I was quarantined by the Ministry of Health.
It’s ten days, and it’s because I have just returned from Singapore currently quite high on the Sars infected list.
It’s a voluntary quarantine, although there is talk in the Toronto papers of enforcing it on people who don’t observe it.
I’m not much worried, my exposure risk was probably highest on the flights home.
On the other hand, I’d be willing to wager those were the cleanest airplanes I’ve ever flown in.
In Asia you can’t pick up a paper without reading about Sars and they can trace the cases back to THE person who brought it in to the country while returning from travelling in an infected area. I just don’t want my name in the paper if you see what I mean.
I managed to avoid getting caught up in the fear the entire time I was in SE Asia, until it was time to come home. I faced some special challenges.
You see, my bedridden mother-in-law lives in our house. She was scheduled for a 3 wk visit to a nursing facility (respite for me and my mate) shortly after my return. We were informed if I returned directly to my home the caregivers would be withdrawn for 10 days and her stay at the nursing home cancelled!
Yikes, what to do? Stay on in S’pore, Mr Elbows was getting a little worried and not entirely happy with this choice. Come back but not home? Stay with a friend? Then they have to observe the quarantine! Spend 10 days in a hotel waiting to come across town and see family and friends? As if I could go 10 days!
In the end I stayed on an extra week, returned to my hometown and stayed in a hotel for three nights until mother-in-law was admitted to nursing home. And now I am back in my own home.
What an odd way to return to town though.
So I’m observing the quarantine because I really don’t want it to be me who spreads it.
Hope that answers your questions.
