Personal experience: due to the coronavirus pandemic, my vacation ended at the hospital

We, engineer Kostya and journalist Katya from St. Petersburg, were going on vacation in March, so in mid-February we bought tickets to Sri Lanka. In total, 56 thousand rubles were spent on round-trip tickets, and they planned to have a rest from 8 to 23 March.

The way to the destination was as follows: St. Petersburg - Moscow - Bahrain - Male - Colombo. The return trip should have been the same. Our flights to and from Sri Lanka were operated by Gulf Air, the flagship airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

They were just beginning to talk about the virus, there was no panic in Russia. In general, the situation was not taken seriously, because only China and the surrounding area were mentioned in the news. We did not have any concerns, despite the emerging alarming agenda. We assumed that the virus would reach the Russian Federation, but we did not think that so quickly.

How we learned about the coronavirus in Sri Lanka

We arrived on March 10th and stayed in the small town of Mirissa on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. We settled in a common cottage with five neighbors. In the first week, there was no bad news, we were resting, sunbathing, surfing and eating fruit. Almost every day we saw turtles, monitor lizards and chipmunks while walking to the beach. We sat in a cafe on the coast. There were buses and tuk-tuk, a supermarket was opened.

On the sixth day of the vacation, we learned that three cases of coronavirus infection were found in Mirissa. Also, our neighbors transmitted rumors that the borders of the country would be closed and we would not be released. It was a little scary at first, but we tried not to give in panic. Our reaction is not to believe speculation and check everything. We didn’t know whether someone was really infected - we didn’t find official information.

The next day, they stopped issuing visas upon arrival in the country, and many had online visas on confirmation. After that, the Sri Lanka border was indeed closed, but only for entry: foreign tourists were no longer allowed into the country. Some cafes began to close from March 14-15, but this did not particularly affect our vacation. We had a favorite place that continued to work, and we went there. There was no fear, just fewer locals on the streets.

How our flight was canceled

The situation in the world was heating up, rumors became more and more. At that moment, many companies began to cancel international flights, our friends switched to remote work, in many countries they introduced a regime self-isolation.

First we wrote in City. Travel, because we bought return tickets for March 23 on their aggregator site. We made a request to find out about a possible cancellation of the flight, but did not find out anything specific from the answer. Then we called, but we were nineteenth on the line, and could not wait for several hours: the call cost 275 rubles per minute.

Next, we turned to the Gulf Air carrier. The company's website indicated that passengers need to follow the schedule, and we will be notified of any changes.

As it turns out later, no one will inform us about the flight cancellation.

On March 19, we called the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka. The staff said that our flight on March 23 is likely to be canceled, as at that time the companies simply stopped operating international flights due to the coronavirus. In order to leave the country, we were offered to buy tickets for Aeroflot, which “will definitely fly”. We asked if we needed to leave our details in case there were difficulties and we could not fly home. Our names "just in case" were reluctantly recorded.

At that time, official sources did not have any information about the measures for the return of Russians from abroad, as well as information about the cancellation of flights. Russian Foreign Ministry statement appearedBriefing of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia M. V. Zakharova, Moscow, March 19, 2020 later, it was given link on the portal "Registration of Russian citizens wishing to return to their homeland."

The Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka reportedInformation for Russian citizens in Sri Lanka and the Maldivesthat the country's authorities do not restrict flights, and that Rossiya Airlines (part of the Aeroflot group of companies) will operate flights from Colombo to Moscow on a schedule from March 20. At the same time, it was pointed out that commercial airlines themselves can decide to cancel flights to Russia: “We recommend contact the representatives of your airline to clarify the issue of the possibility of a flight to Russia on another flight or return money".

In the end, we said goodbye to 60,000 accumulated miles and 43,000 rubles by purchasing tickets from Aeroflot. Miles were saved for 1.5 years, initially they planned to spend them on a trip to Los Angeles. One ticket to Moscow on March 23 cost 37,500 rubles without luggage. That is, without miles, a flight for two would have cost 75,000 rubles.

The flight for which we originally bought tickets was eventually canceled, but we never received any notification of this.

It simply wasn't on the departure board at the airport. Now we turned to the City aggregator company. Travel with a claim to reimburse the cost of tickets.

When did the curfew begin

After the issue with tickets was resolved, we continued to rest - we had two days left before departure. Unfortunately, the rest was not the same as before. In the evening, our neighbors reported that a curfew was imposed on March 20 from 18:00. At this time, you cannot leave the house, and all shops and cafes are closed. We were a little scared that we would have to starve all weekend, but we managed to buy water and some food. By that time, the supermarket and fruit kiosks had already stopped working.

On the first day, we sat at home: cooking, watching films, playing board games, singing songs and dancing. On the second day, they decided to walk to the ocean to say goodbye to him before leaving.

We saw empty roads and a clean beach - as if in an impending apocalypse.

How we returned to Russia

The return flight took the route Colombo - Moscow - St. Petersburg. The mood after unplanned spending on tickets was not very cheerful, but one thing made me happy - we were flying home. We behaved calmly, we entered the airport without masks, because WHO recommendedWHO recommendations for the population in connection with the spread of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) wear them only for those caring for sick and infected people, so as not to spread virus particles during sneezing and coughing.

There was no panic, we did not hear people coughing. The only thing was that there were very few people at the airport compared to when we flew out of Russia on March 9, and there were machine guns with antiseptics for hands.

How were the controls in Moscow

In Sheremetyevo we were not allowed out of the plane for a long time, ordered to remain in our places. Then a medical worker came. "15A - which place is this?" The woman in the mask asked the stewardess. Perhaps they checked especially suspicious passengers who coughed during the flight. We do not know who was sitting there, and did not hear that someone coughed. Our seats were in front of the cabin, and there were about 300 passengers.

We expected some kind of minimal check, at least temperature measurements, but we didn't check anyone. About 20 minutes later, the passengers from the business class were allowed to leave. Then we went out too. Someone was allowed to fill out questionnaires with questions about well-being and health status. We were also given them, but we did not have time to fill out anything, as the questionnaires were taken from us. Our friend was given a profile, his girlfriend was not. The choice, as we understand it, was random.

The two women were left on the plane. I guess they were noticed by the flight attendants, having noticed the symptoms of a cold. The rest were quietly released, without informing about anything. At the same time, Rospotrebnadzor sent our friends an SMS reminding them of self-isolation. After arrival, I received the same SMS from the Ministry of Emergencies.

How I got into quarantine

All responsibility for the spread of the virus lies with ourselves, so we decided not only to isolate ourselves for two weeks, but also to call a doctor. On the morning of March 25, I developed symptoms: sore throat, the urge to cough. I called Rospotrebnadzor, they asked me about where I came from and what complaints, consulted and ordered to call a doctor at 112. First, they were redirected to the city ambulance, then to the district one.

A couple of hours later, the ambulance officers arrived, filled out the documents, took the temperature, looked at the throat and ordered to collect things for hospitalization. In the afternoon, another car came for me, and I was taken to the Botkin hospital on Piskarevsky Prospekt. The instructions were given in the car: "Sit here, put on a mask, put things here, buckle up, don't unfasten while driving, don't walk around the cabin, don't take off your mask." They put my documents in a plastic bag.

At 15:30 I was there. I confess, it was very scary, because I was in the hospital for the first time.

They locked me with a key, and I was locked up with no access to the street.

The room was new, clean, with shower and toilet. The box is designed for two people, my neighbor and I were put at the same time. You cannot leave the room, but programs are allowed at certain times: from 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and from 12:00 to 18:00 on weekends.

At the hospital, they immediately took biomaterials from the nose and mouth for analysis, and gave me the documents to fill out. Then a doctor in a protective suit came and asked about the complaints. I was told that the test result will be ready within 3-5 days and that two negative tests must be obtained for discharge. The second smear is done on the 10th day after entering the country. On the second day, they took a blood test, feces and urine. They warned that they would take blood for three days in a row due to suspected malaria.

They were fed three times a day. For breakfast, they gave cereals with bread and cocoa or tea, for lunch - potatoes and soup, for dinner - vegetable stew with compote. Among the “delicacies” are cheese, cottage cheese casserole, scrambled eggs, fish, pasta with liver.

Twice a day, a nurse came to us and measured the temperature with electronic thermometers. The doctor examined him once a day, inquired about the general state of health. Also, during the day, medicines were given: for cough, antiviral, furacilin solution for rinsing the throat, saline solution for rinsing the nose.

The patients of the hospital invited me to chat on Telegram - they found “Botkin Hospital” by geotag on Instagram, because I was posting a story. Thanks to this chat, it was much easier to transfer the period imprisonment. We discussed our symptoms, shared moods and rumors, described who was dissatisfied with what, who was in pain - in general, supported each other and threw off any available information.

During quarantine at the hospital, I continued to work with my laptop. I didn't have much strength, but the management showed understanding and did not burden me with tasks. I also watched films, read books, talked with family and friends. Communication was very helpful.

In order not to go crazy in confinement, I made a schedule and followed it.

For example: 7:00 - get up, 7:15 - shower, 7:30 - tests, 8:00 - breakfast, 8:30 - work, 10:30 - call a friend, and so on. She also kept a diary, where she wrote down my thoughts and experiences, which also helped not to become discouraged.

By March 29, the discharge regime had changed: they were released from the hospital after one negative test for coronavirus. My result was negative, only a runny nose remained of the symptoms, and I went home.

In general, I am even grateful that this test fell on me.

I spent five days in the hospital and during this time I began to look at the usual things in a different way: access to fresh air, the opportunity to eat deliciously, to feel the touch of loved ones.

It sounds corny, but in everyday life, being in comfort, we stop noticing the value of all this. And only in times of hardship do we understand how important this is.

Kostya was not taken to the hospital because he had no symptoms. On the second day after the beginning of my imprisonment, the district doctor contacted him, inquired about his state of health, asked to monitor the temperature and send a regular report. A day later, a medical worker came to the house to take biomaterial for primary analysis.

Now we, like most people, continue to live in self-isolation. We order groceries at home, we don't buy anything in tons. If something is missing, let's go to the nearest store, wearing a mask.

Overall, the vacation went well. Unless we were able to go on excursions, did not ride on the Sri Lankan train and did not count the arches of the famous nine-arch bridge. I hope it will work out some other time.