I flew into Sydney on 2nd November from overseas, one day after restrictions were lifted for fully vaccinated international arrivals entering NSW and Victoria. As a South Australian resident I had to quarantine in Sydney before taking the connecting flight home. The Sydney quarantine experience was interesting as well as revealing about oneself.
Background on States’ health prerogative
Each state had its own set of protocols and restrictions. Arguably Western Australia followed by South Australia had the toughest entry controls and their number of deaths showed it.
Initially the focus was to shut down transmission aggressively and expectation was for a few months, maybe 6 months. Then life as it we previously knew it would return. It was not to be.
The transmission continued, fuelled by the aggressive Delta variant.
Thankfully vaccines came out by the end of 2020 and a new strategy was possible. The challenge was to immunise the population as much and as fast as possible and lift some controls.
80% vaccination rate of the eligible population became the magic numbers across the states. NSW and Victoria achieved it by October. SA and others were following closely behind.
NSW and Victoria dilemma
NSW and Victoria however faced a new dilemma from Nov 1. The other states would not admit anyone who had not done quarantine even if they were double vaccinated. Here is the Federal Government Guide at the time of writing.
These States required quarantine even for those double vaccinated and controlled entry thru a mechanism called Health exemption certificates or permit or a waiver. And these were dependent on where you came from.
NSW Health and NSW Police made an exception for me . Quarantine was granted in NSW despite having double vaccination. I knew it took up their limited resources and time and was appreciative of it. The process took a while to complete as they had to escalate it up the chain.
The Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney
I boarded a bus to my designated quarantine hotel, the Sofitel Wentworth in the heart of the city. And so began my quarantine experience.
A NSW Police Sgt entered the bus on arrival at the hotel and did a short brief on what one can and cannot do. The key message is that you cannot leave your room for the next 14 days. After his briefing Australian Defence Force personnel took our baggage and led us thru the various check-in stations.
First stop was a nurses’ station enquiring about heath issues and any medical symptoms that I had. I had none so it was a quick pass.
Hotel registration was the next station. This was done in a minute flat. They recorded my passport details and asked if I had any the special dietary requirements. Again I had none.
Help from the Air Force
Ms McNeil from the AirForce who led me from the bus and thru the 2 stations then led me to NSW Police desk. I had to hand over a completed form with my details. The form was provided at the Airport just before boarding the bus.
I was then led to the elevator and all the way to my room. It dawned on me that she will be last person I would see for quite a while.
I was impressed by the highly organised and clockwork like steps and the speed. The important roles played by Health, Police and Defence Forces were deeply appreciated. The quarantine experience was heading in the right direction so far.
Hotel and Health Instructions
The room was on the 10th floor and had a sealed window. So this was my place of residence for the next 14 days. I wondered how I was going to do it confined. There was private security on the floor facing the lifts to monitor anyone leaving their rooms.
The hotel provided a 4 page detailed guide on everything. The guide covered setting up Netflix via chrome cast to links to the 2 big boys of supermarkets to order extras one needed such as toiletries, refreshments and fruits. One could also order meals from the outside. Let me say that Doordash and Uber Eats had starring roles. There was one condition tough. Alcohol was limited to one wine bottle or 3 beers per person per day.
NSW health had their set of instructions and information, these were helpful and reassuring.
One clear instruction was to wait 30 seconds after knock on the door. It was to allow the meal delivery staff to pass. You had to don your mask and then open the door to pick up your food parcel left on the floor.
Not once did I have a glimpse of the person that did the delivery. Clearly the staff knew what to do. This protocol was to avoid lingering droplets from the nose and mouth.
Nurses and testing
Nurses who did the testing were the only human beings we saw and spoke to during the 14 days. They did the test on day 2, day 7 and day 12.
Decked in PPE gear, you were asked to put your back against the opened door. I guess it was to stop you moving back as they inserted the swab in your mouth and nostrils.
There was also the regular calls to the room by the duty nurse to check if you had any symptoms, if you felt stressed out and if you needed any information. The calls too were appreciated.
The meal and housekeeping protocol
The 3 meals each day became central to my existence. I am not talking about hunger.
The whole process from the door knock, delivery of food parcels, consumption and the disposal of containers became a welcome routine. It broke the boredom of confinement. The entire quarantine experience I felt was marked by this. This was something to look forward to. I never expected it but it was helpful for my sanity.
The meals were decent and more than sufficient. Variety and an element of surprise each and every time. It ranged from Western to Asian. Quiche is the only thing I was not keen on and thankfully it only appeared twice. Everything from containers to cutlery were disposable for hygiene reasons
Refuse collection was done twice a day, one starting at 2pm and another at 7pm. Instruction was given to bag it in the plastic liners provided and leave it just outside the door.
The bed linen and change of towels were done every 7 days. They would leave the new set outside and you did the change and placed the old set out in the same bags that the new set came in.
Entertainment
I had TV, Netflix and my PC. I also had my Kindle for which I downloaded 3 books during my quarantine experience. The ebooks helped late at night Most of the day however were spent surfing the net, emails and WhatsApp to family and friends and getting quotes from vendors for some home improvements.
The Hotel staff chipped in by having a Zoom Bingo session and a Zoom trivia session during my stay. These were done once per week. There was one day where we were treated to a live Soul music concert for 2 hours on the courtyard. The design of the hotel was semi circular and allowed the rooms facing the courtyard to have a view.
I did plan for one piece of entertainment long before my arrival into Australia. Squid Games! I wanted to hold on watching it until I went into quarantine. It certainly helped in the first week. The fact that it did not fall in the normal movie genre helped with the suspense. It was a combination of a thriller, base human instincts and flaws wrapped around childhood games. It was original.
In view of number of days involved, I decided to test the Dooradash and the Uber Eats apps.
I would place orders and try out meals around Sydney CBD. I will do a separate post on the outcome of Doordash vs Uber Eats challenge. There are some interesting observations out of it at least for me.
The final stage
On day 13, I was assessed by a medical doctor at the doorway and received my health clearance certificate. I had also cleared the day 12 PCR test. The NSW Police Officer who accompanied the doctor then proceeded to issue a clearance certificate to confirm my quarantine completion. I however could not be released until 4pm the following day.
The last flight to Adelaide was too close and I had to remain for another day. NSW Health then issued me a separate document to state that I would be released on Day 15 at 6.30am to catch the first flight to Adelaide. This was to assure the South Australian authorities that I was released to catch my flight and not wander around NSW and break the quarantine status.
On 23rd November I received via email my invoice from NSW Revenue Service for the payment of the quarantine fees, 7 days after completion. I promptly paid out the $3,000 bill.
Overall I thought the NSW authorities and ADF did a sterling job. Sofitel did its best to feed and entertain us. Staying isolated was tough. The things that helped the most were the internet, ebooks and keeping in daily contact with family and friends. And dare I say Netflix.