As travelers return to China, facing a 14-day quarantine may be inevitable as the list of countries affected by COVID-19 grows each day. Although it’s not entirely clear if one can expect a centralized government quarantine or home quarantine, we spoke to *Samantha and her partner who have just completed a two-week quarantine at a government facility.
Her story was recently documented in The Guardian, with Samantha unfortunately traveling back to Shenzhen on the same ferry as a man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on February 29. At the quarantine facility, temperature checks were conducted twice daily at 7am and 7pm, in addition to throat, nose or blood tests once a day. Lastly, deliveries were allowed, but only at certain times of the day. Below, Samantha shares with us her quarantine essentials to pack – although hopefully you won’t find yourself in this situation.
A mug
Tea or coffee
Cutlery, dish soap, sponges
Plate, bowl, small chopping board, sharp knife (assuming you are going to prepare some of your own food – if Samantha hadn’t, she wouldn’t have eaten any fruit or non-oily over-cooked vegetables for the past two weeks)
Chocolate, snacks, etc.
An HDMI cable, to watch shows and movies on your laptop via the TV screen (the internet was decent)
Extension cord/multi adapter
Entertainment (laptop, tablet, PlayStation, etc.)
A speaker
Yoga mat
Skipping rope
Vitamin pills
Books, notepad, etc.
Comfy lounging clothes, enough for 14 days (no laundry available)
Don’t bother bringing shoes, you won’t wear them
If you have a cooler box or mini fridge, Samantha recommends bring it
Bring all your toiletries, there wasn’t anything except bars of soap
Samantha suggests bringing some ibuprofen. She got quite a few headaches while quarantined – probably from stress and lack of fresh air
If possible, bring a small fan. Samantha and her boyfriend were not allowed to use AC
Non-perishable food items that Samantha enjoyed: peanut butter and jam, crackers, tortillas, canned tuna, sweet corn, mayo, raisins, nuts
Quarantine quarters, a hotel room in Longhua, Shenzhen. Image courtesy of Samantha
The snack corner – Samantha’s company managed to provide most of the food pictured, plus the cooler and fan. Image courtesy of Samantha
Daily meals provided in quarantine; pictured on the left is a typical breakfast box and on the right a typical lunch or dinner meal. Image courtesy of Samantha
Some of Samantha’s essentials. Image courtesy of Samantha
Have any other items you consider quarantine essentials? Let us know in the comments below. Remember, continue exercising proper hygiene at this time and stay safe.
*Name has been changed for privacy reasons.
[Cover image courtesy of Samantha]
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