We made it!

After a 19-hour flight from San Francisco to Shanghai, plus a four-hour wait in the airport, followed by another hour of traveling, and then another two hours of waiting at the quarantine hotel to be registered, our family made it to the room where we would exist for the next ten days. Why ten and not seven? I’ll explain later.

As you go on to read my true quarantine story, do keep in mind how everyone’s quarantine experience can vary a lot. This is due to an odd top-down administrative choice to randomly assign quarantine hotels to travelers flying into China, which applies to both locals and foreigners from what I’ve seen. This air of mystery is probably what confounds the entire experience and makes it so frustrating, especially for families.

5 Things I Learned About Centralized Quarantine in 2022’s China

1. Paperwork, Schmaperwork

Seven days before even setting foot in China, we were told to opt for self-quarantine in the city of our departing flight. Full disclosure: We didn’t. We didn’t go partying around town, but we certainly made the most of our remaining days of freedom. And then 48 hours before our flight, we proceeded to a designated facility to perform a NAT or PCR test. *Warning: This is a nose swab variety and deeply unpleasant. This test was repeated at the same facility 24 hours later, and the results were sent to our email later that day. We printed this out, as well as our vaccination certificates (from China) and Health Declaration and Travel Declaration Forms detailing every city we visited while on vacation.

As Linkin Park put it so eloquently, in the end, it doesn’t even matter.

After we arrived in Shanghai, we scanned at least three QR codes, which led to a different form each time that we had to fill out to generate yet another QR code, which was required to pass each checkpoint in the airport. No one asked to see our small mountain of paperwork at all. What a waste of trees.

One of many QR codes you’ll have to scan

2. NAT NAT NAT

We did a NAT (Nucleic Acid Test) on-site at the airport. This was of the throat swab variety, which I had always preferred, until this deep-throat version that made all of us gag. Later, we would do another NAT on-site at the designated quarantine hotel. And then every other day during quarantine.

3. The Waiting Place

I had over three hours for Dr. Seuss’ words to echo in my head as we stood in line that night. One of the longer waits was the usual airport customs clearance line. Fun discovery: As we stood in the line for foreign passports, a customs officer tempted me with a shorter queue when he found out that I bore a non-US foreign passport (Singapore).

No more pee places for a while after this point

Make sure you pee in the airport before you claim your baggage, because after that there isn’t an easily-accessible toilet until after you get assigned your mystery quarantine hotel, and that wait was over three hours long for us. Some details to this vague process: You will get grouped into different sections following a letter of the alphabet – our family ended up in section F. I would like to emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether you stand at the front of the queue here, as every person in the group will need to be registered before we can all move on to, you guessed it, yet another waiting place – this time for the shuttle bus to bring us to the hotel.

4. Answering the Million Dollar Question: Do They Split Up Families?

In our case, yes. Once we got to the hotel, we were told that each adult gets a room. This meant that even if you are a family of two adults + one kid, they would want to split the family up into one adult + one kid in one room, and the other adult in another room. Now pay attention: This can be avoided if one of the adults has a medical condition that requires medical attention. This can be proven by prescription medication in your possession (Excedrin doesn’t count) or a doctor’s note or prescription. Be courteous as you make your request, no matter how exhausted you are and how justified you feel about your right to stay together as a family because that really helps your case.

5. What’s it really like? 

We were intensely relieved when our shuttle bus pulled up to a JW Marriott hotel, even as I noticed that it was fenced off entirely, and as we were processed for registration inside a shipping container-turned makeshift office at the service entrance of the building. This wait was hours long again and resembled that scene in movies where people are shoving to go first to escape the zombie virus outbreak, except this time they all brought their luggage with them.

As I stood at the back of the line and watched one boy, close to my own child’s age, perched unsteadily on top of his father’s luggage, his eyes heavy with sleep and fatigue, I wished they would have prioritized those of us with young children. But we were lucky that a couple of the 大白 running around in hazmat suits did try to help process us faster, and some even helped us with our luggage. I can’t promise the same of everyone you will encounter through this process, but I thank the universe for sending me little acts of kindness that kept my faith in humanity alive.

After I managed to convince the registration staff that my migraines were debilitating enough to require my family to stay together in one room, we were subjected to another NAT before finally heading to our room. We secured a luggage trolley for our 10+ pieces of luggage and were again kindly assisted by the 大白 who saw us to our room. The hotel was eerily quiet, but it was after midnight at this point. A short coffee table sat outside each room door – the landing pad for our meals and any other things we might need during our “stay.”

The room itself was dusty and the linoleum they had hastily installed over the carpet kept wrinkling no matter which direction we pulled it in. There was dirt and hair in the shower, and even though we had been thrilled to see a bathtub in the bathroom at first, we quickly discovered it did not have a plug to stop the water from flowing. Our hopes of enjoying a bath went down the drain, literally. After I begged for a vacuum cleaner and rigorously performed the housekeeping the room sorely needed, it began to shape up into a pretty nice place.

Ah yes, why ten days instead of seven? Well, the rule is for seven days in centralized quarantine, with an additional three in your own domicile in the arriving city. But since our domicile is in Beijing, we had to stay all ten days in this quarantine hotel (especially since they told us that nobody else would take us for the last three days). Truth be told, we had been ready for 21 days of quarantine when we first left the country, so ten days is totally doable, right?

Stay tuned to see if I maintain my sanity over the next few days in quarantine!

KEEP READING: Quarantined One Day After Giving Birth To Baby; New Mom Tells It All

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

Spending 14 days quarantined in a hotel room isn’t easy for anyone. For those with kids, it’s even more stressful to be spending so much time in a confined space. But, at least for now, that’s the reality for any foreign family returning to Beijing.

Beijing mom, Mimmie, shares her experience of not only spending 14 days in quarantine with her kids Clara (age 9), Molly (age 10), and Dennis (age 7), but also celebrating her daughter’s birthday in the confines of a hotel room. If there’s one thing for the kids to look forward to after leaving the hotel, it’s going home and seeing their dog Cooper again.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your family.

We are a family of five from Sweden. We have lived in Beijing for four years, thanks to my husband Jonas’ work at Scania. Before China, we lived in Sweden for two years, and the US for three years.

Where did you guys fly back from and what prompted your family to return to Beijing?

We flew in from Thailand. We were there for eight weeks, due to the Coronavirus situation in China.
As the situation in Thailand was getting more critical each day, we decided to return to China on March 28, but all flights were full that day so we had to leave on March 26. Knowing what we know now, that borders would close, we were very lucky to get on the 26th flight.

How many days have you been in quarantine (at time of interview)?

We got here on the 26th, so this is our fifth day, nine to go!

What’s an average day like for your family right now?

We eat breakfast, try to do some e-learning but the WiFi is very poor, so we can’t access everything we need, nor can we watch the instruction videos. Then we eat lunch, we play cards, watch movies, paint, and make up games. Then it’s dinner time, and then we shower and put on music and dance and sing loud. Our favorites right now are all the Coronavirus covers. Night time is the best time of the day when we can cross out one more day.

Is it better or worse than what you had expected?

We were expecting to do our quarantine at home, due to the children. In that perspective, it is worse, but the hotel is nice and clean. It opened just a few months ago. We have two connecting rooms and two bathrooms, big TVs with some Western channels, and food is getting better every day. The first few days were only Chinese food, but now they are bringing us a bigger variety of food. Today, we had mushroom soup, pasta bolognese, and fruit.

Your daughter Clara is celebrating her 9th birthday soon. How did she take the news that she’ll be spending her birthday in quarantine?

Clara was bummed when she realized her birthday will be in the hotel, but I brought balloons and decorations. I have tried to order a cake, we will see if it gets here, and perhaps we arrange a Zoom party for her (if we can get the WiFi to work).

What has been the most difficult thing for you during this time?

I think it has been most difficult for my husband Jonas, as he is not with us and he worries about us. He is supporting us as much as he can, and still has multiple people involved trying to get us a home quarantine. With help from someone he knows in Zhengzhou he managed for us to receive a big care package with drinks, fruits, and snacks.

What has been the biggest challenge for your family in quarantine?

The biggest challenge is that we can’t open any windows, so no fresh air for 14 days. The air conditioner is turned off so the germs can’t spread between the rooms, so on sunny days, it gets very hot in the room.

Another challenge is that the kids are unable to play and move around as they are used to. Clara has ADHD, so for her, this situation is extra challenging, as it is very important for her to be able to move a lot so she can focus and sleep well.

What are you looking forward to the most after you leave the hotel?

My husband, our dog, and fresh air!!! Also friends, wine and a visit to the hairdresser.

Are there any unexpected lessons you’ve learned during this time?

That we are stronger than we think, especially my kids. They have been so good with the whole situation. They are the ones keeping me strong, and when I break into tears they are telling me that everything will be fine. I am sorry for the kids having to quarantine in a hotel, but I am happy I have them here with me, as the days pass more quickly.

For families in a similar situation, do you have any hacks to make quarantine fun?

If you know you are going into quarantine, prepare and pack well. Tons of snacks, food, games, balls, toys, pens, and essentials, knife and fork, detergents, scissors, extensions cords, multiple chargers. If possible, your own WiFi device.

Once you are in quarantine, make a schedule each day so kids know what will happen, and what to look forward to. I have removed some of the rules we have at home, as nagging in a small place gets old very quickly.

Photos: Courtesy of Mimmie

No matter you are planning to come back to Beijing, or already on the way back, anxieties, frustrations, and concerns about having to stay in designated hotels are mounting. If you or your friends are in any group chat with expats, you will have likely seen the question, “Does anyone know what staying in those hotels are like?”, and if you are still abroad, are probably thinking the same thing.

As more information stream in from various people’s experience about staying in these hotels, one common thread that we often see is the undeniable fact that knowing some Chinese will make your experience much easier. So to help you be as comfortable as possible under these circumstances, here are some words and phrases to make your mandatory hotel quarantine bearable.

Before you reach your hotel

The Civil Aviation Administration of China just announced on Mar 22, that starting from 00:00 on Mar 23, Beijing Time, all international passenger flights bound for Beijing will be diverted to the following twelve (12) designated first points of entry: Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Shanghai Pudong, Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhengzhou and Xi’an. After you arrive in the airport, it is better to be mentally prepare for the unknown, especially for where (which hotel) you will stay for the 14 days quarantine.

Hi, do you know which hotels I can choose?
你好，请问我可以选择有哪些酒店？Nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn wǒ kěyǐ xuǎnzé nǎxiē jiǔdiàn?

Can I stay in a hotel near Chaoyang District?
我能呆在朝阳区的酒店吗？Wǒ néng dāizài cháoyáng qū de jiǔdiàn mā?

Can you tell me how much is the hotel per night? 
你能告诉我这个酒店多少钱一个晚上吗？Nǐ néng gàosù wǒ zhègè jiǔdiàn duōshǎo qián yígè wǎnshàng mā?

Should I pay for all the fee at once, or can I pay the room day by day?
我需要一次性付完全款，还是说可以按天结算？Wǒ xūyào yícìxìng fùwán quánkuǎn, háishì shuō kěyǐ àntiān jiésuàn?

Are three meals included?
包含三餐吗？Bāohán sāncān ma?

Can I order food or any deliver things to this hotel?
我可以点食物或其他任何外卖吗？Wǒ kěyǐ diǎn shíwù huò qítā rénhé wàimài ma?

When you check in

When you check in, the hotel staff will ask you to fill some documents. You will need to prepare your name, passport number, nationality, the original place you live in Beijing, job information, and flight information. They might ask more information, so prepare for that too.

My name is  _______ .
我的名字是  _______ 。Wǒ de míngzì shì  _______ . 

I’m from  _______ .
我是 _______ 国人。Wǒ shì  _______ guó rén.

My passport number is  _______ .
我的护照号码是  _______ 。Wǒ de hùzhào hàomǎ shì  _______ . 

My flight number is _______ 。Wǒ de hùzhào hàomǎ shì  _______ . 
我的航班号码是 _______ 。Wǒ de hángbān hàomǎ shì  _______ . 

I flew out of _______ , had transition in _______, and arrived in Beijing.
我从_______飞到_______转机，然后到达_______。Wǒ cóng  _______ fēiào _______zhuǎnjī, ránhòu dàodá _______. 

My phone number is _______ .
我的电话号码是  _______ 。Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì  _______ . 

When can I finish my quarantine and leave the hotel?
请问我什么时候可以结束隔离并离开酒店？Qǐngwèn wǒ shénmē shíhòu kěyǐ jiéshù bìng líkāi?

During your stay

Usually you are allowed to order daily necessities online, such as vegetables, fruits, hygiene products, and etc. However, in most of hotels they don’t allow meals to be delivered for safety reasons. In some places they even provide access to a hotline for mental health and well-being. So far I heard the hotel staff are usually really friendly and cordial to people under quarantine. So don’t worry too much, rest well and stay safe!

(Call the reception) Hello, my name is  _______, and my room number is  _______.
（打电话给前台）你好，我的名字是，我的房间号码是_______. Nǐ hǎo, wǒ de míngzì shì  _______, wǒde fángjiān hàomà shì _______.

It’s a little bit cold in the room, could I have an extra blanket?
房间有点冷，我能要一床被子吗？Fángjiān yǒudiǎn lěng, wǒ néng yào yíchuáng bèizǐ ma?

I’m running out of trash bags, can I have more?
我的垃圾袋快用完了，能再给我一些吗？Wǒ de lājī dài yòngwán le, néng zài gěi wǒ yíxiē mā？

I ordered some snacks and the delivery guy is here, can you help bring it to me?
我点了一些零食，快递人员到了，你能帮我取一下吗？Wǒ diǎn le yìxiē língshí, kuàidì rényuán dàole, nǐ néng bāng wǒ qǔ yìxià mā?

Photo: Wendy Xu