To ask why we are bothering with lockdown if planes are still arriving unchecked

[blackwych]

Just that really. I just saw on the Guardian live feed that planes are still arriving from New York, there is no checking at the airport and everyone just disperses. How effective can the lockdown be if we are still importing coronavirus?

Australia is earlier on in the spread

People are coming here through the tunnel every day, no extra checks, just coming through. These are not lorries with freight!!

"They've also stopped letting transit passengers on the few remaining UK-Oz flights that transit Singapore leaving the aircraft and having a brief leg stretch during the stop..."

I thought Singapore had closed to transit - did it reopen then? (not the point of this thread I know!)

My DH flew back from East Asia on 17 March. He was shocked that there was no screening of any kind at Heathrow, and he was given no advice about self-isolating for a period. He decided to quarantine himself for 14 days anyway, but tbh, I think the biggest risk factor he probably encountered was coming through London on his way home.

This whole situation has made me aware of how ill equipped this country is to deal with any major problem .
In South Korea, people are actually tested at the airport. This has significantly reduced the number of coronavirus cases.

I was in Asia Jan-Feb this year and the bio-security was taken very seriously. There were thermal cameras and checks in place in every public space, every airport and transport hub. You couldn't get into a shopping area without going through bio security, nor any hotel or other public space.

Upon returning to the UK there was NOTHING. No thermal imaging, no random checks, absolutely zilch. It totally beggared belief. I had just flown in from a known outbreak hotspot.

I don't know if it was complacency, stupidity, or what. The UK had NO bio security and it wasn't even on anyone's radar.

(Yes I did go into self-isolation and followed full quarantine protocols. But I bet many people didn't.)

The UK believes in evidence based practice, so will not take drastic measures. Except in a pandemic you don’t have time to faff about and sometimes I wish we would just have a more draconian approach. It’s actually embarrassing.

Sunflower yes that might be so actually. The trouble with evidence based is that the evidence we need to listen to surfaces 3 weeks later when it’s too late.

I’ve been pondering the lack of forward planning by govt on issues such as PPE and testing. Not sure why we waited until the crisis was in front of our eyes.

I thought Singapore had closed to transit - did it reopen then?

It is still, for now, allowing some flights from/to for example the UK to transit..but it's a right faff...

AFAIK the only passengers allowed to disembark (and I'm open to correction on this are ) are SIN residents and they are (again AFAIK) served with a 14 day Stay-Home Notice.

Transit passengers going through to e.g. Australia or Europe cannot leave the aircraft at all during the transit.

The aircraft crew have to get off (due to flying time limitations). They are escorted to a hotel very very adjacent to the terminals and confined (as in locked in) to their rooms for the duration of the stay - usually a couple of days...

My DH flew back from East Asia on 17 March. He was shocked that there was no screening of any kind at Heathrow,

Still nothing in place morning of 29th yesterday morning either...simply a reliance on crew becoming aware/being made aware that there is . potential case onboard and then communicating that fact on to the arrival airport.

Please don't shoot the messenger/the airlines over this, the lack of testing is down to HMG and PHE policy.

Interesting that it seems that quarantine for air passengers is now going to be put in place.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52594023

Not much detail though. And not coming in for more than three weeks!

Why are other countries able to manage this kind of thing relatively quickly while we follow at a snail's pace?