Covering coronavirus is a challenge for those of us reporting from around the world

Entering isolation after a period of travel is a surreal experience, writes Oliver Carroll

The border control area at Domodedovo International airport, Moscow (TASS)

A 45-minute stopover in Madrid was my undoing. That was enough to put me in the high-risk category as far as Russian immigration authorities were concerned.

I’d be allowed into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic – after having my temperature checked. But my instructions were to head home in a taxi, close my front door behind me, and stay there for the next 14 days.

So that was that. An extended period at home. No gasps for fresh air or brisk walks to the shop. Moscow’s new facial recognition-enhanced CCTV would be following me, after all. My only company would be my computer, the bare cupboards of a reporter constantly on the move, and Moscow’s not-so-extensive array of online delivery services.