March 16, I arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport and began my quarantine. Quarantine is boring, everything repeats again and again. Get up, stare at the window, play games, eat, take my temperature, and sleep. Time is running away from me. I already finish my quarantine so I wrote this to talk about my own experience.
I was quarantined in Shanghai for 3 days, this time for the nucleic acid examination. We were being locked in a hotel and managers brought us food. We were not allowed to order food online or receive mailed packages. We got 2 vegetables and 2 pieces of meat with every meal except breakfast. I have to say, the food and the hotel were pretty good. Clean and nice. The only thing I hated was the time. The manager knocked our doors 6 times a day and take our temperatures. The room I was in had a big picture window so I could see what’s happening outside. I saw nurses and doctors, and ambulance going back and forth. Watching became my daily job.
Three days later, I was notified that I would be sent back home. We took the bus back to our home by government organizers. Then, I was quarantined in Hangzhou for another 14 days, which was unexpected actually. The manager informed me that I could go home and self-quarantine, then at the last minute he clarified that was a mistake.
The way back to Hangzhou was one of the most horrible experiences I ever had. People, whether adults or even kids, have to go through this. I didn’t get any supplies for more than 20 hours because we have to wait for the departments to check the list of people and get registered in every place the bus passed. Finally, after 29 hours and no sleep, I arrived at a new quarantine center in Hangzhou. It was smaller than the one in Shanghai but still clean.
In Hangzhou, my mom sent me some instant noodles. So I am no longer hungry during midnight class. Managers in here knocked on the door 5 times a day. They provided meat and took my temperature. The food in Hangzhou consists of 3 vegetables and 2 pieces of meat. But most of the food is cold. In the beginning of the quarantine they do not provide any fruits for 6 days and then after that we got an apple or orange per day. So, it was easy for me to survive. I realized that I put too much attention on food, so I paid attention to what was outside. The windows in Hangzhou’s quarantine center are small, but facing the guardhouse. I could see every thing happening in there. Guards were teasing, squabbling, and watching their phones. I recorded them everyday.
Waiting for breakfast, waiting for lunch, waiting for dinner. Take temperature in the morning, take temperature in the afternoon, take temperature in the evening. Those little thing became meaningful, like a ceremony.
On the night of the 13th day, I received a phone call from the manager. A new document was sent. All people who wanted to be released from quarantine required a blood examination report. So I had to stay 2 more days for the blood exam. I was quarantined for a total of 19 days. And now, I am free. This whole process was meaningful and memorable. I write all of this, to record such a historical event. I will never forget it.
Yitian Shao is a sophomore majoring in Photography at the School of Visual Arts.