Here we go again. After a far-too-short trip to the US, The New Griswolds are back in Hong Kong. Which means, due to Hong Kong having the toughest COVID restrictions in the world, we are back in quarantine…for 3 weeks!
This is our 7th time spending some part of vacation in isolation. This time we will spend 21 days locked in a hotel room. A tiny hotel room. Ugh.
Even before we boarded the plane, we had to adhere to Hong Kong’s strict rules. We needed a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure. And, we had to have a copy of the clinic’s certification to carry with us. We needed our vaccine records and proof of hotel reservations for the entire quarantine period.
Our re-entry went fairly well. There was one pre-boarding issue with our hotel reservation not matching the dates of our actual arrival (thanks to Cathay Pacific cancelling and rescheduling our flight), but we got that worked out on got on the plane. Whew!
Once we arrived in Hong Kong, we went through a series of steps for re-entry, AKA wait in many lines. proof of vaccination, COVID test on arrival, quarantine orders, wait for test results (in a freezing room with a less-than-appetizing sandwich), disinfection of luggage, wait for shuttle bus. We spent 5 hours in lines showing our proof of vaccination, US COVID tests results, getting our COVID tests on arrival, receiving our quarantine orders, waiting for our HK COVID results (in a freezing room with a less-than-appetizing sandwich), retrieving our baggage, awaiting our bus to our hotel, and getting checked in.
We got settled into our tiny adjoining rooms. They have a decent view, but not much else.
The rest of the day was spent sleeping, getting settled, sleeping, eating and sleeping. Over 24 hours of travel plus jet lag is rough, but sleep was a welcome break from staring at the 4 walls.
Last time we arrived in Hong Kong, we spent 14 days in quarantine. This time, we have 21 glorious days of togetherness.
Let’s hope we all make it out with some semblance of sanity intact.
The New Griswolds 