On July 3rd, two weeks after arriving in Shenyang, China on June 19th for the appointment of a correspondent in Beijing, I was able to finally visit the'Zaro' Hotel after the forced containment. As usual, I ate the'last' meal with the lunch box placed in front of my visit and packed my luggage down to the hotel lobby. I met with a family I only saw once for a short time for 14 days.

Even when I came down to the lobby, I wasn't free to act. From the elevator to the hotel exit, a separate passage section was created like a police line at the protest site. I followed the check-out procedure along the section. At this time, the city's quarantine authorities issued three documents to me and my family. Corona19 serum test report, nucleic acid test report, and release notice.


These documents will serve as a'all-round pass' for foreigners who do not have a Chinese ID and quarantine confirmation, like us for the next few days. Of course, the documents are normally issued only if they are judged as'negative' in the serum test and nucleic acid test during the quarantine period. It's not long before I realize,'Oh, you've been in quarantine for two weeks to get these three documents.' This is because these documents are required wherever you go.

Upon exiting the hotel door, hotel staff in protective clothing and quarantine personnel in Shenyang take turns to a taxi that has already come. I went to Shenyang Airport to catch a flight to Beijing.

Wait here. It should be borne in mind that Chinese planes can be canceled at any time. Earlier, I booked an early flight from Shenyang to Beijing using the'unbreakable' WiFi during the containment period. However, one day before boarding, I was suddenly notified of'dismissal'. I thought it was due to the weather conditions because there was a news about Beijing rain in the weather forecast. 'What should I do? Should I take the train?' I was in a hurry to search for another flight. At that time, there were three direct flights from Shenyang to Beijing per day. Besides the flights I booked, the other two were operating normally. As I learned later, there were fewer passengers on the plane, so I decided to cancel the flight. When the corona19 mass infection that started in Sinpadi market spread from Beijing, it was virtually blocked to fly to Beijing, so there were very few passengers to Beijing. With the help of an acquaintance, I booked another flight. 'What if even this is canceled?' If there were no flights, I had to leave the quarantine hotel and stay for another day or two at another hotel, or find another transportation, such as a train. Like other hotels and trains, Corona19 was inevitably concerned. This quarantine life didn't allow you to let go of tension until the end.

When we arrived at Shenyang Airport, we had to show the quarantine confirmation using the mobile phone app at the entrance to pass. Here, the'all-round pass' shines for the first time. After issuing a boarding pass, passengers traveling to Beijing must undergo a safety check in a separate designated passage, and a'all-round pass' was also required here. Corona 19 negative judgment, it was also possible to get to the airport only after receiving the test results received within a few days, and further to board a flight to Beijing. It wasn't until I got on the plane to Beijing that I could breathe relief. 'After all, you are going.'


The flight time to Beijing was short compared to the long and preliminary period. It took less than an hour. I got off at Beijing Airport and took a taxi back to the company's quarters. From here on is'Secondary Containment'.

The company's accommodation was an apartment so I could stay with my family. Even walking in the apartment complex was allowed. However, it was not free to go out of the apartment complex. No matter how forced the quarantine was in other areas, and the results of the Corona 19 negative were judged, it was the policy of the city's quarantine that people who came into Beijing from another city had to do'focused observation' again for a certain period of time. The Community Residents Commission of the apartment and the local health committee, our health center, asked our group to check their body temperature twice a day for a week and upload them to the app. No apartment passes were given until the time passed.


China's Apartment Residents Committee was different from our apartment tenant committee or management office. When the central government's or city's quarantine policy was decided, it was unanimously passed to each local residents' committee, and the local residents' committee decided everything from quarantine to the period of containment.

There was another problem. At that time, depending on the situation of Corona 19, the quarantine policy and guidelines change from time to time. When a foreigner enters China, a long-term resident must apply for a residence permit within one month. You can apply for a residence permit only after going to a place designated by the Chinese authorities and undergoing a medical examination and confirming that you are in a state of health that meets the status of the epidemic. If you do not apply within one month after entering the country, you will be in an illegal state of residence or will be charged a fine. It was already two weeks in quarantine in Shenyang and one week in Beijing, so there wasn't enough time. When I went to the place where I had a medical examination, the answers like'Thunderbolt','I need a two-week observation period even when I come to Beijing,' and'I can't get a medical examination now'. I was told that a health checkup is possible after completing a week's quarantine in Beijing through a fellow correspondent who entered Korea. However, the other side tried not to change the meaning of'come back after 14 days of observation'. I explained the circumstances of the day before, and fortunately, I presented a'alternative' that would bring a health checkup if I brought a new corona19 voice report within a week. I had to follow.

Now, he has applied for residence permit'safely' and started working as a correspondent. There has been a lot of help. The colleagues from the Beijing branch helped whenever there was a problem, and the Korean Consulate General in Joo Sun-yang also checked through SNS to see if there were any difficulties. During the quarantine period, we could not adapt to the local food, and sent a cup ramen with a support message.


As mentioned in the previous article, there are too many people suffering from Corona19. I hope you can freely come and go as soon as possible, and I hope everyone will escape from the pain and suffering of coronavirus.

[Rough Beijing entry phase]
▶ [World Report] Other rooms in the same hotel… Two weeks away from family