■ 8月のコラム
■■ 先端エネルギー工学専攻
■■■ 田辺博士准教授
皆さんこんにちは、先端エネルギー工学専攻の田辺です。
毎日暑い日が続きますね。炎天下の外出時のマスク制限緩和等も始まる一方コロナは相変わらず一進一退、今年こそ…からwithコロナも3年目に入りました。感染者数は相変わらずの様相ですが、渡航制限その他は少しずつ緩和が始まり、海外出張再開の試みをされる方も少しずつ出てきている頃でしょうか。こちらの研究室では、同渡航制限緩和に合わせ、ある国際学会が対面のみ開催となったことをきっかけに、2022年5月からおそるおそる海外出張を再開しました。日本からの出国前、現地からの帰国前の各種証明書取得手続きのほか、6月からは撤廃となりましたが帰国時検疫での陽性発覚からの隔離生活等、いろいろと平時にはない珍しい経験をすることになりましたので、この場を借りてレポートしてみたいと思います(今後出張再開記事はたくさん出てくると思いますので、ここではコロナ関連の話題に絞って記載します)。
陰性証明書取得等の出張準備
6月から緩和されましたので、この記事が配信される頃には状況がまた変わっているかもしれませんが、5月出張段階では、
● 海外出張3週間前までの学内タスクフォース申請、承認
●ワクチン接種証明書のアップロード
●米国派遣前1日前以降に発行された陰性証明書取得、事前アップロード、当日持参
の3点が必要でした(現在、陰性証明は6/12から緩和)。学会出張時、平時の感覚で日曜出発、日曜着、月曜から学会参加のスケジュールで出発しましたが、市区町村の無料PCR検査の陰性証明書不可、土日休みや結果がわかるまで時間がかかるところも多く、やや高額でも即日発行できるところでないと、アップロード後にその陰性証明書では無効と言われるとまずい…ということで出張準備に平時よりもややお金がかかる形での準備となりました。
帰国準備
日本への帰国時は、ワクチン証明書と帰国便の72時間前までに取得した陰性証明書が必要で、検査方法等は日本政府指定方法でなければならず、同フォームに記入してくれるところでの検査推奨で高額…との噂がありましたが、これについては現地無料PCR検査で問題ありませんでした。一点注意は、現地無料PCR検査は、米国内の保険加入者番号の照会があることです。最初使えないのかと思いましたが、ダメ元で海外旅行保険は使えるか聞いて見たところ、これでOKとのことで、陰性証明書は現地フォームでの発行のみですが、無事発行してもらうことができました。巷のblog等でいろいろな噂が流れていますが、帰国の場合は72時間の余裕がありますので、試しにアップロードしてみてダメであれば当日空港で…ぐらいに構えておくとちょうど良いというのが今回の手応えでした。日本政府指定の書類アップロード用のMYSOSアプリは日本人スタッフのいない現地空港でも浸透しているようで、現地職員の方からも普通にMYSOSの画面見せてと言われて驚きました。
帰国後空港検疫と隔離所への移送
帰国便も無事に羽田に到着し、あとは空港検疫をクリアすれば…というところでしたが、残念ながらここで田辺は陽性判定が出てしまい、隔離生活に入りました。ワクチン3回の効果でほぼ無症状でしたが、やはりかかる時はかかってしまうようです。当時5月はまだ帰国時検疫が本格的に行われていた時期で、飛行機を降りると全員が検疫ルートにまわる時期で、1時間くらいかけて様々な窓口をまわって最後に唾液を採取、区役所の番号呼び出し掲示板のようなものの前で結果待ちの待機、陰性であれば手荷物を回収して帰宅、陽性であればパーティションの外側の別ルートへ…の形式でした。電光掲示板でなかなか呼び出されず、自分の番号が100番以上飛ばされて「あれれ？」と思っていると、再検査にまわりましたとお達しがあり、その後ピンポンパンポンと呼び出しがあり陽性確定(空港到着から2時間後くらい?)。裏には隔離決定者の待機場所があり、空港検疫陽性の場合は自宅での隔離は不可で隔離所指定ホテルへそのまま移送となります。隔離先が確定するまで1時間ほど(自分では選べません)、検査結果通知エリアのパーティションの奥で待機となり、まわりに他にも何人か隔離決定して落ち込んでいる人を横目に、幸い飛行機の隣席に人がいなくて良かったと思いつつ、もろもろ連絡すべき方に連絡。隔離決定後は手荷物エリアには移動できませんが、国際線に乗る際に預けた手荷物は係の方が回収してくれました。隔離先が決まると、シャトルバス(隔離用に完全養生されたバン)で隔離所へ移送されます。窓は全てフロントガラス以外は見えないようになっており、いったい自分はどこに移送されるのだろう…と不安になりつつ、隔離所へ移送されていきます。
隔離生活
隔離所に到着すると、まず問診と体温測定、酸素飽和度測定、簡単な問診の後、手荷物の中のカミソリ等の刃物やお土産のアルコール没収等が行われます(帰る時に返してもらえます)。隔離生活の案内等が一通り完了すると、自分の隔離部屋までは一人で向かうよう指示され、部屋到着後は許可が出るまで部屋内隔離の生活が始まります。基本的に無症状であれば診察や検査は無く、1日2回決められた時間に健康報告(体温・酸素飽和度測定、15件ほどの健康関連アンケート回答)のみ、報告を忘れると部屋に電話がかかってきます。食事は朝8時、昼12時、夜6時の3回、隔離部屋の外に置き配でお弁当の配達があり、配膳が完了すると放送が入り、それぞれマスクをつけて扉を開き、食事を受け取ります。食事は隔離所ホテルのものではなく、近隣の個人飲食店と思われるところからの仕出し弁当方式で、特に隔離者から内容は選べませんが、日替わりで別のお店からのお弁当が届きます(隔離所が銀座だったため仕出し弁当はかなり豪華、お酒のつまみに最高な献立だけどお酒は没収…)。部屋はベッド、テレビ、洗面所、シャワー室(バスタブなし)、トイレの一般的なビジネスホテルの様相で、特に隔離所だからといって特別仕様になることはなく、感覚は通常のホテル滞在に近いでしょうか(※ただし、洗濯機は部屋の外にあり使えないので洗濯は手洗い)。
隔離生活は、基本的にベッドで休んでいるかテレワークしているか洗面所/風呂/トイレの往復程度のため、出張疲れで疲労困憊の前半はゆっくり休んでそれなりに快適ですが(御飯が完全に健常者向けの献立なのが気になる程度?)、後半元気が回復してくるとやはり行動範囲の制限がきいてきて隔離生活に飽きてきます。部屋には膝くらいの高さのカフェテーブルくらいしかないため、テレワークは基本前傾姿勢、だんだんと腰痛も加わり、部屋に置いてあったヨガプログラムの無料視聴案内が気になり始めます。試しに受けてみましたが、どうやらこの内容は入所者が精神を病まないように心を静めるプログラム構成になっているようで、30分コースのうち後半15分はたっぷり瞑想の構成、そのままこっくりこっくりと寝落ち、期待した運動不足解消はかなわず、このあたりでシャワー室のみでバスタブが無いお部屋がつらくなってきます(隔離体験者blog等で、しばしば隔離ガチャという言葉が出てきました)。趣味の和太鼓の素振りをしてみたり、地元の夏祭りの踊りの練習をしてみたり、限られたスペースでできる運動は何かないかと、体を動かしてみる生活が続きます。
※長期でホテル隔離が続くと予算が気になってきますが、空港検疫で隔離ホテルにそのまま移送されるケースでは、日数によらず自己負担無しとのことでした。
隔離解除
最初案内を読んだ時、無症状の方は7日目も特に症状がなければ最短で8日目に隔離解除…とあったので、ほとんど自覚症状無しに近かったこともあり8日目解除を期待していましたが、なんとここで誤算。7日目に何か検査を受けて8日目解除が決まるのでは無く、隔離解除の判定基準は毎日の健康報告。陽性判定もあったので、思い当たることは何でも詳細に報告…と、隔離初頭に体に感じた違和感の他(鼻がいつもよりかたいような? 喉が若干いがいが? 等)、時差ボケ由来の疲労感まで詳細に記録を続けていたところ、「＊＊日まで健康報告のチェックと書き込みがありましたね」、ということで無症状7日の開放日カウントはそこからスタートということが判明。隔離期間ほぼ全日元気に活動できていたはずが、結局月曜入所から翌週の土曜日まで2週間近い隔離の後、ようやく解放となりました。
※隔離解除時、隔離先ではPCR検査無しでした(無症状確認から一週間おいたので検査不要という方式のようです)。完全隔離後とはいえ、一度陽性になったのに検査無しはちょっと…ということで、最終チェックで出所当日帰宅前と数日後にもう一度即日結果の出るPCR検査を受けて最終確認、全ての禊が終わってようやく一安心でした。
隔離を終えて
よく漫画やドラマ等で、収容所から出てくると「シャバの空気」と出てきますが、隔離生活を終えるとまさにそんな気分となりました。世の中いろんなことが起きているけれど、いいお天気のもと外を歩けるだけで幸せ、そんな境地になりました(土曜日出所で、いろいろ慌てなくて良かったのもあるかもしれませんが)。隔離所からの出所時は、海外出張からそのまま持ってきている荷物もたくさんありますが、重たい荷物を持って歩くのも楽しい、信号待ちしている時間も新鮮、電車の中で立っている時間もなんだか嬉しい、外が暑くて汗がじりじり出てくるのもまた良し、職場復帰してトイレまでの廊下の距離が多少あるのもなんだかわくわく、いつも見慣れた光景もなんだか輝いて見える、そんな状況でした。学内に濃厚接触者を出して被害が広がっていたら大変だったのでしょうが、今回は陰性確認後海外に行って現地でも陰性確認してからの帰国時陽性だったこともあって、幸い感染後の報告まわりではあまり苦労することもなく、周りの方にいろいろとお気遣いいただき、温かい気持ちになるという感染経験となりました。二度と経験したくはないですが、日々の当たり前の生活の中の幸せの再発見もあり、これはこれで貴重な体験となりました。
以上、長くなってしまいましたが、昨今タイムリーな話題ということで、今回はこちらの話題でのリレーコラムとさせていただきました。ワクチン3回打ってもかかってしまうのはちょっと怖気づいてしまいそうですが、今後海外出張再開される方向けの渡航/帰国手続きの体験記録や、万一感染してしまった場合の隔離生活の記録など、何か参考になるところがあれば幸いです。
Hello everyone, this is Tanabe from the Department of Advanced Energy.
The hot days are continuing. While easing the restrictions on masks when hanging out under scorching sun, the infection of corona virus is still going up and down. This year is the third year since the outbreak of the corona virus. The number of infected people seems to be the same as before, but it seems that travel restrictions and other restrictions are gradually easing, and some people are gradually trying to resume overseas business trips. In line with the easing of travel restrictions, an international academic conference was held face-to-face only, thus I tentatively resumed overseas business trips from May 2022. In addition to procedures for obtaining various certificates before leaving Japan and before returning for home, quarantine policy after being found positive has been abolished since June. Since I’ve had a lot of unusual experiences that I don’t have before, I’d like to share my experience with you. (I think there will be many articles about resuming business trips in the future, so here I will focus on corona-related topics.)
Preparation for business trips such as obtaining a negative certificate
Although the situation may have changed again by the time this article is released as the restriction was eased from June, the followings procedures were requested at the stage in May,
● Apply and get approval from campus task force at least 3 weeks before overseas business trip
● Upload vaccination certificate
● Obtain a negative certificate issued within 1 day before dispatch to the United States, upload it in advance, and bring it on the day
3 points were required (currently, negative certificate has been relaxed from 6/12). When I was on a business trip to the conference, I followed a normal schedule of departing on Sunday, arriving on Sunday, and attending the conference from Monday. Negative certificates of free PCR tests by municipalities are not valid, and since many places are closed on weekends, it takes time to get results, even paying slightly expensive can’t issue the certificate at the same day of the test. It will be bad to upload such certificate since it will be considered as invalid. Therefore, preparations for business trips costs a little more money than in normal times.
Preparing to return to Japan
When returning to Japan, people are required to obtain a vaccine certificate and a negative certificate at least 72 hours before the return flight. The test method must be the method specified by the Japanese government, and there were rumors that the test recommended at the place was expensive, but actually I was surprised that there was no problem with the local free PCR test. One point to note is that the local free PCR test requires U.S. insurance. At first, I thought that I couldn’t use it, but when I asked if I could use overseas travel insurance, I was told that it was OK. I was able to get it. Various rumors are circulating on blogs, but if you return to Japan, you have 72 hours to spare, so try uploading it and if it doesn’t work, you can still obtain one on the day going to the airport. The MYSOS app for uploading documents designated by the Japanese government seems to have spread even at local airports where there are no Japanese staff, and I was surprised when the local staff asked me to show them the MYSOS screen.
Airport quarantine and transfer to isolation center after returning to Japan
The return flight arrived safely at Haneda airport and the final procedures of airport quarantine started. At this point, I was tested positive and started isolation life unfortunately. I was almost asymptomatic with the effect of the 3 shots of vaccine, but I still got infected. At that time in May, quarantine policy was still running when returning to Japan, and when everyone got off the plane, no one was allowed to skip COVID-19 test at that stage. It took about an hour to go around various counters and finally collect saliva, wait for the result in front of something like the number calling bulletin board at the city office, and if it is negative, collect the baggage and go home. If positive, go to another route for isolation. I couldn’t get called on the electronic bulletin board, and my number was skipped over 100 as I was thinking “What’s going on?”, and then I was informed that I had been retested and confirmed positive (about 2 hours after arriving at the airport?). There is a waiting place for those who must be quarantined at the back, and if the people are tested as positive at airport quarantine, they cannot be isolated at home and will be transferred to a hotel designated as an isolation center. For about an hour until the isolation destination was decided (I couldn’t choose it myself), I waited behind the test result notification area and looked at several other people around me who were depressed after deciding to be isolated. Luckily there was no one sitting near me on the plane, and I contacted all the people I should contact. After the isolation location was decided, I could not move to the baggage area, but the person in charge collected the baggage I checked in when boarding an international flight. Once you have been decided where to be isolated, you will be transported to the isolation center by shuttle bus. All windows were invisible except the windshield, and I wondered where I would be transported… I was worried about it while being transported to the isolation center.
Isolation life
When arriving at the isolation center, first I took some medical checks (such as body temperature and oxygen saturation level) and some interviews for subjective symptoms. After the simple diagnosis, razors and alcohol souvenirs would be temporarily confiscated (they would be returned when you leave for home). Once being completed the instruction of the isolation life, I was told to go to my room by myself, and after arriving at the room, the isolation life began. People couldn’t leave the room until the end of isolation. Basically, if people had no symptoms, there would be no medical examination. Only health report (body temperature, oxygen saturation measurement, answers to about 15 health-related questionnaires) was required at a fixed time twice a day, and if forgetting to report, you would receive a phone call to your room. Meals were served at 8:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm, delivered to the boxes outside the room. When the meal was delivered, an announcement was sent to you, and then you could open the door with the mask on to receive the meal. Meals were not provided by the hotel but seemed to be bento offered by nearby private restaurant. People couldn’t choose what they wanted but would receive a bento from different restaurant everyday (Since the isolation center was in Ginza, the bento was quite luxurious, and it would be the best with alcohol, but the alcohol was confiscated…). The room was like a typical business hotel room with a bed, TV, washroom, shower room (no bathtub), and toilet. Although it was a facility for isolation, it would not be special, similar with staying in a normal hotel (However, the washing machine was outside the room and couldn’t be used, I had to wash the clothes by hand).
Isolation life was basically resting in bed, teleworking, and going to the bathroom. The first half was comfortable, taking a rest to recover from the exhausting business trip (the concern was that the menu was completely for healthy people?), but in the latter half, after regaining my energy, I started to feel restricted in activities, and got tired of living in the isolation center. Since there was only a cafe table about knee high in the room, telework was basically leaning forward, back pain gradually increased, and I started to notice the free guide for the yoga program in the room. I took it as a trial, but it seemed that this program was designed to calm the minds of the residents so that they would not suffer from mental illness. The latter 15 minutes of the 30-minute course consisted of plenty of meditation, so I fell asleep, and I couldn’t get rid of the lack of exercise I expected. Life became difficult to have a room with only a shower room but no bathtub (The term “isolation gacha*” often appeared on blogs of isolation experiencers). I continued to try to move my body to find out what kind of exercise I could do in a limited space, such as swinging the Japanese drums as my hobby, practicing dancing at the local summer festival.
※If the hotel isolation continues for a long time, the budget will be a concern, but in the case of being transferred to the isolation hotel from the airport, there is no self-pay regardless of the number of days.
*A gacha game is a video game that implements the gacha (toy vending machine) mechanic. Similar to loot boxes, gacha games induce players to spend in-game currency to receive a random in-game item. Some in-game currency generally can be gained through game play, and some by purchasing it from the game publisher using real-world funds. (Gacha game ( 31 July 2022, at 05:29 UTC) in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gacha_game)
Gacha is also an internet slang, meaning that you can’t make choices by own will, and your life will be determined or already has been determined, such as parent gacha, kid gacha, tallness gacha, and face gacha, etc.
End of Isolation
When I first read the guidelines, an asymptomatic person could shorten the isolation to 8 days if there were no symptoms identified on the 7th day. That was what I was expecting, but I realized I made a mistake. You would not get released based on some tests on the 7th day, but rather on daily health reports. I was tested positive, so I was asked to report my conditions in detail as much as possible… ranging from any symptoms or discomfort I felt at the beginning of my isolation (e.g., Is your nose stiffing worse than normal? Is your throat dry? etc.), to the tiredness derived from jetlag. Eventually, “Oh, you reported several things on your health conditions until xxx date, right?” I was told, and this was when the 7-day countdown for an asymptomatic person began. My health conditions were good during most of the isolation. After nearly two weeks, I was finally released the following Saturday.
※When being released, no PCR test was necessary at the isolation destination (PCR is considered unnecessary as it has been a week since I was confirmed to have no symptoms). Even after isolation and was tested positive previously, I felt a bit insecure not needing to do another PCR test to be honest. Finally, on the day I went home and a couple of days following, I did a couple of PCR tests. After completing all the procedures and being tested negative, I felt relieved.
After Isolation
Drama and manga always mention the “air of Shaba**” when people get released from jail. I think I finally understand this feeling as my isolation ended. Many things are happening in the world, but I was just happy to be able to walk outside in the good weather (although I felt lucky to be released on Saturday, so I do not have to be in a hurry). When I left the place of isolation, I was carrying loads of luggage with me, but I felt excited carrying heavy luggage to walk, waiting for the signpost to change its color, and standing on a train. I was sweating in the hot weather, but it felt good. Back to working in the office, walking to the toilet through the corridor makes me somewhat excited. All familiar things seemed more exciting than usual. It would have been worrying if close contacts spread the virus on campus. I tested negative when I travel abroad and tested positive when I got back. Fortunately, after the infection, I did not create much trouble, and the care I received from people around me makes me feel warm. I do not want to be infected again but being able to rediscover the happiness and excitement in my daily life is a valuable experience.
**The word Air of Shaba or Shaba no kuki means when liberating from a closed place, such as jail, one becomes free without any bondage.
Sorry for the long post, but I thought this was quite a timely topic and reported the experience here. It felt a little scary that even if you get vaccinated 3 times, you could still get infected. However, as overseas business trips resume, I hope the information on returning procedures, and isolation if you unluckily got infected, would be a useful reference.
(Translated by students hired by On-Campus Job project)
