14 Days Quarantine & Swab Test
After several quarantines in the past, I was again mandated to undergo a 14- day quarantine starting from my arrival day in Cebu. This is my story on my quarantine days at my parents’ home in Cebu as well as my swab test story on Day 5 of quarantine.
If you haven’t read my previous blogs, I had an appointment with IOM for TB testing in Makati. Then from Manila, I flew to Cebu to visit my family. Coming from Manila is a red flag because of the number of COVID cases in Luzon. So, I could be bringing the virus to Cebu.
Being an LSI or a Locally Stranded Individual too, there is a specific list of requirements I would need to comply with going to Cebu. You can read my post about that here.
Arrival to Cebu
On the day of my arrival in town, I went straight to my room where I was isolated from the rest of my family. My mom had already prepared the room for me.
My niece and nephew greeted me meters away from me. That’s the hardest part. No kisses, no hugs, no social contact which is very strange. This year has been so different and difficult for everyone.
Day 1 of Quarantine
That was day one of my quarantine. After settling in and resting for a few minutes, I took a shower just to be extra careful especially since I was with random people in the airport and plane where I don’t really know where they are from or who they had contact with.
Day 2-5 of Quarantine
During these days, basically, I did the same things- sleep, read, stretch, nap, crochet, social media, and repeat. What made it more challenging was that the wifi connection doesn’t work very well in my room.
Day 5- Swab Test Day
In our town, the nurses in the LGU as well as in our barangay contacted my mom or me about any symptoms or how I was feeling. Then I was scheduled to have a swab test done on day 5. Transportation to the LGU from home and vice versa could be arranged with them.
The procedure was pretty quick. Once finished, I left and went back to the house. As we were told, the result would be available after 3-5 days.
Waiting time. Our schedule was at 9 AM. Filipino time, it started at 9.20 AM
Day 8 of Quarantine
On the morning of day three after the swab test, I called the nurse-in-charge and inquired about my result. She gave me a call back in the afternoon telling me that I didn’t have the Covid-19 virus. Yepey! At this point, I didn’t have any symptoms such as fever or cough. I felt pretty amazing. However, just to be very sure, I was taking my multivitamin tablet pretty religiously.
Although I was told that I could be un-isolated, I continued to check my temperature or symptoms until day 14. The barangay health worker assigned to me left me with instructions to fill out a form from day 1 to day 14. This form I returned to her after my quarantine.
View from my window.
A day after my quarantine
Finally, on day 15 I felt freedom. It was not only the four walls of the room that I would see but the entire house. The first thing I did was talk to my family. Hugging and giving kisses to my niece and nephew felt the best.
