An Edmonton couple who were quarantined twice amid coronavirus concerns will be coming home on Friday and are looking forward to getting back to their normal routine.
Mark and Jenny Rodrigue have been in quarantine since Feb. 4.
The first time was when the Diamond Princess cruise ship they were on imposed a quarantine after a passenger tested positive for the coronavirus. The second time was when they, and other passengers, were evacuated from the cruise ship by the Canadian government and quarantined again as a precaution in Cornwall, Ont.
“It’s just been really boring, to sum it up nicely,” said Mark.
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The couple has been passing the time doing exercises, reading and doing art. Jenny has been drawing scenics of their time in Ontario.
“That is a nice escape for me so I don’t think about it,” Jenny said.
The couple admits that time seems to pass very slowly in quarantine but stopped short of saying it took a toll on them or their marriage.
READ MORE: Edmonton couple boarding plane back to Canada after quarantine on Diamond Princess cruise ship
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“If anything, when I get out of this, this has taught me to be a little more patient and to relax a little bit more. You have no choice right?” Jenny said.
“We’re not in control of the quarantine. We’re in control of how we feel about it so that’s why we’re taking the positive approach.”
On Friday morning, the couple will go through a final check with health professionals then board a plane to fly back to Edmonton.
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“We don’t want to party or anything like that. We just want to slowly groove back into our normal life.”
The pair is looking forward to the simple things, such as watching an Oilers game, visiting the grocery store and going out for dinner.
“First thing we’re going to do is order a Royal Pizza and a glass of wine,” Jenny said.
READ MORE: COVID-19: Edmonton couple on quarantined Diamond Princess wait for plane to evacuate Canadians
The couple said the experience in quarantine as a result of the coronavirus has them rethinking future travel plans.
“We’re definitely not going to fly anywhere for a while.
“We were going to fly to Vancouver. We have a big concert in Vancouver a couple weeks from now. We’re going to drive now,” Mark said.
And if they had to do it again?
“We’d be doing escape plans,” Mark said.
“We’d be rolling up the bed sheets, breaking the window, climbing down,” said Jenny with a laugh.