On Friday, Raymond Hæggernæs (44) arrived at Gardermoen after a pleasant flight with SAS from Alicante. Then the journey went directly to the quarantine hotel, but the road there was far from pleasant, according to Hæggernæs.
This is what he says about what met him at Gardermoen:
– I was shaking with frustration and to put it mildly cursed at what happened from here and throughout the day, says Hæ
But before he elaborates on this, he explains why he thinks his journey was one necessary travel – which is what is needed for you to escape quarantine hotels.
He says that he and his wife were in their home in Alicante when the pandemic hit last year. This is the background for the situation he is in now.
– We were unsure of what to do, and the information that came out in the media, FHI, and from the government, was unclear and scattered day by day. We understood that it was a pandemic and waited a bit for the situation to get clear advice.
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Flights were canceled
When they eventually decided to return home to Norway, all flights were postponed or canceled. The two also had a dog with them and had problems getting a seat on the few planes that were still flying.
– There was still no advice that Norwegians had to get home, but we felt insecure and would rather go home. After many days, my wife got in touch with SAS and booked a plane ticket home for herself and the dog. I stayed again to try and get agreements on supervision and security of the home, since I did not know how long I would be home in Norway until I got down again.
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In the meantime, all planes were put on the ground, and he decided to drive his Spanish-registered car to Norway to get home to his family.
– I drove home to Norway with rubbing alcohol, a handkerchief and enough provisions to survive for a week so I dropped out and went to the shops. I slept in the car in stages. The trip went well and I took the Danish boat from Hirtshals to Kristiansand and drove home to my residence. Gone well, but at home best, he says.
The tax authorities had notified the car had to returned to Spain by 12 November 2020.
– Would not travel
Christmas in Spain
Hæggernæs and his wife therefore went back with the car, and chose to celebrate Christmas in the Spain home when they were first there.
– During this time, there were constant changes from the Norwegian authorities and the Infection Control Act was tightened on many points. There were quarantine requirements when we got home, but without taking it so badly, we thought that “we can stand in it” and implement at home, as our contribution to the community, he says.
The wife traveled home earlier, while Hæggernæs later ordered a plane to complete various documents and give a power of attorney to a lawyer with a view to the property. Several flights were canceled, but he finally got a plane ticket home on March 26.
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Now the government had introduced a duty on quarantine hotels – with test requirements on day three.
– I thought that now there has been a security on someone up there at the top, one can then not put Norwegian citizens in prison as punishment for having broken a recommendation from the government. But what can I do now with that, I thought, and reassured myself that my journey was not unnecessary, as was talked about in the media.
He collected and printed out the documentation of why he had traveled by car, as well as documentation of the place of residence where the quarantine was to be carried out.
– I was optimistic that I would come to Gardermoen, go through customs, take a quick test and present my documentation, and then move on to my transit flight to Stavanger.
– Feel that we are being punished
– Boiled over
When he arrived at Gardermoen, several other planes had landed, and he says that people were piling up towards customs and passport control.
– I was surprised by the amount of foreign citizens from many different nations. Here we stood side by side in line and thought about all this fuss about mutated viruses and import infections.
Arriving at the customs officer’s hatch, the 44-year-old explains that he had to go to Spain to return the car, but it was decided that this was not a necessary trip.
– Now it boiled over in my top lid and I said that I would talk to a superior and have my case assessed by someone who had the authority and competence to do so.
But he was not upheld by the police either.
Five or six guards stood ready to fight with their hands crossed and stared at those who thought they were not treated right by customs officers. There were some heated discussions. Those who were rejected were led by the guards in clusters of eight to ten people into zones to wait for further sluice to the coronate test, and those who had valid reason were led straight to the test center in a separate exit and disappeared.
These are the new measures
– Same risk
He got the impression that the government and the municipality had started something they did not have a good enough plan to handle.
– It seemed as if the panic took them, and it was decided that “here we just have to shop and get people out, otherwise it will be totally unsustainable”.
At the same time, he saw students and Polish workers release quarantine hotels. He wonders what the difference is between them and him.
– We potentially pose the same risk for infection imports. We have to be tested at Gardermoen and we have the same documents about a suitable place to live to carry out the quarantine, but they can go home and not me?
After repeated complaints, he was informed that he could choose to go home, not accept the fine and fight the fine in court. But it was a little too big a risk to take.
Timeline: One year with corona
Additional costs
They were then guided on the bus that took them to the quarantine hotel. According to the 44-year-old, they received no information about where they were going.
– Then we get off the bus and stand in line towards the hotel lobby. The queue lasts for one hour before I arrive at the counter.
Here he was met by a receptionist at the hotel and a representative from Ullensaker municipality, who stated that he can leave the hotel two hours a day. He is set for coronatest on Monday, and can leave the hotel on Tuesday at the earliest if the test is negative.
Hæggernæs took a quick test in Alicante before boarding the plane, which was negative. He took a new PCR test at Gardermoen on arrival about two hours after landing, which also gave a negative result.
– Now I lie here on the hotel bed and listen to people walking and hanging in the hallways. I hear many different languages from the smokehouse outside, as well as eternal discussions from the desk of the municipal lady in the lobby about hopeless situations people are in.
It all ended with extra costs of 2500 kroner in hotels, lost flight ticket from Oslo to Stavanger and new flight ticket to 1500 kroner. He emphasizes that he has only broken one recommendation about not traveling, and not the law.
