Gradol Faces ‘Desperate Quarantine Life’ with Corona Positive While Traveling Abroad

Nice to meet you!　I’m Sarie, a grad student at the very bottom of the market. I’m a fat little girl from Shinjuku who has been working as a writer for a long time without selling well.

But, I’m a little fat in Shinjuku, and I’ve been working as a glamour girl for a long time without selling well, and I’m also a writer.

It was fine up to that point, but I was the only one who tested positive for corona (death), and I was living in quarantine overseas by myself. I had a lot of experiences there, so I thought I would pen this article to help those who are planning or considering going abroad in the future.

I have always enjoyed traveling abroad and have done so every year. But, after all, the COVID-19 crisis. It is not as easy to go as it used to be. You have to get at least two doses of vaccine, negative proof, “my SOS”, and register for the “ICA” app. I was able to give the vaccines normally, but I felt like I managed to clear the app entry process by connecting Zoom with a friend. I definitely wouldn’t have gone through the hassle if I were traveling alone. And before I left the country, I was quiet, avoiding going out drinking and being dense.

No fever at all, no coronas around anyone. I arrived in Singapore in perfect condition. It’s good to be abroad after all these years!　Just walking around the city is fun!
On the first and second days, we ate the hotel’s breakfast buffet from morning, and then gulped down Tiger Beer while sightseeing from noon. Just when I was starting to think, “I don’t want to go back to Japan,” an incident occurred.

Currently, according to Japanese rules, you cannot board a plane unless you take a PCR test within 72 hours of returning to your country and get a negative certificate. Antigen testing is not acceptable. So on the third day of my trip, I went to get a PCR test for saliva. I was in excellent health before I left the country and did not think a millimeter about the possibility of a positive result.

The saliva PCR test I took was to receive the results by e-mail about 6 hours after the test. I took the test around midnight. I was having a drink at the rooftop bar thinking, “Well, I’ll get the results at 7pm.

Then, my friend got an email first. It was negative. I said, “Thank goodness, thank goodness,” and we toasted. But I didn’t get any email. I thought it was strange, but my friend who was with me was negative and asked her to have another drink. I was about to order my next drink when I received an email with the impressive red text “positive” only for me.

“I knew it! I was relieved, but my friend turned pale and said, “You idiot!　Positive is positive! I was a big idiot. Being a big idiot, I had taken the word “positive” to mean “positive” as it is. ……

How could I be the only one?　I thought to myself, but positive is positive. The moment I received this email, all of my friends’ plans changed, as well as mine.

The rules to be followed by those who test positive, not to mention the idea of corona, differ from country to country (I didn’t even know that). In Singapore, people who test positive are basically stuck there, and I wasn’t allowed to leave my hotel room until 72 hours later.

First of all, my friend who was sharing the room with me immediately evacuated to another friend’s room. There, we each decided to find out what would happen next. Since he was a person in close contact with me, there was a possibility that my friend would have to recuperate as well. ……, but in Singapore, if the antigen test is negative, you can basically live a normal life. My friend who had a negative saliva test was tested for more antigens and was negative, so it was no problem.

He then bought me a large amount of antigen test kits for 15 days, cup noodles, snacks, and a large amount of alcohol “because I’m fine” and put them in front of my room. I still remember thinking, “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

What I thought was the worst …… was the money. I only had a credit card with a limit of about 1 million yen and 4,000 yen in cash.

I stayed at a pretty nice hotel, so if I had to pay for it alone, I would really go broke.

This time, I was relieved that I had taken out an overseas insurance policy at the airport for “just in case” when I was about to leave Japan, but I had no idea how much money would be paid for what. I couldn’t even get through to the phone to inquire about it!

After more than 30 minutes of trying, I finally got through, but this time the person in charge didn’t understand their insurance policy at all, and when I asked him about something, he just said, “I see. No, it might be a part-time job, but I was so worried about how far and what coverage I would get overseas. …… I was not happy, so I asked my supervisor to take over and he told me that they would compensate me for the “additional PCR test,” “additional transportation costs,” and “additional hotel accommodations.” I found out that they would compensate me.

I was most relieved that the hotel and airfare would be fully covered unless I upgraded, etc.

Not being able to pay for food was a bit of a pain, to be honest, but the hotel brought a large breakfast buffet every morning, and I ate smaller portions of the relief supplies my friend bought for me, so it wasn’t a problem. It was rather a bit much, thankfully.

Even though I was going to pay for the flight, I had taken the ticket with my friend, so I called the airport company to handle the change of procedure to make sure something was not amiss with my friend, but there was no answer here either.

I tried connecting to the toll-free number, which was not connected for more than 10 minutes flat, and I called the toll-free number, which was not connected even after being connected for more than 120 minutes at the most. In the end, I could not get through even after calling for two days. My friend who had returned to Japan before me managed to explain the situation at the counter and got me to cancel and change the time, but I was horrified to think what would have happened if everyone who went there had tested positive and also had symptoms. I can’t believe that all I have is a phone call that I can’t get through for the rest of my life. ……

Also, I simply don’t have enough pants. I thought I brought a lot of underwear for sleeping and going out, but I didn’t have enough at all, so I had to scrub them with soap.

During the three days of quarantine, I ate three meals a day and had a few drinks while watching the sunset. I was in such good health that I was almost skeptical that I was really positive. I was so healthy that I was inclined to doubt whether I was really positive or not.

The antigen test was negative every day, but in case the next PCR test was positive again, I was quarantined for 72 hours. If the next test after that is also positive, there is a possibility of false positives. If the test does not remain negative for a long time, you will have to go to the consulate abroad to have a consular letter issued after fulfilling various conditions. I used to get depressed every day before going to bed thinking, “I can’t go back to Japan anymore …….

In the meantime, the quarantine period was over.　I washed my nose as much as I could and went to the PCR. The nose test was more expensive than the saliva test, costing about 30,000 Japanese yen. Even though I would get the money back later, it was a big expense.

As a result, I was saved by the full support of my friends, who were a godsend. If anything, it was probably more comfortable than last year when I was home alone with symptoms. It was a blessing in disguise, but above all, I am sorry for my friends who were unable to enjoy the trip to the fullest.

If you are considering a trip abroad now…you might want to wait a little longer. If you are fluent in English, are used to traveling, and can work remotely, that’s fine, but if you are a random type like me, it’s too risky unless you go with someone who can support you well.

Also, be sure to get insurance. Most credit cards include overseas insurance. But!　Depending on the type of credit card, there may be little or no coverage for corona-positive symptoms overseas.

At first I said, “I have a credit card, so I’ll be fine,” but a firm friend of mine strongly advised me to get one at the airport, and I was so insistent that I gave in and got one.

I think it is better to think about “what to do if I get a corona abroad” first, rather than “what to do when I go abroad.

Whatever you do, Corona, get it over with. 〜〜〜〜！！！！！