Life in makeshift hospital through expats' eyes
People do yoga in Baimao makeshift hospital.
For Serena and her husband, their stay at Baimao makeshift hospital in Shanghai's downtown Xuhui District is definitely a special experience in their lives.
"Actually, it was not bad, and the atmosphere there is really good, everyone stays positive and tries hard to get rid of the virus," she said.
The Chinese-French couple was infected with coronavirus in early April, when Shanghai just began lockdown measures.
"There was no place for us in the makeshift hospitals at first," she told Shanghai Daily, "so we just locked ourselves at home."
The stay-at-home period was not easy for them, as her husband Thibaut got a really serious symptom of losing most of his senses of smell and taste.
"He could not even taste the difference between soy sauce and water," Serena said.
While fighting sore muscles and hypodynamic sickness, they also suffered social pressure from their neighbors.
So, the two went to the makeshift hospital as soon as possible when their neighborhood committee informed them there were beds.
"Everything is organized in the Baimao makeshift hospital, it is not as bad as we saw online," she said.
"We have our meals sent to our room, so there was no need to worry about buying food online.
"We met some other foreign friends there; we can talk and do exercise together. Also, there was no pressure from neighbors, which is really good."
Serena and her husband also gave some tips for people who are preparing to be admitted. Bring necessities, such as slippers, shampoo, shower gel, ear plugs and eye covers.
"You will have no idea which hospital or site you are going to live in, so making a full preparation will help you avoid inconvenience," she said.
People need to stay in the hospital until their PCR test turns negative twice, said she.
"And they will call you on the third day that you do not need to take the test, and on the fourth morning, you can go home."
The couple are back home.
"Optimism and kindness are the key points to fight against adversity," she said with laugh. "And the antibody we got from COVID-19 is a gift after all the suffering."
A makeshift hospital through a German camera
Martin Grega, a German photographer, decided to use his camera to record his life in Baimao makeshift hospital.
"I was sick on April 5 and then tested positive on April 7," he said.
Grega only suffered from mild symptoms. "It was just one day of feeling like bad hangover and then I was fine," he said.
After waiting for nearly two weeks, he finally got a call from the local CDC saying someone would pick him up to take him to a makeshift hospital.
With a nervous feeling, he arrived at the makeshift hospital after a short ride on April 21.
"I was not sure what to expect, but the experience was actually not that bad," he recalled.
"The check-in procedure was pretty quick and the people working there were very friendly.
However, due to the lack of hands, he found there were no bed sheets prepared for him when entering his room, he said.
"So, I had to go back out and search for fresh bed sheets and pillows and blankets."
There are about two to four people sharing a room in the hospital, according to Fei and Grega.
Grega shared a room with a Canadian at first, then had it to himself.
"The room was pretty OK, and I had a shower and a toilet for myself," he said.
"The Wi-Fi was very fast although the bed was quite hard."
The building he lived in housed mostly foreigners who had really positive mood.
"Everybody was friendly and talkative," he recalled.
Martin Grega's room.
The outside of Baimao makeshift hospital.
