Quarantined in Hong Kong after flight from UK Covid-19 lockdown, I am so used to my four walls I could stay until Christmas

Preflight checks take on new meaning for our correspondent in the Covid-19 era, but nevertheless escaping England for Hong Kong is a smooth, if drawn out affair

His thoughts of sticking to a disciplined routine during quarantine are quickly cast aside, but being confined to a small room turns out to be oddly comforting

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Cathay Pacific check-in desks at London’s Heathrow Airport with a traveller in full hazmat garb. The imposition of a month-long lockdown in England prompted more than the usual number of travellers to take a flight to Hong Kong before restrictions were imposed. Photo: Tim Pile

Published: 3:25pm, 16 Nov 2020Updated: 6:03pm, 17 Nov 2020

My search for a flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Hong Kong on Friday November 13 was never about scoring a discount for travelling on a day associated with bad luck. No, the theory was that fewer passengers would mean more space and less chance of catching Covid-19.

My plans were scuppered, however, when Boris Johnson announced a one-month lockdown in England, commencing on November 5. The British prime minister is gaining a reputation for U-turns and poorly implemented coronavirus policy, so despite reassurances that his latest stay-home order would be lifted on December 2, I wasn’t convinced. Nor, I later discovered, were lots of other people. I revised my departure date to November 4.

This left me with just two working days to get organised. Booking the flight came first, as airlines allow free changes to reservations should passengers test positive before setting off. Next I contacted Collinson, who administer one-hour Covid-19 tests at Heathrow, then I hired a car to get from the English Midlands to London. The final task was to find a Hong Kong hotel that would accept 14-day quarantine refugees and also offer refunds for last-minute virus-related cancellations.

This turned out to be something of a minefield until a friend directed me to the Facebook HK Quarantine Support Group, a 24,000-member forum packed with advice, and anecdotes, and sprinkled with a dash of humour (“My beard grew 2mm while waiting at Chek Lap Kok for our Covid results”).

The subject of accommodation dominates the discussion threads. Some establishments won’t take quarantining passengers, others will but draw the line at those arriving from government-designated “high risk places”. For every returnee prepared to spend extra for a little luxury (“I am specifically after a hotel room with either a small garden or as a minimum a balcony”) there are others on far tighter budgets (“Does anyone know if we can be quarantined in a dorm?”).

I began by browsing the less expensive options. It is the first and probably last time I’ll ever book a hotel room without considering the location or facilities, but swimming pools, restaurants and bars are out of bounds and there’s no need to be within walking distance of attractions.