Australian woman reveals how she is running lingerie business in lockdown

An Australian business woman has opened up about how she has managed to continue to run her lingerie company while forced into lockdown.

Angela Nguyen was in Singapore setting up VOHCO when Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement Australia would be closing its borders on March 14.  

When she landed in Australia she was forced to isolate at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney where she must stay locked in a room for 14 days to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. 

Ms Nguyen was determined not to let the lockdown slow down her business plans and has continued to work round the clock despite the difficult circumstances. 

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she revealed how she has developed a strict schedule to help keep motivated. 

Angela Nguyen was in Singapore setting up VOHCO for a month when Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement Australia would be closing it’s borders on March 14

She arrived in Sydney following Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s deadline of quarantining in hotels for international travellers. Pictured: Travellers are ushered into the InterContinental Hotel

She wakes up at 7am to workout inside the small hotel room for an hour before breakfast arrives. 

Breakfast is delivered just outside her room, giving her a chance to have a quick chat with the police stationed outside.

She showers and catches up on the news before starting work at 9am. 

‘Work will change everyday depending on the schedule and needs of the business,’ she said.

‘We’re currently designing the next pieces to add to our cotton ESSENTIALS collection – made for lounging around the house or to do light yoga in.’

She said some aspects of the business are harder to run in the hotel room because she is missing equipment she would normally have but since the business is online it hasn’t proved too hard. 

Ms Nguyen said at noon she usually checks in with the other people in quarantine via their WhatsApp group before having lunch and resuming work until 4pm, where she works out with her cousin via video chat. 

Ms Nguyen has been running her lingerie business from the hotel room since Sunday

At 5pm she reads or practices the languages she is learning – Mandarin and Italian before dinner at 6pm.

She finishes the day with a video call to her partner in Singapore, who would be finishing his work day when she calls. 

Ms Nguyen admits the sudden changes have been challenging but she understands that they are necessary. 

Ms Nguyen, who is from Adelaide, wasn’t able to finish setting up her business before she flew home to Australia last Sunday. 

‘This all happened so suddenly. I was in the middle of setting up my business and in the process of getting a working visa in Singapore so I couldn’t just leave.’ 

Ms Nguyen said she tried to get home sooner but there were a series of delays. 

‘When the government urged Australians to come home I rearranged everything. I booked flights but they were either full or cancelled, so it was very hard to get home.’ 

She said there were initial concerns among the returning travellers about the conditions they would be staying in due to lack of communication from the government. Pictured: Food options for the quarantine guests

ANGELA’S DAILY ROUTINE IN ISOLATION HOTEL 

7am – Wake up and work out

8am – Breakfast arrives

9am – Start on work, respond to emails

12pm – Check in with the other quarantiners via WhatsApp

1pm – Lunch arrives

2pm – Back to work 

4pm: Workout via video chat with cousin Alice

5pm – Read or study Mandarin and Italian

6pm – Dinner arrives

10pm – Video call with her partner in Singapore, who is finishing his work day at that time

Since she didn’t make it into the country before the midnight deadline set by the Prime Minister she was forced to quarantine in a hotel in Sydney with other overseas passengers.

‘I was reading information from the government but I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped off the plane,’ Ms Nguyen said.

She said as soon as everyone landed she was on they were given masks that weren’t allowed to come off.   

‘We went through biosecurity and anyone not showing symptoms moved on to immigration and baggage collection,’ she said.

‘I was on the third bus and there was only ten of us on board. Lining up we were all 1.5 metres and on the bus we were separated too.’

Ms Nguyen was then taken to the Hilton, where she has been in a hotel room for six days.

Every day she wakes up at 7am before working out for an hour until breakfast arrives, which she picks up from outside her hotel room’s door before having a quick chat with the police stationed outside

She said there were initial concerns among the returning travellers about the conditions they would be staying in due to lack of communication from the government.

‘We understand this is necessary – but we did have some initial concerns such as access to fresh air and a balanced diet,’ she said.

‘However, none of that really matters in the grand scheme of things. This is to make sure everyone is healthy and the coronavirus doesn’t spread.’ 

She said at the end of the day she and the other guests of the hotel are extremely grateful for the hotels and are trying to make the most of it.

 Angela Nguyen’s business can be found here and here.

There are 5,337 cases of coronavirus in Australia with 28 deaths on Friday night

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk