Day 21 – Monday, 20th September 2021

I made it. I MADE IT. It’s the FINAL day of quarantine. I can’t see why quarantine couldn’t be 19 or 20 days. Has anyone really had covid-19 after 21 days of quarantine. Statistics are probably pretty low.

Hoorah for the people who landed on the same day as me and have made it to Day 21. I assume no-one from my flight had the virus… Woohoo!

I woke up pretty early. Ordered some takeout but ate the hotel breakfast and skipped the peas. Noticed my rubbish from the night before was still sitting on the floor outside. Hm, I’m sure I left it out at the right time.

My takeout took forever, and I only had one of them as I was full and wanted to go back to sleep again… The ham and scrambled egg burger was still warm and enjoyed it! 😀 I left the other two for later.

I woke up to the sound of some heavy knocking for next door. I think the Mister next door forgets or just wakes up late to get his breakfast. Have no idea… In the end I woke up and called Housekeeping for more toilet paper… I only needed one, but they gave me two! I also called Reception to arrange my checkout time the next day. I have to remember to take my luggage, bring my Quarantine Order form and my hotel room key. Easy!

In the meantime, I downloaded the LeaveHomeSafe App (which is basically the NHS Covid-19 App). It doesn’t support foreign QR codes, so I couldn’t add my vaccination record in. What a bummer, but at least I have the UK version and all my paper copies still exist in my bag.

I also booked my Day 26 compulsory PCR test – didn’t want to forget and get fined for not doing what I’m supposed to do. (I got a text message from “Quarantine” to remind me to do this and download the app). I deleted the StayHomeSafe App – pointless app if no wristband was given.

I ate my lunch slowly whilst watching Kotaro Lives Alone on Netflix HK. The first few episodes gave me a few sniffles… Getting emotional about living alone.

I started work and I think I just got bored, so I ate one of the burgers… tasted a tiny bit spicy… Chicken and egg burger ate cold.

When dinner came, I wasn’t too hungry. I avoided most of the rice and onions. :p

So many emails for a Monday. My staff were also crying for help… Oh dear. They definitely need some time out!! I had my last meeting of the day… it tired me out. I was also quickly asked to check for some information… Hmmmm… Why didn’t the person ask me earlier in the day?? I could have just relaxed…

Anyway, whilst checking I had my last burger… Cold but ok!

The end is almost near….. 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

End of Day 21 – Goodnight people!

I wanted to put some Questions and Answers to myself, so I made some up and have given some answers to my future self:

Q. Did I enjoy quarantine?

A. Yes and No. Was disappointed that I didn’t get a wristband… I’m guessing it’s become costly for the government to run, plus people tend to cut off the bluetooth signal with the extra part of the strap… How exactly are we being tracked then? By our mobile numbers that we hand out on our health declaration form?

Q. What did I like about quarantine?

A. Free time, being able to sleep whenever (even though I could hardly sleep during the first two weeks properly), having alone time, and not having to wear a bra for three weeks! ^_^

Q. What didn’t I like during quarantine?

A. Not being able to walk outside or open the window. Not being able to choose what I can eat and what time the food was to come.

Q. Is 21 days too long for quarantine?

A. Absolutely yes! 14 days is more than sufficient to incubate a virus, appear and cause a slight havoc for vaccinated people. I don’t see the requirement of having a 21 day quarantine. In most countries, it’s only 10 to 14 days. Hong Kong is trying to be too efficient. The cost of travelling is quite a lot, and you need to have the money and patience to be able to quarantine. I don’t recommend those who are not fit or don’t have the stamina to be alone to make the sacrifice of travelling.

Q. Did you get any calls of support from any HK government hotline?

A. None at all… I’m absolutely fine. The ones mainly concerned were my friends and colleagues. Thankfully I was able to work remotely.

Q. If you were asked to work in another country, would you work during local hours or UK hours?

A. Depends on which country it is, but I would choose local hours instead of UK hours, unless there was no major time difference. It was quite hard trying to stay focus in the evenings.

Q. And finally, what do you recommend for those who are going to quarantine in Hong Kong in the future?

A. My learning curve from quarantine (as a solo traveller):

• Learn how to relax
• become an introvert like a non-extreme hikikomori
• work if you can (remote access from your work place is vitally needed)
• get an eSIM (depending on the type of device you have) and/or a local SIM card
• bring your own cleaning supplies – especially wipes, scourers, cloths and a sponge (you can buy cleaning products like bleach and CIF on FoodPanda)
• have enough entertaining activities – learn to knit and crochet
• bring anything you’re studying on and rewrite notes
• bring a small second screen if you’re working (like a tablet or an ipad) … in case you can’t use the TV with your HDMI cable
• get your own masks as airports and hotels don’t provide them for you…
• make sure to stick to the rules, and clean your room during the whole process
• be a model quarantine person! LOL.
• Get the FoodPanda and HKTV Mall app
• Get VPN as some sites don’t work in HK i.e. Viki.com
• Bring your own mug or flask