General Chat

I feel it would be good to have a sufficient number of test kits for everyone but as scientists have said, tests such as thermal imaging are not at all reliable when the incubation period for the virus is 14 days. In addition, anyone with a temperature for any reason at all would be identified - not quite what is needed.

Some countries persist with that method.

Others hand out leaflets asking arrivals to self-identify if they have symptoms.

Others rely on customs and immigration (border agencies) to pick out passengers displaying symptoms for further testing.

Some airlines test passengers before boarding.

But one thing is obvious, none of these methods is fail-safe and the most reliable would be that on the ground, using border control staff who would spot evident symptoms displayed in arrivals.

Meanwhile at least one hotel in this country has been block-booked for such arrivals.

I suppose that our government has weighed up the pros and cons and decided to
reserve our diminishing number of test kits for NHS staff and admissions.

Trump, he who appears to be full of bull and bluster, has porous borders like everyone else. If he is not aware of that he is acting like an ignoramus or being treated like a child.

According to the Mail on line 15,000 people are still flying into the UK daily according to Matt Hancock, and are not being routinely tested.

Who would work for the Border Force, facing the moans and groans of lengthy queues while checking passports and luggage deemed to be suspicious, having to sift through complete and utter dross that comes out of some people's mouths?

Would it be far better to be the man with the gun who has you in his sights? Or would that be deemed too extreme?

These figures are fluid but I believe there are 7000+ Border Officers covering fewer than 150 ports and airports, however, don't we all know of small inlets where it is ludicrous and impossible to retain a permanent checking mechanism? Every nation with a coastline has the same so, without doubt, they will face the same challenges as the UK no matter whether we hear of them or not. They may have more border staff (immigration and customs and excise) and/or more armed security staff or (and I think this is probable) they may simply accept a certain amount of smuggling as unavoidable. No one can cover everywhere at all times.

If all else fails, the government has its armed forces to fall back on - but not, surely, to stand guard over every point of entry into the UK? They'd be lined up around our coastline and land border with Eire.

During this current crisis not a lot has been heard from Russia. I am reliably informed that its police force is applying stringent measures on those who break lockdown - and so they should in my opinion. There is no fine line between a ticking off and a hefty fine but I know which I would rather have for those who disregard the safety of others at present.

We closed our borders immediately and the only aircraft allowed in are cargo planes and ones to get tourists out and return with repatriated Cypriots or those who live here. The hotels have been used as isolation units. Everyone coming in has had to go into isolation for 14 days.

So far 11 deaths and just over 700 confirmed cases. Contacts being found and told to self isolate. We have a curfew 9 pm - 6 am and have to send an SMS message with the code for a reason to go out to be allowed out for the one journey out allowed each day. Must take phone with the SMS answer, it has a time on it as you are only allowed out for 3 hrs at the most and you have to have ID card or passport with you at all times. Medical reasons and dog walking are exempt.

Sylvia, I don't know what procedures they have for vetting the passengers.

As Maggie says there is a shortage of border control staff. The irony is that the Brexit case included being able to control our own borders, but the fact is we are ill equipped to do so. EU countries like Spain and Italy had no problems closing their borders, while still conforming to EU rules.

Edit
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52319575

The UK needs a few more 'Capt. Toms'.

May I say it ...................

idiots!!

:-D :-D

Sylvia. the UK has a lack of border control. Staff cut by the current Government.

Ken .............

are the passengers* being checked and told to quarantine before being allowed to leave the airport?

*EDIT:- and/or the crew

Vancouver is one of the 4 designated International airports for the duration of the States of Emergency of both the Federal Government and of the BC Government. The others are Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

Vancouver is handling mainly international flights from across the Pacific .......... passengers are given a form either on the plane or on landing, asking what arrangements they have made for reaching their destination and for 14 day compulsory quarantine.

If the inspectors are satisfied that reaching their destination is safe (eg private car vs transit), and that they have arrangements for the next 14 days in place, then they are allowed to leave the airport. Regular checks are made during the 14 days to ensure that they are obeying the law.

If the inspectors are not satisfied, then the passenger(s) are sent to a designated local hotel which has been set up as a Federal Quarantine Centre. They are confined to the room for 14 days, food and supplies delivered to the door of the room. Again, regular checks are made.

The airports were not shut down completely to people traffic. At the moment Air China flight 423 is over Essex heading for Heathrow. Flights from Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Korea, China, Emirates, Qatar and other countries are continuing during the day.

I've no idea what load factors they are getting.

In 2016, the Environment minister suggested those over 65 picked the crops!
As they were likely to be slower than the Europeans, he suggested their wages were lowered.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/14/tory-minister-wanted-uk-pensioners-to-be-low-wage-fruit-pickers

Those Sheffield Romanians may all have permanent jobs here, Sue. Among them there may be firemen, carers etc as well as the furloughed.

Like Sylvia wrote, there are always local yokels who won't get out of bed to carry out what they perceive as menial low-paid work.

For what it's worth, the incomers were tested for Coronavirus before being allowed here.

But why bring people in when there are loads of Romanians that live in Sheffield.

The airports were shut down to people traffic,

We have enough Covid 19 here don't need anymore bringing it back in.

#Sylvia yes I remember the 40's,50's and so on.

There's a problem with using those on Universal Credit - it's known as 'Bedroom Tax'.

If you have more rooms than those who live in mansions with two, three of four 'spare' houses deem necessary, you have a reduction on your housing benefit.
If people on Universal Credit go on to farms to pick fruit at below living wage, and live in the caravan provided, it's unlikely they will get any Housing Benefit help with their 'main' accommodation - because it's empty - therefore all rooms are surplus to requirement!

As for the fruit picking, they have been to job centres to get pickers but without success. So they arranged for the Romanians to come for a couple of months otherwise the fruit would be wasted.

Sue .............

Most countries are having to bring in people from other countries willing to do the hard work on farms!

Canada has allowed Mexicans to enter Canada on special flights within the last couple of weeks to work on fruit and veggie farms right through from now until picking, so ca 5-6 months. Some of them have been coming to the same farms in BC for 10 or more years, they return year after year. Other provinces are the same.

The people coming in have to go into quarantine for 14 days ON the farms where they will be working ........... and they have to be paid, fed and otherwise supported throughout those 14 days.

The farms just cannot operate unless they do this.

I assume it is the same in the UK ........... though I don't know about the quarantine. I don't know how well you have started to insist on 14 days quarantine for all people arriving in the UK from overseas, even Brits being repatriated.

I do know that the UK were not doing a good job up until a couple of weeks ago, from media reports.

The "local yokels" just will not work the long dirty hard hours for the measly pay that farmers can afford to pay .......... in ANY First World country, from the UK to Canada to the US. All of them depend on importing poor foreigners who will do the work because it is in fact better paid that they would get at home.


Remember, remember all the immigrants and refugees who entered Britain from the 1940s onwards who did the "dirty" work that those already living in the country would not do, preferring to get unemployment pay, but then complained bitterly about "those people" taking the jobs???

If you don't, I can remember the people from the Caribbean in the 1950s, those from Uganda in the 1970s, etc etc. If you go further back ....... the DPs in the 1940s, the Jewish people in the late 1800s and for centuries before that, refugees from Russia and central Europe.

On and on it goes ................ these living the "good life" in a country won't do the "dirty jobs" once they have established themselves.

They certainly haven't closed all airports although the number of flights is a fraction of the normal figure.

There are many cargo flights continuing as normal.

Well they should go to job centres and get them to plant and clear Veg and fruit.

Apparently they cant get enough Brits to do it!!

I thought that the Government had done a complete close down of all airports at least a couple of weeks ago.

Heard on the news that a plane from Romania has landed with a 150 People on board.

That is for fruit picking.