I’ll admit I talked a lot about the food the hotel provided. I promoted myself to the role of food critic while documenting my time in isolation. That wasn’t the primary goal of the journal, but the many paragraphs and accompanying photos dedicated to the topic did occupy more than half of the content in this mini-series. I was inspired by two news articles I read before entering quarantine to keep a close eye on the food the hotel served. (The news articles were submitted by two people who reported that conditions in their hotels were less than perfect). That, and I wanted to provide an accurate depiction of the food and let you judge its quality.
I can’t speak for the other isolation hotels in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Ottawa. I can only comment on what I went through and overall, the food wasn’t great, but it wasn’t very bad. It was mediocre to below average. I’m glad I took advantage of the fact we were allowed to bring food into isolation. I’m sure there were people who didn’t do that and were forced to rely on the hotel, or order food from websites like Skip The Dishes.
The Government of Nunavut has
reported spending and continues to spend a hefty amount of money on isolating
Nunavut residents in hotels before allowing them to return to the territory. The expenses have amounted to several
millions of dollars. The government pays
for accommodations, food, staffing, and transportation to the airport. I know that everything costs money, but
there’s a part of me that feels that the food could & should have been
better based on the money already spent.
I can only hope the quality will improve for future isolating guests
because the COVID-19 pandemic is not stopping anytime soon.
Some of you were probably surprised and/or shocked when I reported that I only stepped out of my room once during my entire stay. Well, that’s what actually happened. My room was large enough for me to walk around and I didn’t feel compelled to go outside. I was following the rules quite strictly. If I didn’t have a laptop, internet access, and an external hard drive filled with movies & tv shows, then yes, I would have gone outside in the designated area several times. I’m an introvert so being alone isn’t a big deal.
Overall, I survived my two-week isolation. It was an experience I won’t forget. Hopefully, I won’t have to do it again. I also hope that by this time next year, everyone will be vaccinated, and COVID-19 will be eradicated & banished to the history books.
August
7 – 8, 2020
I was glad Yummy Shawarma was still
open for business. I went inside and
ordered a large beef shawarma sandwich for lunch. I had to eat it at my brother’s place because
Yummy was only doing take out service. I
spent the rest of the day walking around Iqaluit and shopping at NorthMart
& other stores.
August 8 began very early for me. My flight to Arctic Bay was at 7:30am so I woke
up at 5am. I got dressed and quickly
packed everything. I ate a breakfast snack
and thanked my brother for his hospitality & for putting up with me. I took a cab to the airport at 6:15am. The only people inside the terminal were the
staff. I checked in and then walked to
the proper departure gate and waited. More
passengers arrived at the gate some time late.
Quite a few of them were from Arctic Bay.
Our flight left on time at
7:30am. The plane landed in Clyde River and
then continued on to Arctic Bay. The
plane landed at 11:40am. Frank gave me a
lift into town. I was finally home. I spent the next several hours unpacking and
cleaning my residence.
End of Journal of Self-Isolation mini-series.
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