Guernsey pair end up in South Korea quarantine
A SHORT holiday in Shanghai resulted in two Guernsey people ending up in quarantine in South Korea.
Former Blanchelande student Jenna Tostevin, 21, and former St Sampson’s High student Connor Sullivan, 24, have been working at a boarding school in South Korea since last August and decided to spend the lunar new year in Shanghai.
But quickly realising the seriousness of the spread of coronavirus they cut their holiday short and flew back to South Korea. When they arrived, they were immediately put in quarantine.
‘They decided to quarantine us to be safe,’ Miss Tostevin said.
‘We all took precautions [when in China]. We wore face masks, sanitised our hands and were vigilant. But it has a 14-day incubation period, so we could have picked it up. So far we all well. If you are healthy and fit, it could just show as a cold, so we could be a carrier and not know, so this is for the best.’
They have been put in a flat with two fellow school staff, who also visited China at the end of January.
Miss Tostevin said they were relieved to have left China early, as their original flight back to Korea was cancelled.
They were comfortable in the quarantine flat and have been using the time to watch Netflix and play Legend of Zelda. Miss Tostevin said they had written a list of what they needed and the school staff had left it in a box outside the flat.
‘People have been really lovely,’ said Miss Tostevin.
‘They have sent us little parcels and treats.
‘They have been messaging us, asking us if there was anything we needed.’
Miss Tostevin said despite the disruption it has caused, they did have a good time in China. Due to the virus, she said the city metro was quiet and the city was like a ghost town.
‘The only place we saw other people was at the airport.’
As long as none of them get sick, they are expected to be released from quarantine on Tuesday or Wednesday.
