the grueling quarantine imposed on travelers arriving in China

Even before leaving French soil, we are already a little bit in the mood of the Chinese quarantine. At Roissy airport, the boarding hall for the Tianjin flight was isolated from other destinations. In front of the counter, in the queue, several dozen passengers, almost all Chinese, donned full protective suits of white color. Everyone prepares their sanitary QR code, which is essential to be able to get on the plane. To obtain it, travelers had to undergo a PCR test and a blood test carried out in one of the three Parisian laboratories imposed by the Chinese Embassy in France.

Upon arrival, it is a completely new experience that awaits travelers. After ten hours of flight, the Air France plane lands on the runways of Tianjin airport, the large port city in northeast China, known for its Airbus assembly site and its French concession which ended in 1946. But of all this the passengers will see absolutely nothing. When they get off the plane, a medical circuit lasting nearly four hours will start in a wing of the airport specially reserved for international flights. Everyone in the building wears full body suits from head to toe. The eyes, concealed by heavy goggles, are barely visible. Disinfectant is sprayed into the air. We see the staff constantly using hydroalcoholic gel and at each stage the traveler must submit to a manual temperature measurement or by infrared system.

The organization is military. The travelers are first led into a corridor to undergo two medical examinations: a PCR test, carried out in a rather “muscular” way, and another test in the throat to detect again the possible presence of COVID-19.

The work of Chinese customs officials seems to be monopolized solely by health issues. At no time is the contents of hand baggage checked. To limit contact with agents, customs interrogation takes place remotely via a webcam and only health questions are asked. The treatment is exactly the same whether you are Chinese or a foreign national.

The objective is clearly to keep the traveler in a sanitary bubble, without contact with the local population. In the airport, all shops are closed. “I feel like an outcast, laughs an English national, I see that when I approach an agent, he takes a small step back, but I’m not surprised, I knew what to expect. It’s not mean. “

The group is then invited to board a bus to take the direction of the quarantine hotel. On board, conversations are going well. A Chinese woman explains that she doesn’t mind because she trusts the authorities. The bus takes the highway at very low speed, no more than 40 km / h. Like a dangerous convoy, it is escorted by police cars which have flashing lights on.

The final destination is in the outskirts of Tianjin: a mid-to-low-end hotel that has been requisitioned by the authorities to accommodate the quarantine of international travelers. There the atmosphere is strange. There are no “normal” customers, tourists or vacationers. The entrance lights are off and the reception is closed. The group enters through a back door and lands in a half-dilapidated hallway. After some formalities, direction the 17th floor. The travelers are each taken to their room.

The period of confinement is different depending on the city. In Tianjin, it’s two weeks. The days are long, punctuated by a very strict sanitary protocol. First there are the temperature measurements to be taken six times a day. The results are to be communicated on the conversation group which has been set up specially on the Chinese social network Wechat. Those who forget are systematically called to order. There are also regular tests, PCR and throat, every other day. They are practiced standing in the hallway, in a chain, in fairly dehumanized conditions, even if the nurses are rather sympathetic. Medical staff then walk through the room door to perform an environmental test. Samples are taken in particular on the bed and on the pillow to detect possible traces of Covid-19.

Daily life is gradually being put in place. Many travelers work all day on their computers, like Wusuping, a 36-year-old Chinese woman, who runs a business selling cell phone cases. Back from a long professional stay in Morocco, she maintains that time finally flies very quickly during this quarantine. “I work for my company and it’s okay“, she says.

“This is aimed at allowing the Chinese to live in a virus-free environment. Although this policy limits my freedom, I think it is good.”

Wusuping, Chinese quarantined

to franceinfo

Claire, another 33-year-old Chinese woman, who has just returned from a business trip to Sierra Leone in West Africa, goes in the same direction. Four months pregnant, she explains that these measures are necessary, especially in the run-up to the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 in Beijing. “When you come from outside, you may have been contaminated, so to protect China from this risk, you have to take these kinds of measures.. “

But to endure this confinement, you have to be psychologically sound. This is the case of Lilian, a Frenchman who works in Singapore and who has returned to China to join his family. He has already lived through five forties, which allows him to cope and focus on his job. But the deprivation of freedom of movement remains complicated, even for him. “The feeling that one can have is close to that of a prisoner. And it’s even worse. In prison, you can take the air during walks. There we are in a room, without being able to leave it for two weeks. This is the punishment version in the prison. “

And it is impossible to escape. In the hallway, there are cameras everywhere and if an attempt is made to open the bedroom door, a loud alarm will sound in the building to alert the staff. Even the bedroom windows have been blocked off and it is only possible to open them a few centimeters to get some air.

The other difficulty for Lilian is food. Trays are placed three times a day in front of the bedroom door. The quality of the meals is very average and the menu is often the same. Some quarantine hotels accept food orders over the internet, but this is not the case everywhere. In Tianjin, the ban is formal. Staff explained that this was not in line with sanitary measures.

“For several days now, I can’t touch this food. I can’t look at it anymore. I’ve lost weight, that’s obvious.”

Lilian, French in quarantine

to franceinfo

At the end of the 13 days, it is a trying morning that awaits the residents. On the eve of departure, the program of health tests is reinforced: two PCR tests in each nostril, two other tests in the throat and the novelty, it is an anal test necessarily not very pleasant. Modesty is not the priority. The test is performed on the bedroom bed in the presence of three nurses. The day before, on the quarantine group on the social network Wechat, the residents tried to negotiate by asking for a stool sample instead of the anal test, but they got nothing. Claire, the young Chinese woman evokes a situation “a little embarrassing, but that must be accepted.“

Once the test results are communicated, travelers get, if they are negative, a green QR code that allows them to exit, after paying the meal and hotel expenses. The joy of rediscovering freedom can be read on the faces, at least on certain faces. Because quarantine is not over for everyone.

Those who wish to go to Beijing must undergo a third week of confinement. As the Olympic Games approach, the capital is indeed ultra-protected and the period of isolation must be at least 21 days. Some foreign travelers were not aware of this specificity. No choice, the medical staff invited them to board a bus to go to a new reception facility. Disillusioned but powerless, the group returned to the loneliness of the hotel room and the routine of Chinese quarantine. This is the price to pay to reach the capital and it is not negotiable.