- Lack of basic essentials takes its toll on passengers who returned from Japan last week
- But escaping the daily fear of being infected outweighs problems at the Chun Yeung Estate
Six days into their mandatory quarantine period and the Hong Kong passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan are experiencing wildly different emotions.
For some of those being held on Chun Yeung Estate time is hanging heavy, and a lack of meals, toilet paper, and other basic necessities is taking its toll.
But others have described the public housing estate in Fo Tan as an "unadorned heaven" and are just grateful to be free of the "luxury hell" of the ship, and the daily fear of discovering they have been infected with the coronavirus.
So far, 240 of the 369 residents that were on board have returned to Hong Kong, five of them testing positive for the virus after arriving back in the city from Yokohama, where they had been stranded since February 4.
David Yeung Kun-wah, 70, and his wife were among the first to leave on a government-chartered flight last Wednesday, and have been in the quarantine flat since then.
On their first day, the flat had a water leak and the room was full of dust. They asked for a new room, and were assigned one the same day.
But there was also the matter of missing meals.
"Like this morning, breakfast was not delivered, but we managed to fill ourselves with fruit," Yeung said. "I know we have to accept some degree of chaos during a crisis, and it was a completely different environment compared with the cruise."
Not only have meals been delayed, there has been a lack of toilet paper, bottled water and snacks.
"We were using the toilet paper we took from the Diamond Princess cruise, and (the government was) unable to provide other fruit apart from apples and oranges," Yeung said.
He added that the couple had not received the supply packages given by the Social Welfare Department, and had to ask for what they needed one thing at a time.
"Everything is quite disorganised," he said. "We just want the days to pass quickly as it means a lesser chance to get infected and a higher chance to go home."
The estate is the fifth quarantine site in the city, with a maximum of 1,000 rooms, and is being staffed by Civil Aid Service volunteers and Department of Health workers.
Other former passengers under quarantine, including information security specialist Young Wo-sang and his wife, have also gone without meals.
"We were told that all dinner sets had been distributed on our second day of quarantine (February 23), when we tried to reach them at 8.30pm," Young said.
"The staff promised to get takeaway for us, but when we called at 10.30pm, he just told us all restaurants were closed."
The couple ended up eating instant noodles for the night. But Young said it was not too bad as they had "psychologically prepared" to go from a five-star luxury cruise to a public housing unit.
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"We knew that quarantine inside public housing would not be the same as the cruise, but what we asked for are just basic needs," he said.
A Department of Health spokesman said the Civil Aid Service was responsible for the site's management, as well as food delivery to quarantine rooms, and the service would communicate with food suppliers to work on and improve the arrangements.
While the former passengers were not allowed to leave their flats, friends and relatives were allowed to take supplies for them, although they had to be checked by staff first.
Items such as clothing and bed sheets are allowed, Young said, but sharp objects " like a screwdriver, which he wanted so he could fix a fan " were banned.
Dentist Alan Lam, who still had 11 days before he could go home, had a different perspective on life in quarantine.
"The food might be not that decent, and the bed less comfy, but we are now in heaven, in comparison with the luxury hell we were once in," he said.
The 56-year-old said the final two weeks on the cruise ship involved room service, entertainment, and even a flower on Valentine's Day, but he hardly ate anything.
"I was worried that each meal could be my last supper, and you never knew when you might get infected on that cruise," he said.
"Here, the nurses and the staff are health-conscious, and that's what saved us from getting infected, and we are thankful for that."
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