I usually write about Europe in this blog, but after the Coronavirus lockdowns in Europe back in March this year, I really had no alternative but to return to Australia to wait it out here, after it became clear that London was going to be locked down for quite some time.
One of the hot topics in Australia right now is the Hotel Quarantine debacle in Melbourne, which has turned into something of a scandal.
Like many countries, Australia closed its borders to foreign travellers in mid-March, and all Australian citizens and residents returning to Australia were required to quarantine in hotels in the capital city of their arrival, in a bid to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus, which had already started to increase in Australia.
The Hotel Quarantine Program started on 27th March 2020, and I returned to Australia on 2nd April.
I had originally booked a flight from London to Melbourne to leave on 31st March, but that flight, like thousands of others at the time, was cancelled. I then booked a flight to Sydney, after being offered somewhere to stay in NSW by a family member. Listening to the stories coming out in the enquiry into the Melbourne Quarantine, it sounds like it was a bit of luck on my part that I did my 14 days quarantine in Sydney!
This is my quarantine experience.
I arrived in Sydney on a Qatar Airways flight on 2nd April at about 7.30 am, and after filling out forms confirming that we knew what was in store for us, we were allowed to leave the plane. When you see officials boarding a plane before you’re allowed to get off, you know it’s serious!
Walking through the airport was like walking through the set of a dystopian movie set some time in the future, with officials dressed in plastic, masked, handing out bottles of water and farming us through queues with pictures of feet on the floor showing us where to stand. Passenger waited in well cordoned queues to have their temperature checked, those with an elevated reading being farmed off in a different direction to the rest of us. As we passed along the marked trail, plastic clad masked officials asked if we understood what was happening, and then we were directed off to have passports stamped, collect luggage and then towards the waiting buses.
This was my first encounter with the various levels of security that were being used in the program. Police showed us onto the buses, army personnel loaded luggage onto the bus. Masks were mandatory, and we’d been issued with a few on our trek through the airport. I’d never worn a mask before, and I’m sure I put it on the wrong way around!! We had to remain physically distanced.
Off we went to our designated hotel, mine being the Intercontinental in central Sydney. We were the lucky ones, our Police Sergeant told us… The people with symptoms were being sent to the crap hotel! Well, there’s nothing wrong with the Intercontinental! Can’t complain about that! It’s pretty plush place to spend a couple of weeks, even against your will!
The registration process at the hotel was very orderly. A police officer told us when to go in. We went one at a time. An army person told us out rights and responsibilities and explained what we could expect during the 14 days. We were also given this in writing.
We entered through the back door of the hotel. Police were seated at a registration table and took details including the address we’d be going to after the 14 days.
We were then taken to our rooms by a member of the ADF (Australian Defence Force). One at a time. Everything was one at a time. There were no groups of people, except family groups, or people who had travelled together.
There were security guards at the lifts on each floor, so we could not enter the lifts. An army person took me to my room, let me and took the key. They took the key with them. Once locked in the room, that was it. No leaving the room for 14 days. If you left the room and the door closed behind you, the only way to get back in was if the security guards called a police officer to let you back in again! No fresh air breaks, no cigarette breaks, no leg stretch breaks.
We were told that when we heard the meal trolly, to wait a while before we collected our meal, which was to be left outside the door, so as not to put the delivery staff at risk.
Meals were not bad and on time. They were not the type of meals I would normally eat, but they were normal meals, and there were plenty of treats to go with them. You wouldn’t have starved and the food was what most people would find normal food.
There were lots of treats left outside the doors as well, mainly flavoured milk and sometimes little chocolate bars, with a couple of Easter eggs at Easter! Flavoured milk is not really my thing, but it was there. And often!! Quite often there’d be a knock at the door, you’d open it and there’d be a bottle of strawberry milk sitting there and an blur of khaki disappearing up the corridor!
There was provision for people to have take away meals delivered as well, which were brought up to the rooms by the army personnel, and as usual, left outside the door. I just stuck with the food provided by the program, but I did see, when collecting my meal, empty KFC bags waiting to be collected from the room next door… Someone obviously needed the occasional pig-out! (Something I now understand, having now spent a little too much time in lockdown…)
I was very lucky. The room was very comfortable and had wonderful views of Sydney Harbour. I woke up to see the sun rise over the harbour, and I had a lovely panorama or Sydney lights at night. I even got to watch the stricken cruise ship, The Ruby Princess, come into the harbour, do what it had to do, and then leave! I developed a routine of watching ferries chugging around the harbour, and became fascinated by a helicopter, which flew from somewhere around Point Piper to the north shore and back every day.
I can’t complain about my stay. Fresh linen was provided every few days, which we had to change ourselves, and then leave the used linen in a plastic bag outside the door to be collected. Used dinner bags, boxes, cutlery etc were also to be placed in a sealed bag and left outside the door for collection. The room – at least my room – was clean and was as you would expect a room to be if you were staying there as a normal guest.
From what I saw there is no way a virus could have escaped. The security was so tight!
A nurse rang on the room phone every day to check if we had symptoms and to see how we were coping mentally with being locked up.
I had a test, having had some very mild symptoms, and the doctor who did the test was completely dressed in plastic, mask and face shield. I remember opening the door and being taken aback what looked like two blue Darth Vaders standing there. They even sounded like Darth! I hadn’t got used to hearing people speaking through a mask at that stage. But even for the test, I could not leave the room, and the doctor and nurse could not enter. It was done at the door, which I had to close immediately after the test. (It came back negative).
Everything was done to the letter!
I did hear families with children in other rooms. I felt for them being trapped in a room with a whole family, not being allowed to leave under any circumstances. I never heard anyone walking in the corridors. The only sound from the corridor was the meal trolly – always a welcome and much anticipated one!
It wasn’t too difficult for me, as I spend a lot of time on my own anyway. I found plenty to keep myself amused, but I really felt for anyone who wasn’t used to my own company, or had experienced anxiety at being locked up! It would have been a real strain for them, but there was psychiatric staff available and it that was made known on the daily phone calls from the nurses. I have to admit though, towards the end I was dying to get some fresh air, as the windows in the room couldn’t be opened.
I experienced nothing like what is being described in the Melbourne quarantine enquiry.
The check out procedure was equally regimented. The day before I was to leave, a doctor, nurse and police officer arrived at the door – PPE’d up and making sure I was fit to leave, giving me a release letter, and giving me instructions on what to do the next day when I left. I was given a red wrist band, which was my exit pass!! I had to show to the security guards at the lift as I left, who phoned the police and very formally, and officially told them “ wrist band dated 15/4 sighted. Guest coming down now, guest coming down now”!! He even pressed the button on the lift for me to make sure I actually went to the police exit desk, where I again had to show my wrist band, sign documents and be shown out my another army person – actually I think she might have been a navy person – who gave me direction on how to get to the station and to get on my way.
A real military style operation! The whole 2 weeks! No mucking about! No nonsense! But I was treated very respectfully on the very limited occasions I had interaction of any of the police, army or medical personnel. So even though it was so strict, I am glad it wasn’t as lax as it seems to have been in Melbourne. And I had a beautiful view.
Things may have changed in the Sydney hotels. I was there in the very first week of the program, and personally I have nothing to complain about. I had a pleasant stay.
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I have got you book-marked to check out new things you postÖ
Id like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. Im hoping to view the same high-grade content by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own site now 😉
Hello there! I simply want to offer you a huge thumbs up for the great info you have got here on this post. I will be coming back to your website for more soon.
Thanks for this information
Thanks for providing information
This is useful information
Everything is very open with a very clear clarification of the issues. It was truly informative. Your site is useful. Thanks for sharing!