Omicron-era Trip Report: Arriving in Shanghai

The arrivals process in Shanghai - PCR testing, immigration, baggage claim, district desk - was basically the same process as I went through in 2020, meaning that it was felt the process was already perfected by then. From PCR testing through immigration, there were signs saying no photos allowed, so I won’t be sharing any photos from there.

4:55pm: Pull up to gate, and wait on board until the health officials allow us to deplane.

5:35pm: Deplane. The first part of the process is the PCR testing:

Show the staff at the end of the jetbridge that you have already completed the customs health form and have a screenshot of the QR code.
By the area where you used to scan your fingerprints, now there are desks where you have to sign a consent form to get the PCR tests.
With your form, go to another area where the staff scans your customs QR code, and then prints out labels with your name to put onto the PCR vials and the consent form.
Taking your form and vials with you, go down an escalator and then a very long flight of stairs to the ground floor. I helped an elderly couple that had been sitting across from me on the plane with one of their carryon bags. They were very grateful, saying thank you even long after we got downstairs.
Now you kind of walk outside the terminal building to these makeshift structures, and you are directed to these booths with lights overhead. Green light means it’s available, but don’t go forward just yet. I was yelled at, because the staff still had to spray some disinfectant from a spray bottle into the air and onto the counter. Ummm, not sure if there’s really enough time for the disinfectant to work.
There’s the deep nasal swab, one in each nostril, and also throat swab. This took me by surprise. She really stuck that narrow, sharp swab straight to the back of my throat and poked around back there. I couldn’t help but cough afterwards.
The vials stay with the staff here.
With the consent form (and some markings they put on top, I think), take an escalator all the way back to the arrivals level.
Put your paper into a box while walking past a thermal scanner.

6:00pm: Now it’s the “regular” immigration part.

I didn’t realize they still use the paper arrivals cards, but we had to fill these out.
The foreigner line didn’t look so long, but it moved soooooo slowly. When it got to be my turn, I realized why. I’d heard reports that the immigration officers were doing very lengthy interviews, and I was subjected to such an interview. They asked where I grew up, how I learned to speak Chinese, where I worked. They asked a lot about work, what I did there, what kinds of things I designed. If I had ever designed things for the military or police. They asked about the address of my office. I was prepared with my work contract and business cards, and they seemed glad to take my business card, and they scanned it into their system. They asked about my work history. I believe there was a whole contingent of Apple employees on my flight, and while I didn’t overhear their conversation, I think they were subjected to the same lengthy questioning.
After immigration, there was baggage claim. I’m very thankful for the free luggage carts! One or two of my bags were already placed next to the carousel, because the bags got there before we did.
There wasn’t any customs check of luggage. After exiting into the arrivals meeting area, you turn left if your final destination is Shanghai, and right if it’s another city. Both have to start their quarantines in Shanghai, but on the left you get to the area with the district desks.

After a long walk to the part where it’s like a hallway to the airport bus, metro, etc. there’s another QR code to scan, which takes you to a Shanghai form to fill out, and generate yet another QR code. After you do this, the staff lets you through to the area with the district desks, and you follow the sign for your district.

6:50pm: When I arrived, there was no one there. I guess they were on dinner break. By this time it was about 2 hours after we pulled into the gate.

7:10pm: The staff came back.

I remember from 2020 that the staff there offered some packaged bread and water to take, and it was the same situation this time. A tiny bit of humanity in a very dehumanizing process. I thought it was cute that they used the White Rabbit candy 白兔糖 tins to put the bread in. (I re-read my post about arriving in Shanghai in 2020, and last time they gave the White Rabbit candy as well! I guess they had a lot of tins left over, but no more candy…)

Also to put their office supplies.

I think they called us up by order in which we filled out the Shanghai QR code forms. I could tell they were about to call my name, because they didn’t want to say it. They simply asked, if any one of us had come on the flight from the US. Several of us raised our hands. Then they asked us if one of us was traveling on a foreign passport. Well, that was me. So I went to the desk, scanned my QR code, and then filled out this form. I had already heard that we’d be doing 21 days in quarantine hotels, but the form still said it would be 14 days in a hotel, and then 7 days community health monitoring. I asked, do we go to the hotel for the last 7 days, and they just said it was community health monitoring. I asked, so I can go home then, and they said yes. I think they were smart to not tell me that that really wouldn’t be possible, in order to avoid disagreements with the passengers.

Because I also asked them which hotel I’d be sent to, and they said, “We don’t know yet.” Really?? Last time they told me right away that I’d be sent to the Jianguo Hotel, where “条件比较好” conditions are better. I’ll bet they knew where we’d be going, but again, I think in order to avoid conflicts with passengers, they just said they didn’t know. Because they probably knew there would be protests if we knew where we were going.

8:00pm: So after a sufficient number of people were processed, we followed one of the hazmat-suited people to the place where we got on a bus. Another district was in the process of walking by us, and one of our Xuhui residents said to the hazmat-suited staff, “Hey, wait a minute. Let the other group pass. You all look alike wearing those suits!” Which is very true. At this time, they still had our passports with them from the time we registered at the desk. So definitely did not want to get into a wrong group by mistake.

We lined up to scan our QR codes, and then lined up again to go to the bus. Last time a big sticker was printed out and affixed to our passport. That didn’t happen this time.

8:40pm: After an elevator ride downstairs, it was a short walk to a clean bus. This was very different from last time. Last time we walked a very long distance over broken road to get to a very dilapidated bus, where we had to sit a distance away from the driver.

Off we go, past the distinctive roadways of Pudong Airport. We still didn’t know where we were headed. This I felt was a very dehumanizing part of the experience. Bussed somewhere but not told the destination.

The Shanghai Tower and other skyscrapers of Pudong! So close, yet so far away.

9:25pm: I tracked our position on the map, and it seemed we were headed to my 2020 quarantine hotel, Jianguo Hotel. It wasn’t the perfect hotel, but I would have been happy to go back, because it was a known quantity, and as the staff last time said, the conditions were pretty decent compared to other places. But we stopped a few blocks short of Jianguo. At this time, I think we all checked up which hotel this was, and I could hear people making phone calls informing others which hotel we’d be staying at.