2020.10 Worlds Apart: Quarantine Differences in China and New Zealand

Covid-19 has made 2020 one to remember. For me, the experience of the travel-related quarantine in China and New Zealand has become a special memory. I was quarantined in Shanghai for 14 days before I even started my trip and then again in Christchurch before I went home. I’m grateful to have the chance to experience the differences in quarantine practices of both countries. In some cases, these were marginal. In others; worlds apart. Here are a few you might find interesting!

Destination: Full of doubt vs Crystal clear.

As soon as I arrived at Pudong Airport in Shanghai, I wanted to know which hotel I’d be sent to for quarantine. However, when I asked the airport staff responsible for the allocation, they said they didn’t know. The bus drivers? Same answer.

Almost as if they were told not to tell!

As a result, I sat on a bus with a car full of passengers like me for more than an hour, and it wasn't until we entered into the courtyard of the Shanghai Hotel that I realized this was our final destination.

Shanghai quarantine room and window view

Flying back into Auckland after my trip, a quarantine staff member boarded to inform us that we would be transferring to Christchurch for quarantine because the hotels in Auckland were full. There was an uproar in the cabin, but people soon realized there were nothing they could do.

When the plane landed in Christchurch, I asked a ground staff member which hotel I would be sent to and he immediately told me, ‘Distinction hotel’. Before I got on the bus, I asked a few other staff members, all of whom immediately answered, ‘the Distinction Hotel’. They all knew where we’d be sent and were willing to tell me.

Christchurch quarantine room and window view

The cost: Self paid vs Exempted once

In Shanghai, the 14 day quarantine fee is RMB 7000 yuan, roughly NZ$1500. The Shanghai Hotel is a 4-star hotel, and the fee includes a twin room and three meals a day. I paid in full before leaving the hotel.

In Christchurch, the Distinction Hotel is a 4.5-star hotel. I would have paid NZ$3100, but this time I was fortunately exempted. This was because when I left New Zealand in June, the government hadn’t made it a legal requirement to pay for quarantine.

Smoking: Strictly forbidden vs Allowed with restrictions

Smoking is prohibited when quarantining in Shanghai, whether in rooms or corridors. The rules are clear: don´t leave the room for every one of the 14 days. People addicted to cigarettes were frustrated but could only live with it. But with real addicts, is it so easy to hold back?! Sure enough, the rules went up in smoke and something very much resembling the outlawed substance would often seep its way into my room from the hall…

In New Zealand, the hotel had set up a special outdoor area for smokers. People could go downstairs to the smoke, but only at the allocated hours.

Drinking: Strictly prohibited vs Allowed with restrictions

In Shanghai, drinking alcohol is prohibited during quarantine. Before we began our isolation, the manager stressed that we should never drink. In a Wechat group which included all passengers on a single floor, passengers reported their temperature twice in the morning and evening. Before anything else though, you would often see the admin ask the group a question accompanied with a photo of beer ordered online, “Who bought the beer? All Confiscated!” It seems that some people simply couldn’t help themselves!

In New Zealand, the situation is completely different. Alcohol is allowed in the room during isolation, but with restrictions. One bottle of wine or 6 bottles of beer per person per day – to be exact - but it must be purchased through the hotel. Interestingly, in the days near the end of quarantine, we received promotional advertisements for hotel beer every day. 6 cans of beer for $15 - a great price!

Outdoor Activities: Stay in room vs Restricted outdoor access

The 14-day quarantine in Shanghai requires that people not be able to walk half a step out of the room. The staff who arranged the isolation before check-in said that if you walk out of the room and down the aisle, you can be arrested by Police. In my time there, I behaved in strict accordance with the rules, opening the door only to get the food delivered to the door or courier deliveries.

Shanghai hallway

In New Zealand, our hotel arranged an outdoor area where we could go outdoors, for four periods adding up to 9 and a half hours a day. Although the area is not big, it was outdoors, which made it a blessing! During the 14 days of isolation in Christchurch, I went out jogging for more than half an hour every morning and afternoon. It's a lot more exercise than I normally do, and it felt sublime.

Because I would often go downstairs to work out, I chatted with the guard and came to know him well. By the morning of my departure, he had come to the lobby early to say goodbye. We took a picture, and he even found me on Facebook to add me as a friend!

Christchurch exercise area.

Courier: Ultra-fast vs Very slow.

China’s online shopping and express delivery service tops the world. After I arrived in Shanghai, I couldn’t sleep at night, partly because of a vague toothache. I bought some painkillers online from a pharmacy at around 3am. The pharmacy's delivery commitment was 40 minutes. I left a message saying, ‘no need to send it so soon’ and yet less than 40 minutes later, I received a text message from my courier man, saying that the delivery was on the shelf at the hotel gate. Lightning fast!

New Zealand express delivery service lags far behind China. I ordered some daily necessities, slippers and body wash at a local chain store in New Zealand. A week went by before I received them. The speed of delivery in Chinese stores though, is commendable. At a local Chinese store in Christchurch called Sanso, I bought instant noodles and some other stuff, ordered them in the morning and got the delivery in the same afternoon! It is worth adding that although New Zealand online shopping delivery is slow, food takeaway delivery speed is still relatively fast. My two takeaway orders using Uber Eats in Christchurch - one Chinese food, one McDonald’s - were both delivered within 30 minutes.

Food: Chinese with no choice vs Western with choice

In Shanghai isolation, I chose the hotel set meal arrangements. Overall, I was satisfied. Every day when the time came, someone would ring the doorbell and put the meal down before leaving. Of course, all of it was Chinese food which suits great for me. However, you got the dish you were given. There was zero choice. Every day at the time of the meal, I placed the meal box on the table to open the lid, simply to clarify whether the day’s meal was to be chicken legs or cooked fish. Admittedly, you could also arrange your own meals, call a takeaway or find a family member to prepare three meals a day for you. Later I was glad I chose the hotel meals, because self-organized meals weren’t guaranteed to arrive as punctually.

Meal in Shanghai.

When in New Zealand, I had more of a choice. On the first day of arrival, I was provided with a document that had all 14 day’s meal arrangements. On it, I was asked to make a choice from 3 options for the lunch and dinner of each and every day in the 2 week period.

Meal in Christchurch.

Mask: Not available vs Fifty for free.

While isolated in Shanghai, I was not provided with a mask. There was no need to wear one as I wasn’t allowed out of the room. During isolation in New Zealand, a box of 50 medical masks is provided per person. This was because you are free to move around. The hotel was full of signs that said, "The only place you are allowed not wearing a mask is in your room”.

Satisfaction: Don’t care vs Want to know.

I didn’t have a chance to give formal feedback during the Shanghai isolation. By contrast, the day before I ended quarantine in New Zealand, I received a satisfaction survey. The questions were on the check-in process, facilities, privacy and security, information provided, staff member care, venues, food, etc. I answered each one of them.

In addition to everything mentioned above, there were some other small differences, such as internet speed (Shanghai 1M, New Zealand 30M), cleaning supplies in the room (Shanghai provided disinfectant tablets, New Zealand provided toilet cleaner and dishwashing fluid) and so on.

2020 is completely unique and will leave a lot of memories in its wake. The quarantine I experienced in China and New Zealand, although one-off experiences, are worth pondering and reflecting on – and more than just the quarantine policies! Hopefully this is my only quarantine experience and that when I travel next year, the pandemic will be long gone, and we’ll be without need of one.