Have faith, don’t panic: lessons on surviving quarantine in the coronavirus era from two who endured 14-day isolation
- Tech professional Saurabh Datta binge-watched TV in a Beijing hotel and thought of things he would do afterwards. His advice: ‘Co-operate with the situation’
- Fashion influencer Declan Chan chronicled his time at home in Hong Kong wearing a smart bracelet on social media. His advice: ‘Have faith this will end’
Saurabh Datta, a Beijing resident, was ordered into quarantine when he landed in the Chinese capital on March 1 after a trip to Thailand and Germany with a stopover in Moscow. He and his fellow passengers were stopped from leaving their plane, as some on board had come from areas in which the coronavirus pandemic had spread quickly, including Iran and Italy. “People came on in hazmat suits,” the 28-year-old recalls.
Datta found the initial days of his quarantine difficult at the first location: a designated hotel. He does not know why, but he was relocated twice to other hotels.
“Every day a major portion of my time was involved in updating my friends and family and doing a lot of remote work,” says Datta. Being productive helped, he says.
Visitors to Datta’s room were prohibited, but friends and colleagues brought items he requested to the hotel: a laptop, hand sanitiser, Dettol soap, vitamin C supplements, chocolate, wine, plus underwear from Uniqlo. Occasionally people in hazmat garb tested him, but the results were negative.
