Arrivals at Heathrow - Not being screened or checked for temperature
By Derek Pattison
Brian Bamford (Bammy), has cast doubt ("April Fool's Day comment on airports), on the validity of comments that I posted from Nicola Grundy, on Northern Voices, regarding the situation at Heathrow Airport. He seems to think that her comment is somewhat misleading and doesn't reflect the true situation at Heathrow Airport. While I cannot see that that in her comment, Ms Grundy claims that it's " business as usual' at Heathrow, since posting her comment, I have also checked further.
Screening for coronavirus began in January in other airports around the world, but in the UK, it was simply ruled out as being ineffective. Public Health England said, "airports have been provided with leaflets and posters." Surely, this is like applying a sticking plaster to a gaping wound?
On the 30th and 31st March 2020, the Sun newspaper gave the following report about the situation at Heathrow Airport.
"Flights from coronavirus hot spots were still landing in Britain on Monday with thousands of passengers not being checked for symptoms. Planes from Italy, America, and Spain, all touched down at Heathrow yesterday morning with passengers simply walking through arrivals and onto public transport. Although many had masks, there were queues at arrivals and departures and there appeared to be barely any social distancing between travellers. One traveller posted an alarming video on Twitter showing dozens of passengers queuing up at check-in with no social distancing. He wrote:
'Unfortunately the penny has not dropped. While millions of people are in lockdown to help our brave NHS, this is what is going on at London Heathrow. Someone needs to get a grip.'
Around 12,000 passengers passed through Heathrow yesterday and although this was way down on the usual 213,000 a day and landings and takes off were down to one every fifteen minutes - as opposed to one every 45 seconds it still meant regular traffic all day."
If passenger arrivals at Heathrow Airport, can still at this late hour, walk straight onto the streets of Britain without any screening, even temperature screening, when they may have come from a high-risk country, then what is the point of police roadblocks, police drones, and telling people to stop at home, when people are still flying into the UK who may be contagious and possibly spreading the virus to other members of the public? This is tantamount to pissing in the wind.
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6 comments:
Derek Pattison sent me the e-mail below & in it he talks of 'business as usual at Heathrow'. He sent it on the 2nd, April, the day after he posted Ms Grundy's Facebook claims on this Blog:
Derek Pattison
Thu 02/04/2020 22:11
Military Police are now stopping cars on British roads, to ask if drivers are making essential journey's, but it's business as usual at Heathrow.
https://mobile.twitter.com/NYPCatterickSNT/status/1244639173895741440
It is truly shocking if this is the case and makes nonsense of all the stay at home advice and injunctions. One of the good things about this crisis is the collapse in air travel. If you want to tackle climate change then a massive reduction in air travel is essential.
It's worse than business as usual, what's happening at Heathrow and other British airports is sheer lunacy and makes a complete nonsense of many of the lockdown measures. Airline passengers arriving in China from abroad are now in quarantine, and foreigners have been banned from midnight on Friday. Yet, the British Foreign Office, are saying there's no evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans, would have any effect on the spread of infection. Read the Sun article. And I seem to recall that they recently invited a dozen Chinese experts to Britain, to ask them how best to fight the virus. Many of the passengers arriving at Heathrow, said they were gobsmacked by how lax things were at Heathrow, considering we are in an energency.
The screening of passenger arrivals at UK airports has been ruled out as ineffective by Public Health England (PHE). The Foreign Office said: "There is no evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans would have any effect on the spread of infection."
Despite what PHE have said, passenger at Madrid airport having been having their temperatures checked and this is the case at other airports around the world. On 19 March 2020, the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced that "Australia is closing its borders to all non-citizens," with the ban being effective from 9pm the next day.
New Zealand closed its borders the day before Australia. So far, both countries, have been largely successful in suppressing the spread of Covid-19 and in keeping deaths low. Australia, with a population of 25 million, has just over 6,000 infections and 50 deaths. New Zealand, a country of 5 million people, has had 1,200 infections and so far, only one death from Covid-19. In both countries, planes were grounded, workers were told to stay at home, schools were closed in some places, and entire industries were put into hibernation. In both countries it is unlawful to be outside without a reasonable excuse such as essential shopping, medical care, exercise, or compassionate grounds.
In both countries, the majority of confirmed cases have originated overseas. In Australia, more than 660 infections - 10% of Australia's total - and 15 deaths, have been linked with decision taken in March, to allow the ship, the Ruby Princess, to dock in Sydney Harbour, with 2,700 passengers disembarking without testing, despite there being people on board with Covid-19 infections.
Just how many passengers arriving at Heathrow from the USA, Spain and Italy, and other parts of the world, are carriers of the virus and spreading the disease onto the streets of England, is impossible to say, because PHE considers screening 'ineffective' and unlike Australia and New Zealand, the British government believes that travel bans and closing borders, would have no effect on the spread of infection.
Two days ago, I was told that 1000 people had died in one day, in the UK. So much for having an effective strategy for containing the Covid-19 epidemic in Britain.
Amonth ago on the 16/03/20, according to Reuters - Canada closed its borders to all foreign nationals except U.S. citizens and permanent residents on Monday, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging people to limit social contact to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
Several other countries have taken the same step. The 27-nation European Union proposed shutting its external borders for 30 days on Monday.
“We will be denying entry into Canada to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents ... it is a significant step that we take in exceptional circumstances,” Trudeau told reporters outside his home, where he is under quarantine after his wife, Sophie, tested positive for the respiratory virus.
As the virus’ spread accelerates in Canada, Trudeau urged people to stay home and restrict contact with others.
“Staying home is an important step to protect the community and each other. We all have to do it,” he said.
Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said that the next two weeks were crucial in trying to stem the outbreak.
The death toll in Canada rose to four on Monday from one on Sunday. The number of infected jumped to 407 from the 341 reported at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) earlier in the day, medical officials said.
The new deaths occurred in the same nursing home in the Pacific province of British Columbia, which is directly north of Washington, one of the worst-hit U.S. states.
Trade will not be affected by the border closing. Canada shares a long unguarded frontier with the United States, which takes 75% of Canadian goods exports.
A mate just called he said that people on government sponsored flight from India returning via Goa and Bombay.
300 people on the plane no safe spacing. Walked back into UK no checks. Now at home they were self isolating – frightened.
Romanian fruit pickers were temperature checked when leaving no checks when entering the UK.
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