Hong Kong quarantine hotel residents wave to outside world in event aimed at injecting some cheer into monotony of isolation

Quarantined residents waved from their decorated windows – including one displaying a volleyball modelled after ‘Wilson’ from Cast Away – to a group outside

Those outside returned the gesture, spreading what one organiser said she hoped was a bit of mutual cheer during a difficult time

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Quarantined guests at a hotel in Aberdeen have tried to inject a little cheer into the monotony of isolation. Photo: Jeremy H Greenberg

Published: 7:28pm, 25 Sep 2021Updated: 9:05pm, 25 Sep 2021

Quarantine is widely considered boring, if not downright oppressive, but more than 100 guests in isolation at a hotel in Aberdeen have found a creative way of puncturing the monotony, sending out some good vibes to the people of Hong Kong – and getting some back in return.

The self-organised event, known as “The Wave”, saw quarantined guests at the Nina Hotel Island South stand at their windows facing the hill behind the property, waving at family, friends and strangers on Saturday, all of whom had showed up to return the gesture in a bid to spread a bit of mutual cheer.

One guest displayed a volleyball modelled after Tom Hanks’ companion “Wilson” from the film Cast Away, while others decorated their windows with balloons and gloves meant to evoke waving hands.

The guests capped off the event by dancing in the windows as evening fell.

Participants closed out the event by dancing in their windows as evening fell. Photo: Henk Jan Pomstra

The display was organised on an internal WhatsApp group that more than 170 quarantined hotel guests use to offer one another support, share advice and arrange virtual activities.