Spam sandwiches least of the worries at quarantine hotel
The government yesterday tried to stop the Metropark Hotel becoming the scene for a reality television series. Officials covered the lobby's windows with white cloth - cutting off visual contact between the outside world and those quarantined inside.
Guests had been passing the time sitting in the lobby, watching the media watching them and reading messages the journalists were holding up - their phone numbers and pleas for interviews. But that came to an end at 11.30am, when the windows were covered.
Nevertheless, day two of the Metropark's lock-up saw friends and relatives of guests and hotel staff delivering simple diversions such as books and laptop computers, while some guests apparently ordered in burgers. Those expecting to sample Hong Kong's culinary delights were shocked to find government chefs were not quite up to the challenge of showcasing the city's variety.
One guest who spoke by phone to the Sunday Morning Post said: 'The breakfast left something to be desired. No tea, no coffee, no fruit. A bottle of water and a spam sandwich. And a Swiss roll.' However, this guest said the lunchbox prepared by hotel staff had been much better - rice with spare ribs. But clearly, the lack of good food was the least of their worries.
Tensions inside the hotel grew when guests learned they would be isolated for a week instead of 24 hours, as they had initially been told by hotel staff.
Guest Kevin Ireland, 45, told the Post: 'This morning there was a Korean gentleman and he was way off the handle. He was screaming and shouting and throwing a tantrum. There is a young couple from the UK. She has been crying incessantly. Then there is a South African couple with a 10-month-old baby and their grandmother. The wife was taken away for tests and they are really quite agitated.'
Another guest said the Department of Health had held a briefing at 9am during which several guests vented their grievances. 'One man pointed out that we had been advised to stay away from crowds, but now we were all instructed to gather together for the meeting.'
The guest said the hotel was using the emergency public announcement system in each room to inform people of developments. 'It was so loud it woke me up with a shock,' he said.
Undersecretary for Food and Health Gabriel Leung paid tribute to the 'tremendous understanding and courage' of the guests, and pledged to do his best to cater to their needs. Last night the hotel said guests under quarantine would be given free internet access and HK$200 a day for expenses.
The atmosphere outside the hotel was not necessarily better. Businesses said they had suffered a big drop in trade. The owner of a cha chaan teng, said business had dropped by half as tourists were avoiding the district. 'Orders placed by policemen are our main source of income today,' she said.
