Nasi Lemak, biryani, and pasta are just some of the meals being served to people under two-week quarantine at hotels on Sentosa Island, according to one person who has been religiously journaling their daily meals.

While an 86-year-old woman became the fifth person to die of COVID-19 this morning, many others remain in quarantine. One is Instagram user @Shn.makan, who was ordered into isolation at high-end hotels after returning from abroad along with thousands of others. For the past seven days, he’s been posting minimalist photos his thrice-daily meals served in identical plastic trays, plus a few goodies acquired along the way.

While it can be a tad depressing to be stuck in a hotel room all alone and with minimal human interaction – not forgetting the lack of fresh air since many cannot open the windows – we can take comfort knowing they are at least well fed and enjoying a view of the island, including the Merlion statue.

“[P]hoto journal: 14-day Stay-Home Notice // 4-star hotel in Sentosa, Singapore // 3 square meals a day,” the account’s bio reads. The first post was March 27, which he describes as “Day 0.”

This insight into hotel quarantine diet shows guests have been served well-balanced meals so far, which most of them comprising a side of fruits, a packet of sweet drink, and snacks. Other than local foods like Nasi Lemak and biryani, there were also pasta and pastries.

While we may never know how they tasted – unfortunately, the Instagram user hasn’t shared such details – some of the boxes of breakfast, lunch, and dinner don’t look too bad, judging by the photos.

The Nasi Lemak, for example, which was served as breakfast on the fifth day, came with crispy fried chicken drumlets, sambal, a wedge of omelette and side of carrot cake.

View this post on Instagram Day 5: Breakfast A post shared by @ shn.makan on Mar 30, 2020 at 5:21pm PDT

Singapore’s Health Ministry on March 25 announced a mandatory, 14-day quarantine at hotels for those returning from the United States and United Kingdom, sources of a spike in imported cases. At the time, Singapore was seeing about 1,200 people enter daily from the two combined.

Other than Village Hotel Sentosa, the government has also booked rooms at Grand Park Orchard, Swissotel Stamford, as well as the Grand Hyatt which, yes, was linked to three previous cases.

Those affected by the rule were transported from the airport straight to the designated hotels, and into separate hotel rooms for the start of their 14-day stays, free of charge.

Family members are allowed to drop by the hotels — but not meet their loved ones — to deliver things like more personal belongings, extra snacks, or even some magazines to help them pass the time. For @Shn.makan, killing time meant photo journaling.

View this post on Instagram Day 2: Lunch A post shared by @ shn.makan on Mar 27, 2020 at 9:23pm PDT

Another meal of penne pasta, served as lunch on the second day, came with a generous amount of carbs and bolognese sauce, along with what looks like fried fish topped with mango salsa.

View this post on Instagram Day 4: Dinner A post shared by @ shn.makan on Mar 30, 2020 at 3:09am PDT

Dinner served on the fourth day was a mouth-watering serving of biryani and samosas.

@Shn.makan got a surprise on the third day: a packet of chicken rice from Boon Tong Kee along with a container of home-made soup delivered by his spouse.

But it’s not just food entering the hotel room – this guest also got more hotel toiletries and a National Geographic magazine from his godson.

“[S]o fortunate: a surprise care package (with a random @natgeo mag?) from some of my dearest friends and a very special young man—thank you all so much! I owe you one!” the post read.

There’s another week of quarantine to go for this Instagram user. We wish him and everyone else on stay-home (or hotel?) notices the best of health.

Imported infections have dipped in recent days following Singapore’s stricter travel measures. But local transmissions have, worryingly, been increasing.

Singapore reported 49 new cases yesterday, pushing the total number of confirmed infections to 1,049. Three new clusters of infections have emerged: the 24-hour Mustafa Centre shopping mall (six cases), a construction site at the upcoming Maxwell MRT station (five cases), and the Keppel Shipyard (three cases).

Another cluster at the SingPost Center shopping mall has grown to eight cases. A total of 23 people are currently in critical condition.

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