After five days of being cooped up together, the more than 200 people quarantined in the Metropark Hotel have learned to take the inconvenience in their stride.
'The atmosphere is quite relaxed,' teaching assistant Nicolas Tse Jo-yum said. 'In the lobby, the ratio of people wearing masks to those who are not is about 50-50. And most of those wearing masks are staff.'
He said most guests were leaving the doors open when they were in their rooms. 'We just chit-chat with everyone. Unlike in the early days, when our conversation was mostly about swine flu, now we mainly share stories from our lives.'
The seven-day quarantine is due to end tomorrow. Apart from the taste of imminent freedom, the guests are also tasting better food than the offerings that brought a chorus of complaints on the first day. Many restaurants have been supplying free meals to the guests and staff.
'We got pizza, congee and a menu from a western restaurant asking us to choose what to eat,' said Mr Tse.
He thanked Hongkongers for the encouraging messages they had left in response to a video he posted on YouTube.
'We deeply feel Hong Kong people's concern, with so many people sending stuff to us,' he said.