Flying Back to China Under the Shadow of COVID-19
The global COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2020 shows no signs of improvement.
And with the arrival of winter, there are signs of a resurgence.
But recently, Little Wizard needs to return to China.
Although various vaccines have been rolled out globally,
| Company | Type | Dosage | Efficacy | Storage ℃ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioNTech/Pfizer | mRNA | x2 | 95% | -70 |
| Moderna | mRNA | x2 | 95% | -20 |
| Oxford/AstraZeneca | Adenovirus vector | x2 | 62-90% | 0 |
Currently, a 14-day quarantine is still required when returning to China.
Preparation
Visit the local embassy to obtain entry information.
For example, according to the Embassy of China in Singapore,
after October, the process for boarding a flight has gradually tightened and now requires:
- Nucleic acid testing
- Nucleic acid testing + Serum IgM double negative certificate
- Must apply for an epidemic prevention health code on WeChat Mini Program
Nucleic Acid Testing
In November, you still needed to make an appointment for testing, but in December, you can go directly to an approved hospital to get tested.
There happened to be a clinic near the apartment where Little Wizard lived, about a 5-minute walk away.
Since no appointment was required, there were a lot of people, and the wait was about an hour.
Blood was drawn and a nasal swab was taken.
Little Wizard had always been afraid of this test, but the doctors in Singapore were gentle and it wasn’t too uncomfortable.
A reminder here, you must press on the puncture site after getting blood drawn. The guy in front of me didn’t use a band-aid to hold down the puncture site.
As a result, blood flowed like a river, and there was blood on the floor and clothes. It was terrifying.
Health Code
The next morning, received a text message and email with the double negative certificate.
But the documents couldn’t be submitted on the WeChat Mini Program.
As a wizard, Little Wizard boldly guessed that it was a DNS resolution issue.
Cloudflare didn’t return the server IP of the Mini Program correctly.
By changing the mobile phone’s DNS to 114.114.114.114, the issue magically resolved.
Not only did it make Little Wizard wonder how non-wizards would deal with it,
one hour later, the health code was received.
Screenshots were saved just in case.
Protective Suit
Previously, people who returned to China were seen wearing full protective suits at the airport, which scared Little Wizard.
So, Little Wizard also bought a set of protective suit and adult diapers.
Trying them on secretly, they were not comfortable.
Considering that it was winter in the northern hemisphere at the end of the year, wearing a T-shirt on the plane in a tropical country would definitely lead to a heavy cold upon landing.
Wearing a protective suit and additional clothes would become a big problem.
After reading the CDC’s Domestic Travel During COVID-19 repeatedly, Little Wizard reasoned:
- The plane has fresh air circulation.
- Wear a mask.
- Avoid touching eyes and nose.
The main mode of transmission of COVID-19 is through the respiratory system, so Little Wizard believes that wearing an N95 mask + surgical mask + goggles should be safe.
Return Flight
Currently, there are no direct flights from Singapore to Beijing.
The only option is to fly to Shanghai first and then transfer after a 14-day quarantine.
There are only three direct flights from Singapore to Shanghai per week.
Singapore Airlines on Mondays, Eastern Airlines on Thursdays, and Shanghais Airlines overnight on Fridays.
Eastern Airlines only allows one checked baggage, and excess baggage needs to be purchased separately, costing 500 RMB for each piece. Purchasing in advance on the app can get a 20% discount.
In addition to the health code, filling in the immigration form using the Customs Traveler mini program is also required before boarding.
Eastern Airlines
3:00 PM
Waiting at the boarding gate, about half of the people are wearing protective suits, tightly covered.
Actually, it was very awkward during the security check. Due to reasons like wearing a belt, some people had to take off their protective suits halfway.
Doesn’t this defeat the purpose? What’s the point of protection then?
Crew members also wear double-layered masks and goggles.
After the plane climbed, Little Wizard connected to satellite Wi-Fi and continued to update family members, so they wouldn’t worry.
Although there was a pandemic, there was still food service.
There weren’t many passengers, and there was no one on both sides of Little Wizard.
So, without waiting for the off-peak meal time, Little Wizard eagerly ate the snacks as soon as they were received.
The sister sitting by the window was fully wrapped up and didn’t eat, drink, or use the bathroom throughout the journey.
Impressive.
Rigorous Nucleic Acid Testing
9:30 PM
Checked the QR code before getting off the plane,
then took another nasal swab for nucleic acid testing.
Little Wizard said they were experienced and it didn’t matter.
The sister said that China is stricter, so she would try to be gentle.
First, she swabbed deeper than in Singapore, then swabbed several times.
Little Wizard thought it was over and made an OK gesture.
But unexpectedly, after a few seconds, the sister swabbed again in the opposite direction and put the swab in a test tube.
Little Wizard was about to say something, but the sister took out another swab,
swabbed the right nostril clockwise, paused, counterclockwise, and performed the same process.
Little Wizard held back tears and said thank you 🙏
After all, it was late at night, and everyone was working hard.
Immigration
10:10 PM
Checked the entry form and passport.
The border officer flipped through a few visas and stamped it.
Then kindly reminded not to place the ID card next to the passport, as it could be demagnetized.
10:20 PM
Retrieved luggage, during the security check, reminded not to forget the luggage trolley.
10:30 PM
Shanghai local and non-local segregation
Nightmare
At this point, the nightmare of the entire journey began.
Because there were too many flights today, there was insufficient preparation for the quarantine buses 🚌
Long wait started ⌛️
12:40 AM
Collected passports for registration.
Waiting and waiting, already very cold in Shanghai at midnight.
Fortunately, a friend from the National University of Singapore had bought a set of warm clothes for Little Wizard.
Wearing warm clothes, Little Wizard fell asleep while standing.
2:33 AM
Waiting, boarding the bus, the staff reminded that passports would be returned at the hotel.
Rocked on the bus, got on the highway.
Fell asleep again while enjoying the warm air.
Got off the highway, the bus stopped, wakes up and realizes that we had to wait for thousands of red lights even at midnight.
Go and stop, agonizing.
Because the quarantine hotel is randomly assigned, some are good and expensive, while others are cheap.
But at this point, Little Wizard didn’t care about saving money anymore, and just wanted a better hotel.
Please, give me a better hotel quickly 🏨
International Spa Center
4:50 AM
Finally arrived at the quarantine hotel.
Looking up, it was a tall building, and by instinct, it seemed like a good hotel.
Checked the map, and it turned out to be a 5-star hotel as expected.
International Spa Center in Shanghai
Feeling delighted
Bad luck turned good
But still couldn’t get off the bus
Had to wait until the passengers on several buses in front finished checking in.
5:50 AM
Finally, got off the bus.
Passport and ID registration.
- Hotel costs 350 RMB per day, various payment methods like Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay.
- Meals cost 100 RMB per day, but it’s not provided by the hotel, instead, it’s outsourced boxed meals.
- Can also order take-out, delivered at 12:00 and around 6:00.
- Can only receive packages, cannot send them out.
- Temperature will be taken twice a day.
- Seal the garbage bag and put it outside the door, and the staff wearing full protective suits will clean it regularly.
Check-in
6:10 AM
And thus, Little Wizard began the 14-day quarantine life.
Previously, Mom was worried that Little Wizard would get bored without being able to go out.
However, Little Wizard was already a homebody, and now legally didn’t have to see people, which made them very happy.
Besides, this place seems like the M Hotel where they stayed on their first trip to Singapore.
14-Day Quarantine
Of course, during the quarantine period, one cannot let their guard down.
Compared to tourists from the same country who have double negative certificates all the way,
in quarantine hotels, you might encounter people from various countries.
- For example, on December 20th, there were 13 people who checked in for quarantine were diagnosed with COVID-19.
- There was also a case where a person got sick on the 16th day after completing the 14-day quarantine.
- Beijing has a 14+7 medical observation period.
- The new strain of the coronavirus in the UK has a 70% increased transmissibility.
- …
Therefore, on one hand, open the windows 🪟 to ensure air circulation and reduce virus concentration.
On the other hand, wash hands 🧽 frequently, avoid touching eyes and nose 👀👃, and wear masks 😷 properly.
Translated by gpt-3.5-turbo