Quarantine In the Orchard Hotel, Singapore - the pluses and minuses and verdict

 

What will I miss about the Orchard Hotel where I was quarantined for two weeks?

The View

View over Tanglin Road. From the seventh floor.

Food

1 The cakes. Chocolate cakes. Cakes with what I thought was ground almonds.

2 Having food brought to the door. No need to shop, cook or wash up.

3 Lots of chicken and fish.

Bathroom

1 The imitation marble bathroom, so good that I thought it was marble until I saw a repeating pattern.

2 The marble cover of the drain in the shower and under the basin.

3 Instant hot water.

4 Conditioner provided. Not all hotels give conditioner. 

5 Toothbrushes, good ones. 

6 Disposable razors, on request.

7 A small emery board in the vanity kit in the bathroom.

Bedroom

1 Good lighting.

2 The view over Tanglin Road.

3 Light duvets.

4 Confortable mattresses.

What could have improved?

Food

1 More potato, less rice. 

2 Menus which matched the food. 

3  Two plates and bowls. We received a couple of white plates and brown bowls, on request.

4 Discovery Channel or true crime. 

We had a big screen but nothing we found worth watching. No discovering channel. You get better choice on Singapore airlines.

INFORMATION

At first my family thought you could not connect laptops to the screen. I phoned down and was told you could. I never found the right connector.

1 We never managed to link our laptops to the screen.

 A VIDEO GUIDE TO THE ROOM

1 We complained that the fridge was cold.

They had to send somebody to check the fridge was on. The helpful man who called in (him in a mask -us in a mask, standing back) showed us how to leave the built-in furniture door over the fridge door open so the heat from the fridge could escape which kept it colder.   

2 Maybe a guide to what you could see from the window. Landmarks, street names.

What were the lights which went on and off outside, changing colour. Were the lights from part of the hotel lobby, a Xmas tree?

All in all, a good stay. We were sorry to go. (At least I was. Back to home cooking. Like hotel meals, a mixed blessing.)

See next post for photos.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

UK Quarantine and Singapore Quarantine

Angela Lansbury wearing a Singapore mask received by the family in Singapore on Singapore National Day in August.

Before you even get to quarantine in Singapore, you have to sign in and out and wear a mask in most public places and shopping malls and big supermarkets.

In the condo where my family live, the lifts have signs.

If you return to Singapore except for a few countries, most vsitors including Singaporeans have to go into two weeks quarantine, paid for by themselves and booked in advance online before return, and you are escorted directly to the qurantine centre. No choice in where you will go.


Heathrow has sanitiser dispensers everywhere.  You can use sanitiser to wipe down the handle of the luggage trolley.
In the UK in a Tesco supermarket there were signs on the door about safe distancing but nobody checking who was wearing masks. However, a government website tells people to wear masks.

In the UK many older people are self-isolating. The situation is unclear to many people. 

Different.

Useful websites
https://www.gov.sg/article/questions-about-the-dedicated-shn-facilities-for-returnees-answered

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and a speaker and speech trainer.
Her books include:
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Quick Quotations
Writing Poetry For Fun
Angela's Alarming Animal Poems

Pantomime characters, pantomime dames create humour.
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and a speaker and speech trainer.
Her books include:
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Quick Quotations

Writing Poetry For Fun
Angela's Alarming Animal Poems

This blog has many more posts on learning languages and destinations around the world. Please share links to your favourite pages.
See my other blog
https://how2bfunny.blogspot.com/2020/08/why-be-funny-advantages-

What you need to know about quarantine - stories from Singapore

A member of my family recently had lunch with a friend who travels a lot on business and has friends who do, too. On returning to Singapore in August the government helpline told us that on returning to Singapore from overseas we would be taken straight from the airport to be quarantined.

Which hotel? They could not or would not say where. Would we do better if we paid business class? That's a lot of money.

The cost of staying in the hotel is about 2000 Singapore dollars per person for the two weeks. You get to stay in a grand hotel. But you cannot use the swimming pool or the restaurant. You have to stay in your room. You hope it has a good view.

Some couples don't want to be cooped up. They travel on different days. That way they get two different rooms. Maybe even two different hotels.

That doesn't suit me. I would be bored. Lonely. I would rather be with my family.

During that time you can order food and goods to be delivered but neither you nor any goods can leave your room.

Supposing you want particular equipment, which is bulky or heavy, and not required on your trip elsewhere. For example, excercising eqipment susch as skipping ropes and dumb bells.  Or a coffee maker - and the capsules. And a camera for your laptop?

Delivering A Suitcase
We were considering deciding what to take when our friend said: I have lots of friends in quarantine. They leave a suitcase with me and when they come back, I deliver it to their hotel. They can have things delivered to their room. Just nothing is allowed to be sent out of the room.

It is important to label the suitcase twith the name or nickname by which your friend knows you, so he or she can identify the suitcase, especially if it is a black suitcase. You also want your passport name so that the hotel can identify the recipient.

You also might want to photograph the suitccase and list the items. If your friend got sick, died, moved house, went into quarantine, got burgled, couldn't find the case, you might need evidence for an insurance claim or to tell others where to look for your case.

Meanwhile I am weighing myself daily and slowly losing weight, so that when I travel at least I am in the best of health. That at least is under my control.

Costs
You will have to pay 2000 Singapore dollars per person for the 14 day hotel stay.
Plus 200 dollars for a test (presumably on your last day). You also have to pay for your transport to the test, not on public transport.

I hope this helps you, or, if you are stuck at home, provides information and entertainment.

Packing During Covid19
Masks
Empty bottle to refill with hand sanitiser at the other end.
Hand wipes.
Phones for both ends of your trip including numbers for the hsopital, doctor and Covid19 reporting and general covid19 information phone numbers or whatsapp.

Bye for now.

Useful Websites
https://www.gov.sg/article/questions-about-the-dedicated-shn-facilities-for-returnees-answered

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and a speaker and speech trainer.
Her books include:
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Quick Quotations
Writing Poetry For Fun
Angela's Alarming Animal Poems

Pantomime characters, pantomime dames create humour.
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and a speaker and speech trainer.
Her books include:
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Quick Quotations

Writing Poetry For Fun
Angela's Alarming Animal Poems

This blog has many more posts on learning languages and destinations around the world. Please share links to your favourite pages.
See my other blog
https://how2bfunny.blogspot.com/2020/08/why-be-funny-advantages-

Leave of Absence and Quarantine

The American news has reported people talking about self-quarantine and self-isolation. I have read the information from Singapore and my understanding is that the terms are different and precise.

Singapore government websites explain what is the case.

Leave of Absence, stay home from work, avoid crowds, is a precaution when you were in the same area as somebody else. Stay off work and avoid crowds. Precaution. You stay home and can go out very briefly for urgent business, eg walk to your nearby postbox (I would wear gloves) and open it to retrieve bills to pay. But not go on public transport nor to a gym nor a group meeting.

People often use the terms interchangeably. Quarantine is more serious. If you start coughing, you might be told to quarantine while waiting for the result of a test. You stay in a separate bedroom, use a different bathrooms and eat at different times to avoid infecting your nearest and dearest.

Why aren't you in hospital? Because they don't have enough beds, or staff or food and drink for all the people who are only slightly ill. You only go into hospital if you have serious needs, eg a high temperature and need oxygen to help you breathe, or resuscitation.

This is what I understand from a Singapore website. But each country is different and rules change according to the seriousness of the situation, number of cases, and amount of hospital bed space available.

To be sure I have not misunderstood, or misled you, or the information is not up to date, please check government websites for your country and any area of any country you might be visiting.

It is also handy to know the abbreviations in use locally and currently, such as in Singapore in Feb 2020, ML stands for medical leave.

The government is likely to check up on you. For example by phoning or checking where your mobile phone is and which network you are logged onto.

Make sure you know what is required and then follow the rules.

To protect everyone, penalties for not obeying the orders can include fines, imprisonment, hospitalisation, deportation, or not allowing you back into the country.

Photos and False Information
Don't pass on information or photos saying everybody in a group is quarantined or on medical leave until you have checked back with the original sender of the information, or with somebody high up in the government, the health service or your place of work.

LOA leave of absence
ML Medical leave

Useful Websites
Ministry of information for persons sharing with those on medical leave.
https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/default-document-library/advisory-for-individuals-sharing-residential-spaces-with-persons-on-leave-of-absence--

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Coronavirus Update snippet

JAPAN
Two Japanese passengers on Diamond Princess cruise ship now have died from the virus, according to a report in BBC news. I cross check with the Daily Mail. You should read your country's newspapers and other countries' media. If you speak two languages, even better.
 Those already showing signs of illness are to stay in Japan.

SINGAPORE
In other news, a friend in Singapore is worried because two people nearby are in quarantine.

UK and British
Other cruise passengers, British, only those not (yet!) infected, to be flown home.

In the UK burglars are running amok.

Maybe to protect your house you should print signs on every door and window, 'do not enter, quarantine'.

Useful Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51568058#_=_

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.