he flavoured his bowls of rice with olives, sausages and sun-dried tomatoes

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Umberto Bombana of the 3-Michelin-star Hong Kong restaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana was despatched to a quarantine camp in November, together with his workers, right after six of them analyzed good for Covid-19 and have been admitted to healthcare facility. Image: Paul Yeung

When chef and restaurateur Umberto Bombana was ordered into quarantine in Hong Kong previous thirty day period, he went geared up: the Italian took with him a suitcase packed with solar-dried tomatoes, black olives, dried sausages, olive oil, immediate coffee and Japanese noodles.

“Probably for the Western palate some people today get bored, but each working day you get steamed rice, so a person working day I set some cheese and olive oil, a further day with spice and sunlight-dried tomatoes,” he suggests of the two months he expended in a repurposed holiday camp in Lei Yue Mun, Chai Wan, at the japanese conclude of Hong Kong Island.

Although preceding occupants of the quarantine centre have complained about the quality of foodstuff served there, “it can be essentially not so lousy,” says Bombana, who was despatched there since 6 of the staff members at a few-Michelin-star restaurant 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana contracted Covid-19 late previous month.

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He handed the time by listening to background lectures on his iPad, looking at movies, bouncing a tennis ball on his racket and contacting his close friends close to the planet.

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Bombana would flavour his meals with the extras he brought with him. Image: Shutterstock

“I known as New York, Los Angeles, Italy. Anyone is in the similar problem, but it truly is not as drastic as in Hong Kong in which they take you absent,” Bombana claims, promptly including that placing men and women into quarantine is a good way to avert even more distribute of the virus.

“A ton of persons have experienced and some have died, so for me to keep in quarantine for a couple of weeks is no large deal. I imagine they really don’t check with as well much,” Bombana suggests of his two weeks’ confinement. His area was on the floor floor so he was equipped to delight in some sunshine and clean air through the working day.

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Bombana, who remaining quarantine on December 11, states the moment he found out one particular of his chefs had tested positive for the coronavirus on November 27, he felt stunned about how shut he experienced bought to the sickness. “Before, it was somebody else’s issue.”

The chef in question had taken ill leave for a few days and took a Covid-19 test on November 26. The determination was made to straight away shut down the cafe to protect the health and fitness of workers and, adhering to the city’s Centre for Overall health Protection’s directive, all the staff members have been examined. From there, five more people tested constructive – 4 servers and another chef.

Bombana states the cafe contacted all the customers that had dined at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana from November 15 to 26 and suggested them to get tested. Several identified as him personally to say they experienced analyzed destructive.

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The final decision was manufactured to shut down 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana to defend the well being of staff members immediately after one examined constructive for Covid-19. A further more 5 were being then uncovered to have the virus.

The first batch of team were sent to quarantine on November 29, and the next team went the following working day. Bombana was section of the very first team. Although all people was in quarantine, the cafe in Alexandra Home, in the city’s Central district, was disinfected and cleaned.

Like every person else in the restaurant field, Bombana says this yr has been economically tricky simply because of the pandemic. “When Hong Kong only had a couple situations, we had a several fantastic months, but these times who needs to chance going out, primarily the aged?”

Beneath restrictions imposed to gradual the fourth wave of coronavirus bacterial infections in the city, dining places in Hong Kong are at the moment not permitted to present dine-in expert services soon after 6pm.

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Bombana was despatched to a repurposed getaway camp at Lei Yue Mun in Chai Wan. Image: SCMP

He considered closing the restaurant for a few months for the sake of his employees’ wellbeing, but suggests it would have too a great deal impression on the livelihoods of the 60-robust personnel.

Of the six workforce at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana who have been admitted to medical center with the virus, five have considering the fact that been discharged and are recovering at residence. All the team who were quarantined have examined adverse so far they ended up getting tested once again on Tuesday.

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This article initially appeared on the South China Morning Submit (www.scmp.com), the main news media reporting on China and Asia.

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