For the 22 passengers of the MV Hondius currently parked in quarantine at Arrowe Park hospital, it's shaping up to be a period of mild anxiety punctuated by surprisingly good ready-meals. A veteran of the same facility's Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Matt Raw, assures the new arrivals that while the situation is no picnic, the jigsaws are plentiful and the concierge service is top-notch.
The group - 20 Britons, one German UK resident, and one Japanese national - were evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in Tenerife over the weekend. They now face a 72-hour monitoring stint at the Merseyside hospital before being told whether they can self-isolate at home for up to 45 days. Hospital staff emphasize that hantavirus "is not spread through everyday social contact," so local residents can presumably keep their panic buttons unpressed.
Raw, now 45, who was evacuated from China to the same facility in early 2020 with about 80 others, recalls the setup as "basically the halls of residence for the students." Each suite had three bedrooms, a communal lounge, and a kitchen. He suspects the current, smaller group might even get suites to themselves. "The other big difference," he noted, "is that we had potentially been exposed to a new and unknown virus, whereas in this instance, it's a known virus." So, you know, progress.
Entertainment options included a courtyard for fresh air (weather permitting), a pool table, and a generous supply of games and jigsaws donated by the lovely people of Wirral. Raw became the unofficial suite cook, whipping up meals while a fellow quarantiner tended to her toddler. "Whilst it did become a little boring after two weeks," he admitted, "I personally was never short of anything to do." His advice for the new arrivals? "Just pretend that you're on holiday." Which, given the gourmet ready-meals and concierge service, might not be that much of a stretch.
Raw, who left the facility in February 2020 with a fist raised in triumph after testing negative for coronavirus, hopes the current group will be equally lucky. "Let's hope that all the people staying here this time are equally as lucky," he said, adding that a positive attitude and a jigsaw or two should do the trick.