This post is a continuation of Part 1 of this blog series.
Day 1 at Quarantine Center (Registration)
Upon arrival, it’s already 6 p.m. Due to the crowd, slow processes, and possibly lack of supporting personnel at the quarantine center, it took almost 2 hours to complete the registration and evaluation. After that, another 30 minutes waiting time before we boarded a minibus that took us to our living hall.
Just 3 minutes on the minibus ride, we arrived at an open basement of a building. There were hundreds of bunk beds, without air-conditioning, just overhead fans. I hesitated for a moment, then the bus driver started calling out names. My name was not called and I felt relieved; I guessed this place was meant for foreign workers. The driver then drove to the next hall, where all females alighted. Lastly, we arrived at an open carpark, with a huge enclosed canopy tent. That’s our living hall.
Day 1 at Quarantine Center (Check-in)
Before we “check-in” to the living hall, the authority inspected our luggage and belongings to ensure no dangerous items or weapons were being brought in. They confiscated my wife’s ceramic mug because it was deemed dangerous; it can be broken and become a sharp object. Anyhow, it gave me some assurance that I will be staying in a rather safe environment for the next 7 days or so.
We were each given a medical band to put on our wrist, and a quick briefing of what to expect of the daily routine here. It’s almost 9 p.m. by then; I settled down quickly and took a quick shower. You won’t believe the place is so frigid, and I shivered against the cold, despite wearing 2 layers of clothes plus a blanket. The first night wasn’t easy, but I still manage to doze off.
Day 2 (AM) at Quarantine Center
It was maybe 6 a.m. when I hear a Muslim call to prayer. I thought to myself “oh well, there goes my sleep”. Then I try to force myself back to sleep; it took me a while. I woke up around 9 a.m., got myself wash up, and prepared for breakfast. By the time I finished my breakfast, the officer started making announcements for us to perform medical assessments.
They check my blood pressure, heart/pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood oxygen, and sit-to-stand test. Everything was normal per the doctor’s consultation. I went back to my bed, rest awhile, and started exploring the living hall. From the size of the hall, I guessed it’s around 2 basketball courts; and a rough calculation of around 180 beds.
There are two “lounges” for people to gather and talk at the center of the hall, one with a flat-screen TV (comes with Netflix!) and another without. Surrounding the hall, there are also six charging stations, with a lot of power sockets for people to charge their laptop, handphone, power bank, etc. Behind the hall is the air-conditioning powerhouse, producing I guess 4x 10HP of cooling capacity; you could imagine how noisy it is. It’s not that chill during the day; the temperature drops only after 6 p.m.
Day 2 (PM) at Quarantine Center
I started to wonder how to kill time here. Mobile games would take up a portion of my daily time. I brought a book to read, perhaps I could finish it within a few days. The remaining time would be medical assessments, phone calls/chats, Netflix, meals, work-out (yeah what you think), shower, and pangsai – not bad right?
My “neighbor” was a dark-skin, skinny-looking, 30-ish young chap. I spoke to him and found out he got infected from a kilang (factory) at Klang. He told me not everyone at the factory got it, perhaps it’s a small cluster. He was here since a few days ago, and can’t wait to get back to work; because he would not get paid during the “stay” here.
The “guest” at the hall has no particular majority, in terms of ethnicity, racial and age. There are people in their 60’s, to children less than 10 years old. The Covid-19 virus doesn’t choose who to infect, just like in the movie “Contagion”, “28 weeks later”, and “World War Z”. Look at the barbed wire fence that surrounds the living hall, just in case all of us become zombies…Nah I’m thinking too much.
Continue reading Part 3 of this blog series.