With the further easing of coronavirus-induced curbs in Maharashtra, some salons opened in Mumbai on Sunday after a gap of three months while many remained closed due to lack of manpower. The parlours and salons falling under the COVID-19 containment zones did not open. Salon owners, who opened their shops for restarting business, said they were adhering to the government's guidelines like checking temperatures of their customers, asking them to use hand sanitisers before entering the premises, and serving customers in small batches. Some, however, complained of low turnout, saying people were scared of availing salon services. The Maharashtra government earlier said salons and beauty parlours will be allowed to reopen from Sunday with restricted entry and <keyword id="9371558" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prior-appointments">prior appointments</keyword> for customers. A revised set of guidelines, issued as part of the government's 'Mission Begin Again' phase four, said only <keyword id="9478230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="select-services">select services</keyword> like hair cut and dyeing, waxing and threading will be allowed as of now in these outlets. <keyword id="3540366" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shailesh-Surve">Shailesh Surve</keyword>, owner of 'Make Over' salon in Worli, said they opened their facility but were allowing customers in small batches. "We are taking three customers each in time slots from 10 am to noon, 12 noon to 3 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm. Customers are approaching us for appointments, but we are not allowing everybody as we have to follow the government's norms," he said. Surve said they were recording the temperature of customers and providing them hand sanitisers on entering the premises. "We are using fresh towels for every customer and sanitising chairs used for haircuts. I opened my shop today at around 8 am and got a good response on the first day. We were sitting at home since the last three months, but now we can earn," he said. However, Irshad Khan, owner of a salon in suburban Santacruz, said he opened his outlet after three months but did not get the same response as he used to get on a Sunday earlier. "There was low turnout today...people are scared, hence they are avoiding visit to salon," he said. Parvez Ansari, a salon owner from <keyword id="6369995" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bandra-kurla-complex">Bandra-Kurla Complex</keyword> (BKC), said he did not open his facility due to lack of staff. "I have to keep my shop shut till my staff members do not return from their native places," he said. The state government in its notification on Thursday said skin-related services will not be allowed at present and this should be prominently displayed outside shops. "Employees must put protective gear, including gloves, aprons and masks. All workspace (chairs) must be sanitised after each service. Also, all common areas and floors must be sanitised after every two hours," it said. Disposal towels and napkins must be used on customers, while non-disposal equipment should be sanitised and sterilised after each service, the government order said. Each shop must put up a notice listing precautions for customers, the notification said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus">Coronavirus News and Updates</a>

Salons reopen in Mumbai today after 3 months; only select services allowed

<ul><li>Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, also sanitise using alcohol-based hand sanitiser. </li><li>Avoid sharing personal hygiene items like towels, utensils and clothes. </li><li>Seek medical advice in case of fever, cough and if you experience difficulty in breathing</li></ul><keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> or COVID-19, which has been spreading quickly, has killed 3,203 people and infected over 93,160 in around 65 countries. The rate at which it is spreading shows that the virus could be closer than it appears. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. With the deadly disease spreading quickly, here is the list of do’s and don’ts to protect yourself against coronavirus. The list has been compiled with the help of sources from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian Health Authorities. DO’s <ul><li>Wash your hands frequently or keep a sanitiser handy </li></ul>WHO recommends everyone to wash their hands frequently with soap and water to kill germs on hands which can make you fall sick. It also recommends keeping an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with oneself and thoroughly clean hands with it. <ul><li>Maintain social distancing </li></ul>Please don’t shake hands or hug someone who is ill. It is important to maintain a certain distance with people who are sick to protect yourself. When you shake hands or hug someone, the virus and bacteria on their body are transmitted to yours. WHO recommends maintaining at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance until the solution for the deadly virus is discovered. “When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain viruses. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease,” according to WHO. <ul><li>Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with bare hands </li></ul>Our hands touch many surfaces in our daily life, and the virus and bacteria are transmitted to our hands. Avoiding the contact of hands with eyes, nose and mouth restricts the virus from directly entering our body and making us fall sick. <ul><li> Cover your nose and mouth while sneezing and coughing </li></ul>Practise good sneezing and coughing habits by covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or a tissue to avoid spreading germs. Make sure you dispose off the tissue properly, to avoid others getting contaminated by that. “By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19,” says the WHO. <ul><li>Seek medical advice in case of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing </li></ul>Fever, cough, sneezing and difficulty in breathing are some of the common symptoms of coronavirus. Although the symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure, it is highly recommended to consult your GP or a family doctor to take precautions at an early stage. DON’Ts <ul><li>Avoid sharing personal hygiene items </li></ul>It is highly recommended not to share personal hygiene items like towels, soap and water bottles. Sharing personal things might transmit viruses and bacteria from one person to another and can make you fall sick. <ul><li>Keep travel plans to the minimum </li></ul>The deadly virus has spread over 65 countries, and the recently discovered coronavirus patients in India had a travel history from Italy and Dubai. The Indian government ministry of health has issued a detailed travel advisory for international travelers, available <a href="https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Consolidated%20Travel%20advisory%20to%20travelers%20Updated%2026-02-2020.pdf">here</a>. It is highly recommended to follow the guideline to protect yourself from the deadly disease. <ul><li>Taking medicine without consulting a practitioner </li></ul>Although the symptoms of COVID-19 are as common as regular cold and cough, it is advisable to consult a medical practitioner and not to take medicines without proper guidance. More information related to coronavirus is available on <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public">the WHO</a> and ministry of health <a href="https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Consolidated%20Travel%20advisory%20to%20travelers%20Updated%2026-02-2020.pdf">website</a>.

Coronavirus: Do’s and Don’ts for protection against COVID-19

<keyword id="6359960" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="amravati">Amravati</keyword>, The <keyword id="10396256" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Left-and-Congress-Parties">Left and Congress parties</keyword>' leaders are participating in the <keyword id="6379373" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharat-bandh">Bharat Bandh</keyword> (nationwide strike) called by <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword> on Tuesday in Vijayawada. Along with their cadres, a few leaders held their party flags while Congress supporters wore their tricolour 'kanuvas' (towels) as they demonstrated in front of the Vijayawada bus station. "He has to take back all his <keyword id="2312218" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Corporate-policies">corporate policies</keyword>. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is twisting everything and talking. Modi's ways will not be allowed henceforth. It has reached a peak. His ways are for the benefit of corporates," said a Left leader protesting in the city. He said "Rs 62 lakh crore worth agriculture business has been handed over to big corporates at a time when farmers lost their income due to Coronavirus". Commenting on the alleged facility of enabling farmers to sell their wares anywhere, the protesting leader said farmers are not getting the same price in different states. He cited the example of corn not fetching the price it got in <keyword id="37102" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword> compared to Bihar. "What price we are getting in Andhra Pradesh is not coming in the places where it has been privatised. His (Modi's) arguments are aimed at covering his mistakes," said the communist party leader. Similarly, senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Ramakrishna demanded that these farms bills should be withdrawn in the coming days. "These options of buying anywhere and selling anywhere is for the corporates to hoard and sell at any cost," said Ramakrishna. He alleged that Modi is working for the benefit of corporates. "All over the country farmers and others are participating in the bandh. People from all walks of life are voluntarily extending support," he said. However, there is not much influence of the nationwide strike in villages near Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. All the shops are open for business in villages like Seesali, Kalla, Kallakuru, Doddanapudi Chinnapulleru and others. All educational institutions will be shut in the southern state on Tuesday while APSRTC buses will not run till 1 p.m. Similarly, government offices will open after 1 p.m. On Monday, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said the state government will allow peaceful farmers' protest. He highlighted that several rounds of talks have already been held between the Centre and farmers' unions on new agriculture bills and hoped that a solution could be found soon to allay farmers' fears on minimum support price. "Our party (YSRCP) believes that if the farmer prospers the state and nation will prosper and ours is a farmer-friendly government," Kannababu added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-ril-maruti-suzuki-nmdc-sbi-ongc-eicher-motors-likhitha-infrastructure-tata-consumer-and-others/articleshow/79600409.cms">Top stocks to watch — RIL, Maruti Suzuki, NMDC, SBI, ONGC, Eicher Motors, Likhitha Infrastructure, Tata Consumer, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/petrol-is-less-than-a-rupee-away-from-being-more-expensive-than-it-has-ever-been-for-indian-consumers/articleshow/79601841.cms">Petrol is less than a rupee away from being more expensive than it has ever been for Indian consumers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stock-movers-ongc-hdfc-bank-nmdc-pfizer-spicejet-indigo-irctc-tata-chemicals-and-others/articleshow/79602525.cms">Top stock movers — ONGC, HDFC Bank, NMDC, Pfizer, SpiceJet, IndiGo, IRCTC, Tata Chemicals, and others</a>

Left, Congress parties participate in Bharat Bandh in Andhra Pradesh

(Eds: Adds fresh updates) Chennai, Jun 12 (): Tamil Nadu crossed the 40,000 mark in the number of COVID-19 infections on Friday, with the state reporting a record high of 1,982 cases in a single day and 18 more people succumbing to the virus. Authorities said over 40 health personnel mostly doctors working in government-run medical college hospitals here have tested positive for the virus. There are five medical college hospitals including the ESI hospital in the state sector in Chennai to which a string of health facilities like the Royapettah Hospital are attached. Greater Chennai Corporation said FIRs have been registered against 40 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in the city for venturing out of their homes flouting isolation norms. Despite advisory against going out of home while being treated for COVID-19 in home isolation, they went out of their residences creating scope for other people to get infected, the GCC said. Strict action will be taken against positive patients violating home isolation norms by filing complaints against them with the police, the civic body said. The total number of cases, meanwhile, now stood at 40,698 and the 18 deaths took the toll to 367, the Health department said in a bulletin. Tamil Nadu also saw the number of those discharged recording a new high on Friday with 1,342 people getting cured from the virus cumulatively leading to 22,047 till date. Chennai continued to lead in the number of people testing positive among districts by registering 1,477 more infections, totalling 28,924 so far, the bulletin said. Among the total of 28,924 positive cases in Chennai, 14,723 have got cured while there were 13,906 active cases in the city. Of the 1,982 newly infected, 49 were those who arrived in the state from various destinations in India and abroad. The state also saw 18,231 people tested on Friday leading to a total of 6,73,906 people till date. The number of active cases, including those in isolation was 18,281 in the state, the bulletin said. Among the 18 people who died on Friday, 10 were from government hospitals while eight in private healthcare institutions. A 38-year old man from the city breathed his last due to respiratory failure and 'multi-organ dysfunction' syndrome while 17 others who died were suffered from co-morbidities, including 'diabetes mellitus'. Chennai also ranked on top in the number of deaths, accounting for 294 of the 367 in the state. Those infected below the age of 12 years were 2,097 while people, aged above 60 who tested positive for COVID-19 numbered 4,559. Those aged between 13 and 60 constituted the majority of COVID-19 cases at 34,042 till date, the bulletin said. The health department advised people to adhere to health and travel advisories issued by the state government. The public should also cover their faces with handkerchiefs or towels while coughing and frequently wash their hands with soap and water, it said. VIJ COR VGN SS

COVID-19: TN case count tops 40,000, civic body files FIRs against patients violating home isolation norms

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Reeves Wiedeman is a business journalist whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and other major publications.</li><li>The following is an <keyword id="1591634" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Excerpt">excerpt</keyword> from his new book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Billion-Dollar-Loser-Spectacular-Neumann/dp/0316461369">Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork.</a>"</li><li>In it, Wiedeman shares a glimpse into Neumann's extensive list of accommodations for his VIP campsite at <keyword id="2918346" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="WeWork">WeWork</keyword>'s 2018 Summer Camp in London, a retreat where all 6,000 of WeWork's employees gathered after the company secured a $1 billion investment from SoftBank. </li><li>Wiedeman vividly chronicles the cofounder's ambitious vision and aspirations for WeWork, including solving world hunger, rescuing orphans and abused children, and helping minorities. </li><li>"For those attending their first Summer Camp, the crowd had a strange energy, erupting into a cheer of 'Olé, olé, olé' when the three founders appeared onstage. An employee from India started chanting, 'Let's go, WeWork, let's go!' Another, from California, screamed, 'You're changing the world, Adam!'"</li></ul>No one knew that WeWork's 2018 Summer Camp would be its last, but there was plenty to celebrate: SoftBank had just agreed to invest an additional $1 billion in the company. WeWork flew its six thousand employees to London, hired Lorde to perform, and had to quickly find replacement food trucks to meet the company's new dietary restrictions.<div type="image" title="Billion Dollar Loser" height="2600" width="1677" msid="78835658" hostid="261"></div>Employee accommodations remained humble — air mattresses in tents — but a pair of campsites was set aside for the company's founders, with only those holding a VIP wristband allowed to access them. WeWork's event team had a one-page list of requests for Miguel's campsite: a fire pit, some Popchips, and enough beer, wine, and coconut water to last the long weekend.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/employees-inside-adam-neumanns-wework-reveal-a-wild-culture-2019-9?r=wework-lp">Sex, tequila, and a tiger: Employees inside Adam Neumann's WeWork talk about the nonstop party to attain a $100 billion dream and the messy reality that tanked it</a>Adam and Rebekah had a longer list. The Neumanns had flown to Summer Camp on WeWork's brand-new Gulfstream jet, which the company had purchased for more than $60 million at Adam's behest under an LLC called Wildgoose I. Adam and Rebekah's list of items to be stocked in their Summer Camp compound went on for three and a half pages.<h2>Accommodation &amp; Compound</h2><ul><li>Standard Tent House Suite via Raj Style</li><li>Heating</li><li>A/C (3 aircon units)</li><li>1 king bed (+ mattress pad)</li><li>4 twin beds (2 in each of 2 rooms)</li><li>1 crib</li><li>1 high chair</li><li>Towels, blankets, citronella candles</li><li>4 Vienna Two Seater + chairs (for 12)</li><li>8 Picnic tables for 40 people</li><li>1 Stockholm large coffee table</li><li>2 fridges</li><li>2 fire bowls</li><li>1 Woodsman's awning</li><li>RV</li></ul><h2>Transport</h2><ul><li>3 buggies (two for our office team, 1 set aside for family) — dinosaur themed</li><li>1 buggy for WW security team</li><li>1 Shuttle bus to bring wristband guests to and from the main arena</li><li>Signature Range Rover for Rebekah/Adam use</li><li>Mercedes V Class </li></ul><h2>Staffing</h2><ul><li>24/7 security guard </li><li>2 24/7 drivers </li><li>2 dedicated bartenders</li></ul><h2>Supplies</h2><ul><li>4 cocktail shakers </li><li>At least 400 plastic shot glasses — bring extra from the office</li><li>Plastic cups</li><li>Thick paper plates</li><li>Wooden utensils</li><li>Paper towels</li><li>Straws (sealed in paper)</li><li>6 wine keys</li><li>6 bottle openers</li><li>4 Aesop Geranium Hand Soap</li><li>4 Aesop Gardenia Shower Gel</li><li>4 Aesop Gardenia Shampoo</li><li>4 Aesop Gardenia Conditioner</li><li>Printer</li></ul>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-settlement-woman-threatened-expose-claims-drugs-sex-real-estate-2020-2">WeWork paid over $2 million in cash to a woman who threatened to expose claims of sex, illegal drugs, and discrimination in a horrifying 50-page document</a><h2>Market</h2><ul><li>Sliced red peppers x 6</li><li>Cucumbers x 6</li><li>Platter of fresh sliced fruit (two per day) </li><li>Nuts (unsalted)<ul><li>Cashews x 3</li><li>Pistachios x 3</li><li>Almonds x 3</li><li>Walnuts x 3</li></ul></li><li>SkinnyPop popcorn (12 packs)</li><li>Lemons x 10</li><li>Limes x 30</li><li>LaCroix Lime 6 packs x 4</li><li>Hot Water — or the ability to get boiling water — ideally having an electric tea kettle setup</li><li>Dairy-free Oatmeal packets</li><li>Dates x 3</li><li>Sugar Free Red Bull 12 pack x 3</li><li>Regular Red Bull 12 pack x 3</li><li>Ice</li><li>Ginger root</li><li>Chocolate bars</li><li>Edamame packets</li><li>Kind Bars</li><li>Guacamole singles</li><li>Peanut butter squeeze packets</li><li>Tea<ul><li>Chamomile</li><li>Hibiscus</li><li>Peppermint</li><li>Mother's Milk</li></ul></li><li>Filtered Water</li><li>Fresh squeezed orange juice</li><li>Oat milk or soy milk</li><li>Wasa Multigrain</li><li>Wasa Crisp 'n Light</li><li>Wasa Light Rye cracker x 4</li><li>Sliced green apples</li><li>Organic fresh-pressed peanut butter</li><li>Mixed berry jelly</li><li>Avocado</li><li>Crudite platters (whatever veggies are fresh)</li><li>Heirloom tomatoes</li><li>Fresh basil</li><li>Fresh mozzarella</li><li>Extra virgin olive oil</li><li>Vegetarian sushi rolls</li><li>Baguette</li><li>Salt and pepper (in the grinders)</li><li>Health Warrior Pumpkin seed bar packages x 3</li><li>Enlightened Broad Beans (snack pack size) x 6</li><li>RX Bars variety pack x 3</li></ul>The rider ended with a list of alcohol requests that could have covered most of an entry-level WeWork salary, beginning with two bottles of Highland Park 30-year-old single-malt Scotch — retailing at $1,000 each — and concluding with a request from Rebekah for the ingredients necessary to make Bellinis, mimosas, and white wine sangria.<h2>Booze</h2><ul><li>Highland Park 30 yrs x 2</li><li>17 year Hibiki x 1</li><li>3 Hibiki Harmony</li><li>18 year Macallan x 4</li><li>Stoli Elit / Tito's x 24</li><li>12 cases of Don Julio 1942</li><li>16 bottles Kosher red wine (Chateau Pontet-Canet 2003)</li><li>8 bottles Kosher red wine (Petit Castel 2014)</li><li>24 bottles Kosher white wine (Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey Sauternes 2014)</li><li>72 bottles of Peroni</li><li>72 bottles of Heineken</li><li>72 bottles of Corona Light</li></ul>One afternoon at camp, WeWork's employees were herded toward the Creator Stage, coaxed along by a small marching band playing the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" on an endless loop. Adam, Miguel, and Rebekah were scheduled to host a panel; the vegetarian food trucks were told to hold off on serving meals, leaving their employees to fend off desperate bribes from drunk and hungry WeWorkers.For those attending their first Summer Camp, the crowd had a strange energy, erupting into a cheer of "Olé, olé, olé" when the three founders appeared onstage. An employee from India started chanting, "Let's go, WeWork, let's go!" Another, from California, screamed, "You're changing the world, Adam!"Neumann had certainly come to believe in his ability to do just that."The influence and impact that we are going to have on this earth is going to be so big," he said, wearing a T-shirt that read let's meat in the middle.A few weeks earlier, after the shocking news that both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain had died by suicide, Adam had stood up at a company town hall and told his employees that if they were ever feeling depressed or suicidal they should reach out to him directly. At Summer Camp, he relayed what he described as good news: One of his employees had done just that, and was in the crowd today, doing fine.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-second-quarter-financial-results-membership-numbers-2020-8?r=wework-lp">WeWork nabbed a fresh $1.1 billion in financing from SoftBank as the coworking giant's membership dropped</a>As he had on other occasions, Adam shared some of the difficulties of his childhood, and he and Rebekah expressed a desire to solve the problems plaguing children in even less fortunate situations. "One of my biggest dreams for We," Rebekah told the crowd, "is that we'll be able to build communities around the world where children who are not in the right situation could come and live forever, basically."Adam jumped in. "There are 150 million orphans in this world today," he said. "If we do the work right, we could wake up one day and say, 'We want to solve the problem of children without parents in this world' — and do it, within two years.""And children who are in abusive situations," Rebekah said.Adam agreed. "Then we can go to any minority, and anyone who is weaker, who is getting taken advantage of by someone who is more powerful," he said. "And from that we can go to world hunger. There's so many topics that we can take one by one, and we will be able to tackle anything that we set our minds to."Rebekah went on to express her gratitude to Adi Neumann, who was in the crowd, for funding Adam's early life back in New York. "You helped him create the biggest family in the world," Rebekah said. "A big part of being a woman is to help men manifest their calling in life."From the book "Billion Dollar Loser" by Reeves Wiedeman. Copyright © 2020 by Reeves Wiedeman. Reprinted by permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY. All rights reserved.<div type="image" title="Reeves Wiedeman (Credit Makayla Booker)" height="1602" width="2136" msid="78835662" hostid="261"></div>Reeves Wiedeman is a contributing editor at New York magazine, and has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Harper's, Men's Journal, and other publications. He lives in Brooklyn but still calls Kansas City home.

Cases of Don Julio 1942 and a signature Range Rover: Here's an inside look at Adam Neumann's wild list of must-haves for WeWork's rowdy all-staff summer sleepaway party

Home Depot execs reveal why the retailer is doubling down on home decor, how it built billion-dollar brands, and what it got wrong about millennials

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Andrea Goh and around 400 other people were placed in the <keyword id="113289" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Shangri-La">Shangri-La</keyword> hotel in <keyword id="6356662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="singapore">Singapore</keyword> for 14 days when they landed back in the country.</li><li>The day before she returned, the government passed a law that said anyone returning to the country would have to <keyword id="58679" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Quarantine">quarantine</keyword> in a hotel for two weeks due to the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic.</li><li>When Goh saw she would be living in the five-star resort, she thought it wasn't bad at all.</li><li>She really enjoyed her stay and vlogged the experience for anyone who was worried about going through the same thing.</li><li>The 400 or so residents became a community, she said, having Zoom parties, playing music on their balconies, and watching video lessons through the hotel's Facebook page.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Andrea Goh was anxious about what would await her back in Singapore, her home country, as she was boarding a flight back at the end of March. She was travelling back in case she needed to seek medical treatment during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving her life and boyfriend behind in London."I was personally very afraid," she told Insider. "I was like, 'Oh my God, will we be stuck in army barracks or bunk bed situations?' I think I was quite worried, but in the end it turned out be the total opposite of what I was expecting."The day before she flew, the government had announced everyone coming back to the country from the UK or US would have to be in quarantine at a hotel for 14 days. Goh was uncertain about what that meant until she saw the words "Shangri-La" on the document handed to her at the airport and breathed a sigh of relief.<h2>A government-funded quarantine</h2>Goh was escorted to <a href="http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/rasasentosaresort/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort &amp; Spa</a> on Sentosa Island in Singapore, a five-star beachfront resort with six restaurants and bars, a landscape garden, pool, and spa which normally costs around $250 for a standard room per night. Over 400 people were put in rooms there during Goh's stay.A two-week stay should have cost about $3,500, but the Singaporean government fronted the costs for everyone placed in the Shangri-La and other <keyword id="6368036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hotels">hotels</keyword>."A lot of people in Singapore have been saying 'this is tax payer money, so why are we putting people up in luxury hotels?'" said Goh. "But what I've heard is the hotels don't make anything. They are just covering the cost of maintaining the property."The government pays for food and labor, which is usually paid hourly, she said. It will go some way to helping <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-28/in-singapore-quarantine-comes-with-a-sea-view-and-room-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Singapore's hotel industry, which has taken a battering</a> during the pandemic."If no one is staying in these hotels, these people won't get paid," she said. "So it has created jobs."<h2>Vlogging the hotel experience</h2>When Goh got to her hotel room, a lot of her friends started asking her the same questions: What was the hotel like, what could she do there, did they provide her with food? And so on. So Goh <a href="https://youtu.be/9MA6TWH4QCY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided to answer them all at once by vlogging the duration of her stay</a>.She started filming at the airport and then uploaded a video every day to show her friends what she was up to. She also wanted to provide information to anyone who was coming back to Singapore unsure of what to expect.Not everyone experiencing the mandatory two week quarantine will get a hotel as fancy as a five-star Shangri-La, so Goh appreciates how lucky she was. She had a room with a balcony facing the South China Sea, had $20 of free laundry service a day, and was given meals catered by the Shangri-La chefs.She said she stuck to what she was given rather than ordering room service because she liked not having to plan her meals."It actually relieved a lot of pressure from having to think about what to eat next," she said. "I don't know if anyone else had that thought. It was actually freeing in a sense."She also got to spend a lot of time painting and drawing — anything that would distract her from starting her PhD thesis on architectural policy.It wasn't exactly a holiday, though, as immigration control would text the residents every day and ask them to share their location. The hotel also had surveillance on every corridor to make sure nobody was wandering around.Goh said the guests and the hotel staff all became a community thanks to a Facebook group they were all invited to. Everyone could chat with each other and set up Zoom calls, take part in "happy hours," and give the hotel some feedback."One of the things I asked was 'who are these people who are putting food at my door and calling me to check if I'm OK?'" Goh said. "Every day we'd get a phone call from the front desk to ask each of us how we were feeling and what our temperature was. So I just really wanted to see who these people calling me, leaving food outside my room, doing laundry were."<h2>'It slowly formed a community'</h2>The hotel then set up special classes for everyone to join to introduce them to some of the staff. The chefs showed them how to cook pizzas and Madeleines, while the housekeepers demonstrated how to make animal shapes out of the towels."It slowly formed a community of the other residents," Goh said. "We never saw a lot of the other residents, except for our direct neighbors, but we started chatting and knowing each other more. It was so funny to engage with people I had never seen face to face before."Every night at 8 p.m., Singaporeans currently go outside and clap for healthcare workers — a trend that is occurring all across the globe.One evening, while everyone was out on their balconies, one of the hotel guests started playing the violin."Most of us could hear it on our side but I couldn't even tell which direction it was coming from," said Goh. "And then there was a guy playing a Chinese flute, and both of them would come out and play every evening after that."<h2>In Singapore the lockdown is called a 'circuit breaker'</h2>Singapore had a rather different reaction to the coronavirus pandemic than countries like the UK and US, Goh said. For starters the social distancing measures are called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.sg/singapores-circuit-breaker-has-been-extended-till-june-1-more-workplaces-to-be-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a "circuit breaker"</a> rather than a "lockdown.""I think when they did pass the law, the word 'lockdown' sounded too severe and very jarring, like it was removing your freedom," said Goh. "So they avoided using the word 'lockdown' in all their speeches and all their televised conferences. It was always called the circuit breaker because it's breaking the trend of the virus."While the country has kept its public transmission numbers of the virus relatively low, with just over 11,000 cases, Goh hopes it will bring awareness to the many foreign construction workers from Bangladesh, China, and India who are living in cramped and unsanitary dormitories and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.sg/60-of-singapores-covid-19-cases-are-workers-living-in-dorms-and-those-who-recover-could-be-housed-on-cruise-ships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported to make up 60% of the country's coronavirus cases</a>.Everyone coming back to the country from abroad is made comfortable in hotels and treated really well, she said, while foreign workers are living in tight conditions that are a catalyst for the spread of COVID-19."Out of the 400 of those cases that were reported yesterday, only 44 were within the public," she said. 'The rest were in these dormitories. So the Prime Minister did say that we are as strong as our weakest link, and at the moment this is our weakest link. So I hope that this whole thing shines some light on how these foreign workers are living in Singapore."<h2>Saying goodbye</h2>When her 14 days were up, it was time for Goh to leave the Shangri-La. She said she and a lot of the friends she had made during her stay were sad to be leaving when they said their goodbyes on a final Zoom call. She said some of them have made a plan to go back to the hotel one day when the pandemic is over, and all stay in the same rooms they were assigned to during the quarantine."I was quite sad leaving because I started to become very comfortable with the living situation," she said. "Even though I was on my own I never felt completely alone."Goh opened her door and was greeted by one of the staff members of the hotel, who would guide her and some other guests down to the lobby."He just shouted, 'Welcome home guys,' and I almost cried," she said. "I don't know why but it was so overwhelming."Goh said she almost forgot what was going on in the world while she was at Shangri-La because she was absorbed in her art and the little community she had made. While she really enjoyed being able to switch off from everything, she did like the freedom of being in the real world again."It was the start of the circuit breaker for all households in Singapore so we went from one quarantine to another quarantine," she said. "But at least there were other people around. And nothing beats your own bed. And your own toilet."Read more:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-singapore-lost-control-second-wave-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How Singapore went from being applauded for its coronavirus response to facing an alarming second wave with thousands of new cases</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-singapore-map-shows-spread-worst-hit-outside-china-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This alarming map shows where the Wuhan coronavirus has spread in Singapore, the worst-hit country outside of China</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/seed-pod-rooms-rainforest-eco-resort-2019-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At this eco-friendly resort, you can sleep in 'seed-pod' rooms and help make 'food puzzles' for elephants in the rainforest</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/woman-vlogs-free-quarantine-stay-at-shangri-la-hotel-singapore-2020-4">Insider</a>

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