South Carolina senior baseball player George Callil has had a more interesting COVID-19 experience than most. The Gamecocks’ starting shortstop is a Melbourne, Australia, native who packed his bags to head home when college sports shut down in response to social distancing measures.
That trip didn’t go quite as planned, though, as Callil was quarantined in an Australian hotel for 14 days immediately upon arrival in his home country. Callil, who has exited quarantine and is at his parents’ home, answered questions via email from The Athletic about the experience, which included three meals a day left at the door of a hotel room he was not allowed to leave.
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In fact, Callil wasn’t even given a key to his room.
First off, how are you doing?
I’ve been alright! Not the way I was expecting to make it home, but I’m just glad I was able to get onto one of the last flights from America to Australia and back onto home soil.
How surprised were you to be taken to quarantine, and how did they explain it to you?
I initially wasn’t too surprised, as I had already heard the Australian government had put in place various protocols to reduce the spread of the virus. I was prepared for mandatory home quarantine where I wouldn’t be able to leave the house for any reason other than for medical issues, but it was only the night before I left as I was packing that my dad called me to let me know I was going to be held in a hotel for the two weeks. My flight from LAX was the first international arrival since the hotel isolation was put in place, so we really didn’t know what to expect. We kind of just went with whatever we were told. The new rule was for all Australians to be put into isolation in the state they first arrived in from overseas, so I was stuck in Sydney for 14 days before I would be able to board my last flight to Melbourne.
Were you allowed to contact your parents immediately and let them know?
My parents were actually the ones to tell me about this quarantine so they knew before me. My parents were more concerned about it than I was.
What kind of hotel was it? Was it nice?
I wouldn’t say it was a nice hotel, but it had everything I needed, other than a window that could open for some fresh air. I had just enough space to lay my bags down by my bed and a little desk and seat where I could get some school work done.
Were you allowed to leave your room? What did you do for entertainment?
I’m not sure why I assumed I would be given my hotel room key, but when I arrived at my room I asked the escorting police officer for my room key and he sternly reminded me that I am for no reason allowed out of my room. I traveled with all my essential belongings from Columbia, so I had my laptop and obviously phone with me. After discovering the TV in my room was useless, I was able to purchase an HDMI cord to connect my laptop with the TV screen.
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Did you have anything with you to pass the time? A book? Were you able to access your online courses?
With classes continuing online, I was still able to access everything online and stay on top of my work. Although the 14-hour time difference can make it difficult to know when I have work due, as long as I stay on top of things and know when I have work due I think these online classes will be manageable.
Did they provide you food? Is it any good?
We were provided with three meals a day. At around 8 am every day I would wake up to a knock at my door, meaning my food had arrived at my doorstep. It was protocol for me to wait a minute or two before opening the door to pick up my food. This would be the same deal with lunch and dinner. The food was surprisingly not bad, although the portions were rather small. For the most part, if I called reception and asked for a larger portion or second serving, they were pretty good about it. When we first arrived we were told we weren’t allowed to order extra food through delivery services, but by the end of the first week they began to allow it, saving me a few hungry nights.
How much were you looking forward to getting out of there?
I was very much looking forward to getting out of that small room since about the third day of arriving. The last week of being in there I lost track of what day it was and for about three days I thought I was a day ahead of what it really was. I packed my bags in preparation to leave the following day and it was only chatting with my parents that night that they told me I still had another two days to go. It was also during this phone call that my parents told me the airline I was booked to fly my last leg with had cancelled my flight and would only be flying to Melbourne once a day until further notice. I called the airline company hoping to be put on another flight but they never answered, leaving me without a way home. I was able to get through with Delta in America as they booked my flight as partners of the Australian airline, but there were no available flights for at least another week. With nowhere to stay and no way of getting home, my parents decided to drive nine hours up to Sydney, stay the night in a hotel and return with me back to Melbourne the following day.
How crazy has all this been?
This has definitely been a crazy time for everyone around the world. Not anything anyone imagined happening. All we can do as our part is to stay home and reduce any non-essential contact while practicing clean and hygienic habits.
How hard has Australia been hit with COVID-19?
Compared to America and some other countries around the world, Australia hasn’t been hit as hard. In saying this, it is still a very serious matter with many reported deaths and cases throughout the country. I think similarly to America, we have been ordered to stay home unless it’s for medical reasons, exercise with no more than one other person, essential shopping or for work requirements.
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And finally, one baseball question: How tough has it been to see your season end like it was?
I think for everyone who saw the talent and drive we had as a program this year can understand the disappointment we all felt when our season was cut so short. We had amazing talent throughout our whole roster along with the determination to prove this program was heading toward some special things.
(Photo of George Callil: Courtesy of the University of South Carolina Athletics)
