Nuke It On The Tarmac; It's The Only Way To Be Sure
I was a little anxious during the last week before departure. I like to anticipate and address every possible problem and complication before they happen. Looking at the final list and seeing three or four things that could have kiboshed the whole trip -- things I couldn't have really done anything about -- made me uncomfortable.
On the day of departure, Dad's health was unchanged. China gave me a visa despite the fact that I had checked the "Media/Journalst" box on the application. My irrational worries about passport troubles were just that..though I made some phone calls just to make dead-sure that My Papers Were In Order.
But there was still...The Screening.
China is very worried about the spread of H1N1 Swine Flu. Warnings from the State Department got more direct and dire as the weeks closed in; ultimately there came an official directive advising (in so many words) that if a traveler needs to be in China on July 8 for a wedding, say, then the best thing to do would be to arrive a week or more ahead of time in case you're quarantined upon arrival.
Because you will not be allowed off your plane until a representative has scanned all of the passengers for fever and flu-like symptoms. If I was sick, I would almost certainly have been a guest of the Central Committee's quarantine center for a week.
Ditto if someone in a seat near me was sick.
And if X people on the plane appeared to be hung over, the whole plane could have been quarantined.
I spent my final weeks collecting advice from some really smart and experienced experts. I took my temperature every morning and evening for a week to make sure I was healthy. If I had a slight fever the morniing of departure, I would have taken a couple of ibuprofen tablets a half an hour before landing to reduce it before the screening.
And if I had a serious fever or any sort of visible signs of a cold that morning, "don't even bother coming to the airport" was the advice.
Well, it was no joke. The seatbelt signs were turned off and we were quickly urged to stay in our seats. The only positive thing you could say about the Immigrations people was that they decided not to actually get into the full plastic jumpsuits. Note full eye protection and gloves and a mask.
The mask was mere costume; the pores are way too big to block H1N1. I'm told, however, that though they present no barrier against a virus it often helps to prevent the transmission of disease anyway...if solely because it causes the wearer to instinctively keep his or her hands away from their nose and mouth. (shrug)
So. Four spacemen made their way through the cabin, and shot the foreheads of just about everybody (but particularly the ones who didn't look Asian, I noticed).
I passed. Damn. I'm told that the quarantine facilities are about as bad as a Priceline two-star hotel but at least it would have given me time to write and a few column topics.
One of the folks on the cruise wasn't so lucky; I'm told that he was the subject of considerable discussion and only made it through Immigration by a whisker.
When I cleared Immigration myself, I found a small pamphlet inside my passport. It explained the symptoms of Swine Flu and in language that was probably a lot ominous than Immigration intended, it assured me that if I did start feeling sick I call this number and they would be only too happy to pick me up wherever I was and give me a free ride to see a doctor.
(Which read as "Joe Pesci is inviting you on a trip out to the desert outside Las Vegas.")
Nuke It On The Tarmac; It's The Only Way To Be Sure
I was a little anxious during the last week before departure. I like to anticipate and address every possible problem and complication before they happen. Looking at the final list and seeing three or four things that could have kiboshed the whole trip -- things I couldn't have really done anything about -- made me uncomfortable.
On the day of departure, Dad's health was unchanged. China gave me a visa despite the fact that I had checked the "Media/Journalst" box on the application. My irrational worries about passport troubles were just that..though I made some phone calls just to make dead-sure that My Papers Were In Order.
But there was still...The Screening.
China is very worried about the spread of H1N1 Swine Flu. Warnings from the State Department got more direct and dire as the weeks closed in; ultimately there came an official directive advising (in so many words) that if a traveler needs to be in China on July 8 for a wedding, say, then the best thing to do would be to arrive a week or more ahead of time in case you're quarantined upon arrival.
Because you will not be allowed off your plane until a representative has scanned all of the passengers for fever and flu-like symptoms. If I was sick, I would almost certainly have been a guest of the Central Committee's quarantine center for a week.
Ditto if someone in a seat near me was sick.
And if X people on the plane appeared to be hung over, the whole plane could have been quarantined.
I spent my final weeks collecting advice from some really smart and experienced experts. I took my temperature every morning and evening for a week to make sure I was healthy. If I had a slight fever the morniing of departure, I would have taken a couple of ibuprofen tablets a half an hour before landing to reduce it before the screening.
And if I had a serious fever or any sort of visible signs of a cold that morning, "don't even bother coming to the airport" was the advice.
Well, it was no joke. The seatbelt signs were turned off and we were quickly urged to stay in our seats. The only positive thing you could say about the Immigrations people was that they decided not to actually get into the full plastic jumpsuits. Note full eye protection and gloves and a mask.
The mask was mere costume; the pores are way too big to block H1N1. I'm told, however, that though they present no barrier against a virus it often helps to prevent the transmission of disease anyway...if solely because it causes the wearer to instinctively keep his or her hands away from their nose and mouth. (shrug)
So. Four spacemen made their way through the cabin, and shot the foreheads of just about everybody (but particularly the ones who didn't look Asian, I noticed).
I passed. Damn. I'm told that the quarantine facilities are about as bad as a Priceline two-star hotel but at least it would have given me time to write and a few column topics.
One of the folks on the cruise wasn't so lucky; I'm told that he was the subject of considerable discussion and only made it through Immigration by a whisker.
When I cleared Immigration myself, I found a small pamphlet inside my passport. It explained the symptoms of Swine Flu and in language that was probably a lot ominous than Immigration intended, it assured me that if I did start feeling sick I call this number and they would be only too happy to pick me up wherever I was and give me a free ride to see a doctor.
(Which read as "Joe Pesci is inviting you on a trip out to the desert outside Las Vegas.")