Residents refused entry into Gothenberg

BurnitBlue

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Not applicable to livaboard forum but maybe information for UK Portuguese or Greek Residents returning to their boats. Despite having clear Covid certificates they were not allowed off the plane and had to fly back to Manchester on the same plane. Those that got off the plane were held on the tarmac for hours until the cold made the Swedes relent where they were held in a small room in the airport. Maybe still there. This because their Covid test certificate was issued by a tester not on an approved list.

This is authority gone mad. An aproved list of testers sprung on people with no advance warning. Those returned to Manchester are very upset as their home is in Sweden. Was in the news yesterday but I just noticed it. If this is a EU thing be careful.
 
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nortada

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My understanding is if you are a Brit with Portuguese Residency you are supposed to arrive with a current negative Covid test certificate. If you do not have a certificate you will be tested on arrival.

No doubt somebody returning from the UK will be along soon to give chapter and verse.
 

De.windhoos

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You need a negative test result to enter the Netherlands as well. That rule applies to everybody including Dutch people and residents.
 

BurnitBlue

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My understanding is if you are a Brit with Portuguese Residency you are supposed to arrive with a current negative Covid test certificate. If you do not have a certificate you will be tested on arrival.

No doubt somebody returning from the UK will be along soon to give chapter and verse.
These uk passengers flying into Sweden had negative test certificates issued in the UK, but the testing station that issued them in the UK were not on the list the Swedish immigration had. Maybe there are official testing stations and private unnofficial ones that are not on border controls list. In these days of scams like false degrees etc border controls are checking validity.

I was just warning returning UK residents to check if their testing station is legal

Edit. More news. Not able to post links. Google "thelocal.se" for a breakdown of the numbers of people refused entry. The fiasco in Gotgenberg seems to have been resolved by the zswedish border police adding certificates issued by the UK National Health Service (NHS) to their lists. No wonder the banned passengers were Angry. Un-bloody-believable.
 
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Koeketiene

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Edit. More news. Not able to post links. Google "thelocal.se" for a breakdown of the numbers of people refused entry. The fiasco in Gotgenberg seems to have been resolved by the zswedish border police adding certificates issued by the UK National Health Service (NHS) to their lists. No wonder the banned passengers were Angry. Un-bloody-believable.

Well, maybe the Swedes just wanted to create a 'hostile environment'. :rolleyes:
Not exactly on a par with Windrush, is it?
 

BurnitBlue

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Well, maybe the Swedes just wanted to create a 'hostile environment'. :rolleyes:
Not exactly on a par with Windrush, is it?
Because of Covid and the reluctance for casual face to face chat I have no experience of local recent reaction to UK final departure. But it would be human nature to resent the a person who stormed out of a party. The remaining people would look at each other, shrug, and say they didn't like him anyway then takes another sip of their cocktail.
 

greeny

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These uk passengers flying into Sweden had negative test certificates issued in the UK, but the testing station that issued them in the UK were not on the list the Swedish immigration had. Maybe there are official testing stations and private unnofficial ones that are not on border controls list. In these days of scams like false degrees etc border controls are checking validity.

I was just warning returning UK residents to check if their testing station is legal

Edit. More news. Not able to post links. Google "thelocal.se" for a breakdown of the numbers of people refused entry. The fiasco in Gotgenberg seems to have been resolved by the zswedish border police adding certificates issued by the UK National Health Service (NHS) to their lists. No wonder the banned passengers were Angry. Un-bloody-believable.
But the NHS test is not for travel purposes and clearly states that when you book it online. You can only do it if you have symptoms. (there are a couple of other limited reasons but not for travel) Anyone trying to "cheat" the system, use up valuable NHS tests and get it for free, deserves to be sent back in my opinion. There are people who have symptoms having to drive many miles from their home to get a test because the slots are all booked up in their area.
 

BurnitBlue

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But the NHS test is not for travel purposes and clearly states that when you book it online. You can only do it if you have symptoms. (there are a couple of other limited reasons but not for travel) Anyone trying to "cheat" the system, use up valuable NHS tests and get it for free, deserves to be sent back in my opinion. There are people who have symptoms having to drive many miles from their home to get a test because the slots are all booked up in their area.
Thanks for the correct information. The local newspaper only mentioned the airport story and did not mention that the border guards were right to deny entry. This sort of reporting is getting worse. It also casts doubt on the claim that NHS has been added to their list of valid testers. I hope not, I agree with you, gaming the system is also on the increase.
 

Seven Spades

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The problem is businesses are charging up to £180 per person for a private covid test. It is quote outrageous as they only cost around £12 in bulk. This is why people are going to game the system. It would be better if GP's did private testing at say £45.00 that would boost the income of GP and put the sharks to bed. In other countries tests are available in chemists, why isn't that happening here?
 

De.windhoos

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The problem is businesses are charging up to £180 per person for a private covid test. It is quote outrageous as they only cost around £12 in bulk. This is why people are going to game the system. It would be better if GP's did private testing at say £45.00 that would boost the income of GP and put the sharks to bed. In other countries tests are available in chemists, why isn't that happening here?
Same in the Netherlands. Roughly 125EU, whilst you can do the test for free with the Dutch NHS, but you don't get a report that you are covid free, only a report if you are positive.
 

Quiddle

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The problem is businesses are charging up to £180 per person for a private covid test. It is quote outrageous as they only cost around £12 in bulk. This is why people are going to game the system. It would be better if GP's did private testing at say £45.00 that would boost the income of GP and put the sharks to bed. In other countries tests are available in chemists, why isn't that happening here?
Profiteering, it would seem. A PCR analyser costs about £8k but those quick off the mark are milking it for all it's worth. I suspect that in a couple of months tests will be about £30. Especially when people realise the potential of PDF editors.
 

Sandy

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Not applicable to livaboard forum but maybe information for UK Portuguese or Greek Residents returning to their boats. Despite having clear Covid certificates they were not allowed off the plane and had to fly back to Manchester on the same plane. Those that got off the plane were held on the tarmac for hours until the cold made the Swedes relent where they were held in a small room in the airport. Maybe still there. This because their Covid test certificate was issued by a tester not on an approved list.

This is authority gone mad. An aproved list of testers sprung on people with no advance warning. Those returned to Manchester are very upset as their home is in Sweden. Was in the news yesterday but I just noticed it. If this is a EU thing be careful.
Sounds perfectly sensible to me!

When I was working, we had an approved list of suppliers whose components had been assured to national and international standards. If I set myself up as Sandy's Covid Test Company Ltd and issued certificates of people being Covid free would you accept them?

The big question is, did the travellers do their research before travelling or did they expect that during a pandemic, especially as the "Kent" mutation has been widely publicised, that they could just walk into another country?
 
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