He is screaming and thumping the window again. Even at just 10 months old, my son seems to be acutely aware of and irritated by his separation from the real world, from fresh air and open spaces. After 14 days locked in a Perth hotel room, his reaction is understandable.
My wife and I have tried to keep him relaxed during the unsettling experience of doing the two-week hotel quarantine required of all Australians returning home from overseas.
Now, however, he’s had enough. We must hope that today, all three of us test negative for Covid-19. That’s the only way we’ll be released from quarantine, ending the oddest 15 days of our lives.
Getting home
I had been dreading this ordeal since March 28 when, from my mother’s house in Ireland, I read that my home country Australia was implementing this mandatory quarantine.
Eight days earlier, Australia had closed its national borders to limit the spread of the coronavirus. We were meant to fly back to Perth in late April, but with Ireland's coronavirus infections surging, we decided to bunker down until it was safer to complete the arduous 21-hour flight.
Eventually, in mid-June, we decided it was time to go home. But we had no idea just how taxing the next 15 days would be. Dublin Airport was pleasantly quiet and uncrowded, operating at less than 20 per cent of its usual capacity. There was, however, an obvious current of anxiety flowing through the passengers, many of whom would have been taking their first flight during the pandemic.
An anxious plane journey
Aboard the plane, my wife and I used dozens of antibacterial wipes to clean every millimetre of our seats. “It’s okay, the plane has just been fully disinfected,” a flight attendant told us, her voice muffled by a surgical mask and friendly gaze trapped behind plastic goggles. All on-board staff wore masks, goggles, gloves and a full-body protective suit.
Over and again, I looked at my boy sleeping in his bassinet and wondered if I had put his health at risk unnecessarily
This heavy-duty outfit was no doubt intended, in part to reassure passengers of their safety. And it did and it didn’t. The effort to protect themselves and their passengers was appreciated. At the same time, their strange appearance served as a regular reminder that what we were doing was dangerous. Over and again, I looked at my boy sleeping in his bassinet and wondered if I had put his health at risk unnecessarily.
While babies are widely believed to have a lower chance of contracting Covid-19, those who do get infected have a higher rate of severe illness than adults, according to the Mayo Clinic. We didn’t even have to leave Ireland, either. My wife and I are residents there and my mother would have let us stay with her as long as we wanted.
Driving our return to Australia had been my desire to enjoy the greater freedom on offer in Perth, where life was almost back to normal. I had placed us in this precarious situation.
Quarantine begins
By the time we landed in Perth, I was too exhausted to fret about anything but getting to our hotel. Prior to departing from Ireland, we had received only scant information about our quarantine from the Western Australian government.
It came as an enormous relief, then, when we arrived at the five-star Westin Hotel Perth to find we had connecting rooms, each of which was large and luxurious. That was especially important given it was illegal for us to leave our rooms, even to walk the corridors for exercise. Government-employed security guards were positioned on each floor of the hotel and the fine for stepping outside of your room is staggeringly high at Dh125,00AED.
As you can imagine, we stayed put. So did the more than 100 other people being quarantined in the same hotel at the same time. Western Australia has efficiently enforced this strict policy. That is not true of the state of Victoria, which is engulfed in scandal after it emerged that its current second wave of Covid-19 cases was due to failures in its hotel quarantine system.
In Victoria, about 30 per cent of people have left hotel quarantine without even being tested for Covid-19. There are also accusations of people leaving quarantine early and questionable behaviour by hotel security guards, including allowing them to mingle while they are supposed to be isolating.
The only scandalous thing that occurred at our hotel was the daily delivery to our rooms of consistently bland breakfasts and lunches. The dinners were not much better. But that’s a petty quibble considering that this plush accommodation and three meals a day were provided to us for free by the government. Given this generosity, and our sense that by quarantining we were helping to keep our state safe, resentment was never an issue.
Two weeks in
By the second week of our lockdown, however, my wife and I were stressed and dispirited. You can’t fully understand the value of fresh air and open space until they’re absent. I tried my best to work, writing several articles during quarantine. Still I felt lethargic, both physically and mentally. My wife admitted to feeling despondent and we both agonised over the health of our son.
We checked his temperature far more often that was necessary and over-reacted to his every cough and wail. In the second week of quarantine, our normally even-tempered child began to suffer strong mood swings. Instead of being greatly active – crawling, climbing, clutching at anything in sight – he became listless. He cried more in that week than he had in the previous month.
A testing time
By the time nurses arrived at our door to do our Covid-19 tests, on day 12, we were desperate. I craved the chance to watch my son playing in the oceanside park next to our Perth home, inhaling fresh air and returning to his lively self. On Day 14, the phone rang in my room. I composed myself and picked it up. “You all tested negative, so you’re free to go,” said the female concierge cheerily.
Not only were we finally free, but we were healthy. The gamble to take my family home, across the world amid a pandemic, had paid off.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20UAE%20men%E2%80%99s%20cricketer%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWhen%20he%20debuted%20against%20Bangladesh%20aged%2016%20years%20and%20314%20days%2C%20he%20became%20the%20youngest%20ever%20to%20play%20for%20the%20men%E2%80%99s%20senior%20team.%20He%20broke%20the%20record%20set%20by%20his%20World%20Cup%20squad-mate%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20of%2017%20years%20and%2044%20days.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20wicket-taker%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20taking%20the%20wicket%20of%20Bangladesh%E2%80%99s%20Litton%20Das%20on%20debut%20in%20Dubai%2C%20Aayan%20became%20the%20youngest%20male%20cricketer%20to%20take%20a%20wicket%20against%20a%20Full%20Member%20nation%20in%20a%20T20%20international.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20in%20T20%20World%20Cup%20history%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAayan%20does%20not%20turn%2017%20until%20November%2015%20%E2%80%93%20which%20is%20two%20days%20after%20the%20T20%20World%20Cup%20final%20at%20the%20MCG.%20If%20he%20does%20play%20in%20the%20competition%2C%20he%20will%20be%20its%20youngest%20ever%20player.%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20Mohammed%20Amir%2C%20who%20was%2017%20years%20and%2055%20days%20when%20he%20played%20in%202009%2C%20currently%20holds%20the%20record.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed%20Centre%20for%20Research
%3Cp%3EThe%20Zayed%20Centre%20for%20Research%20is%20a%20partnership%20between%20Great%20Ormond%20Street%20Hospital%2C%20University%20College%20London%20and%20Great%20Ormond%20Street%20Hospital%20Children%E2%80%99s%20Charity%20and%20was%20made%20possible%20thanks%20to%20a%20generous%20%C2%A360%20million%20gift%20in%202014%20from%20Sheikha%20Fatima%20bint%20Mubarak%2C%20Chairwoman%20of%20the%20General%20Women's%20Union%2C%20President%20of%20the%20Supreme%20Council%20for%20Motherhood%20and%20Childhood%2C%20and%20Supreme%20Chairwoman%20of%20the%20Family%20Development%20Foundation.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
