage of this time in between worlds, to ponder the unanswered questions of my life, and to intentionally process through the good and the bad parts of me and see what I can learn. It will take time and courage, but I believe it will be time well spent. May I come out of this time stronger, healthier, and in a place to give more of myself to others.

We ourselves are “saved to save” – we are made to give – to let everything go if only we may have more to give. The pebble takes in the rays of the light that falls on it, but the diamond flashes them out again: every little facet is means, not simply of drinking more in, but of giving more out.

L. Trotter