Just back from the UK after a month in Oxford, I stepped off the plane on Sat morning, 17 Oct with trepidation on what lies ahead for me.
There were only about 50 passengers on the SQ flight from Heathrow and I could even lay down on the empty seats for a nice 4 hours of sleep as we only had 4 persons in my section. About 10 of us disembarked in S’pore while the rest were transiting to connecting flights. In an almost eerily empty Changi, the immigration process was quick and efficient. After taking my luggage, we were ushered to the final bay area to await our fate.
The first thing I asked was “Which hotel are we going to?” The kind lady replied that it was the Shangri-La. We were put in batches as we land, to be transported to the various quarantine hotels. The bus driver said that the best option was JW Marriot. But we do not have any choice on where were can do our compulsory 14 days quarantine due to the COVID19 measures put in place for overseas returnees. It was explained to me that today will be Day 1 and I should be able to check out on Day 15 at 12 noon, which will be 31 Oct. We have to pay $2,000 for this “privilege” that included room and 3 meals a day.
After a quiet bus right (about 12 of us in the whole bus), we reached our destination at Orange Grove Road, right next to Tanglin. Well, it wasn’t the other Shangri-La in Sentosa (LOL) but I guess I should not complain. With the virus still raging on in the world, tourism has completely died in all countries. The only business hotels can get now are staycations and this. I believe that all the top hotels had bided for this quarantine business as a means of survival and to get much-needed cash flow because they will have a higher chance of winning the business. There was no option to upgrade the room at my own cost as I wanted a balcony. I always wanted to stay at the Shang and now I have the opportunity to fully enjoy my room for 2 weeks LMAO…
I had a lot of apprehensions as I got ready to enter the hotel room which I was supposed to spend the next 14 nights. In my whole life, I have never been “imprisoned” in a room for 2 weeks straight. This will be a first for me. The Circuit Breaker/Lockdown period earlier this year had probably prepared me for this. It was important that I quickly settle into a routine schedule filled with exercises, reading and doing work. I decided that I would do 400 stomach crunches before each meal to “earn” it. Hopefully, I will get a 6-pack soon hahaha…
Jetlag settled in quickly and the first day passed quickly as I slept a lot. The first night was the worst as I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night feeling totally disoriented and getting very claustrophobic as I realised where I was. I posted my quarantine situation on social media as a way to confront the challenge ahead and also to update friends current overseas of the situation. We were all fearful of this return trip requirements. There was not much information prior to this as it was a very small group of people that had similar experiences.
Because overseas returnees may be contaminated with the virus, each of us was not allowed contact with the outside world. We had a hotel card key that was only good for a one time use only. Once we get into the room, we cannot get out. But we could bring things into the room. So the use of online food delivery services was allowed. I quickly ordered 2 bottles of wine on Sunday morning. My lovely wife also ordered a care pack for me from Redmart. Both were delivered on Mon. Her birthday was on Sun and we had a Zoom call with my older son in Oxford to celebrate it that night.
By now, the COVID19 cases in S’pore has become manageable and the country was looking to reopen up more as it moves to Phase 3 soon. There were days of zero cases and new cases nowadays are mostly imported ones. Hence the compulsory 14 days quarantine was a good way to identify asymptomatic cases and prevent it from spreading to the community. Travel channels and green lanes are being explored in order to open up the skies again for travel. With more than 100+ vaccines being rushed to production and implementation, I believe that we will be having something like Tamiflu for H1N1 by early next year.
Looking back at the past 8 months since the virus started its grip on the world in Mar, we have learnt a lot more about it now. While cases are still high due to more testing, the coming cold winter season and idiots like Trump/Boris, the percentage of death is lower than the 1st half of the year. The doctors understand it better now and applying new medicines that have a high probability of reducing the mortality rate. In the chaos, the world is getting a better sense of the problem and sharing best practises around the globe. It is just that some countries are still not thinking logically about how to address the problem until it is too late. It only takes a stupid one to re-infect the rest of the world again. Only a good vaccine can have any hope of stopping it in its tracks eventually.
That brings me back to the US elections. The 2nd and final presidential debate happened yesterday. The contrast between the 2 candidates cannot be more distinct. It’s like between yin and yang. It is more presidential now, thanks to the mute button (like a kindergarten class, unbelievable…). Each had a chance to talk about various topics which the US citizens are concerned about.
Trump was on his best behaviour to date and tried not to appear boorish but he still veered off-topic at times and trying to get Biden to stutter, which happened a few times. Trump says he is not racist but I think he only worships money as his ultimate goal. He does not care about anything else as long as he achieves that goal, be it being racist or having zero empathy for anyone but himself.
It was very telling at the end that the last question was to pretend to give a speech at the inauguration if you win. Trump went totally off-script to accuse his enemies instead – super presidential my dear orange moron….. Biden had a more appropriate speech about unity and bringing the whole country together, more hope and less fear. What a contrast!!!
Total is Day 8 for me. Half way there now. I will be having my swap test on Day 11 soon and that will be my first time out of the room for a short while. Daily temperature taking looks alright. I can smell freedom soon 🙂
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