Page 201 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID

Saturday, May 21 she would spend the rest of this cruise and pos-
sibly beyond.

My friend Leon likened my Covid isolation ex- So as of this moment, we occupy three suites
perience to an episode of The Twilight Zone. It on a very expensive cruise ship, with two ocean-
was amusing at the time, but it also foreshad- view and one balcony. It’s a prime illustration of
owed this disastrous morning. Today Mary and I the less is more concept. If I retest negative to-
are officially reluctant players in The Twilight morrow morning, I’ll be released to go back to
Zone. We’re caught in a nightmarish Interna- our balcony suite on deck seven.
tional web of officious pan- OK, here’s the plot twist. It
demic red tape and was bad enough that we both
confusion, without a clue got Covid and even worse
on how it will play out. that Mary was officially diag-
Funny enough, the morn- nosed the day that I tested
ing began with great news. I negative, but according to
got my first antigen test the ship’s medical depart-
since isolation five days ment, Canadian authorities
ago. Within an hour, the require a 10-day full quaran-
ship’s medical officer called tine. She is required to stay
and told me that my result isolated for 10 more days
was negative, and I would until they test her again, But
have the last test at six a.m. the ship only has seven more
tomorrow morning and if it days on this cruise. What
was also negative, I would happens the last three days?
be released into the gen- Do they keep Mary on the
eral population of the ship. ship? Then what do they do
At about the same time, with me? The ship’s answer,
Mary, who had tested nega- we don’t know yet.
tive the previous six morn- So, there you are, Rod Ser-
ings, had her final test. ling couldn’t have made this
Finally, I told Mary, we could begin enjoying up. And we don’t know yet either. Stay tuned.
our cruise once more; we still had seven days left The photo is the last time Mary, and I dined to-
with all of the interesting ports ahead of us. Of gether six days ago with our friends in Charles-
course, fate was simply teasing us, we were be- ton. Once we re-boarded, we were required to
ing cosmically set up. Just a few minutes after take a Covid test for Hamilton Bermuda. This
happily chatting with Mary, she called back. “I’m will be the longest I’ve been away from Mary in
positive.” she said shakily, “ they’re coming down over thirty years. She's now by herself, not over
to give me a PCR test to confirm.: 30 steps away from my cabin. We do talk on the
It came out positive. And, like me six days ago, phone frequently as I give her tips on surviving
was told to pack a bag immediately and perp- isolation. Thank god we had our shots and
walked to her isolation suite on deck five where booster.

“My friend Leon likened my Covid isolation

experience to an episode of The Twilight
Zone. It was amusing at the time, but it also

foreshadowed this disastrous morning.”

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