What It’s Like to Be Quarantined in Singapore

My quarantine experience in Singapore.

I left Singapore for the Philippines on January 1st of 2020, the time when Covid-19 was unknown.

By March of 2020, covid-19 was almost everywhere and shut down many flights. I could not go back to Singapore before March as I wasn’t ready with my apartment renovation in the Philippines due to repeated tremors of an earthquake that attacked the Southern part of the Philippines in October of 2019.

Special For Singaporean and Singapore Residents

Finally, certain flights entering Singapore were available from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Following certain rules before entering the flights and I was then facing the Singapore Custom officer inside the Changi Airport arrival area. Everyone was fully covered with face masks and white plastic medical gloves. Some were wearing plastic coverings. It looked like I was in a movie of Zombie Land.

I was asked if I can be quarantined in my own home. There were people in my residence, so it was impossible to stay with other people when you need to be isolated.

It was like a minute of checking my passport as before you enter Singapore, you need to inform the customs officers three days earlier. The next minute, I saw my luggage in the vehicle. The other two people were getting inside the vehicle with me, all from the same flight.

No one is talking, and none of us know where we’re heading to which hotel. I prepared myself of getting a low-class hotel as I know this quarantine will be fully paid for by Singapore as I left Singapore before the Covid-19 hit the country.

We checked in at the Singapore Hyatt Hotel. One of the finest hotels in Singapore. I said to my inner self, “Oh! Thank God”

Guided directly to the room and was told not to go out from now on. Anything that I would need, I will have to use the phone.

As I entered my room, it was huge, with a nice window view that I could see other buildings and some people walking along the Orchard Road area. I was on the 11th floor of Hyatt Hotel.

• The room filled with extra towels.
• Loads of toiletries.
• Boxes of water bottles.
• Some snacks on the minibar.
• Instant Coffee and Teabags
• Huge comfortable bed.
• Big bathtub with all the scent of relaxation as I can remember.
• Separate shower room.
• Separate Toilet
• Big TV monitor on the wall.
• Telephone next to the toilet seat, on the bedside, and on the office table.
• Everything you need to work with computers like extra suckets was available. Office-ready environment.

Foods Packed With Styrofoam

Here comes my first meal. The “restaurant” has called for what meal from the menu you order. The food menu in the room has the varieties to choose from. My first ordered meal was Grilled Barramundi with rice.

Food arrived packed with Styrofoam — Classic! What? Yes, the entire meal was pack in a lunch plastic box to avoid contamination, the reception explained.

The food was placed on the chair by the front door of the hotel room.

The hotel staff would usually place anything that is coming into the room and ring the bell. I was supposed to give them a minute to disappear before opening the door.

I used to get three meals a day, plus snacking in between. You never go hungry. When you want to order other things like wine and other types of food that are not on the menu list, you will be given in a plastic box and plastic glass, but you have to pay accordingly.

And one very important rule, “NOTHING COMES OUT FROM THE ROOM,” only coming in.

On the 3rd day of the quarantine, I was pissed off that the food arrived cold and filthy. I called the reception and made a complaint that I am not a pig. That even if the food was delivered in a plastic box, at least it should look clean and not look filthy.

The in-charge was apologetic, and the following evening, I had a large fruit plate with an apology note. From there onwards, food always arrived warm.

How the Singapore Checks if You Are Following Quarantine Rules?

Every day, men or women were coming to the door, one standing near the door and 2 from the opposite room where they rolled their eyes inside the room.

Between 9 to 11 in the morning, I would receive a phone call followed by a video call to view my room if I was inside the room and not somewhere else.

One more video call in the afternoon as well and every single day. On top of these videos and phone calls, there was a text message on your phone with a link that you have to click to prove your presence in the room.

On the 10th day of the quarantine, I was informed that a pickup would be coming that morning to bring me for a PCR test. The test was free too.

Why Was the Quarantine Free of Charge?

As a resident of Singapore and left before the outbreak of covid-19, I was given free-of-charge quarantine. I came back and entered Singapore before the end of August 2020.

This quarantine could have cost me around Singapore dollars $2000 plus maybe the cost of PCR test. Today, for everyone entering Singapore, you will need to pay the cost of quarantine in advance via online services.

Have you been into quarantine? Let me read your story.

Thank you for reading.

If you want to read more, you may check out the following articles of mine.

• 9 Booming Home Business Ideas In the Philippines Today
• Walk With Me to this Empty Street of Davao City During Lockdown
• Springtime — These are the Colours Of Many Flowers in Austria

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