When Camilla Bernal (48) and her son Axel (19) landed at Gardermoen after leaving Cape Town, they were met with eight hours of waiting time and large crowds. The family duo was shocked by the conditions at the airport.
– This could have been done in a completely different way, says Camilla to Dagbladet.
To Hamar Arbeiderblad, who first mentioned the case, Camilla says that she has lived in Cape Town for over 20 years, while her son Axel is studying in England. They are now in quarantine hotels at Helsfyr.
New cases of mysterious syndrome
Folk sto did i did
Camilla tells Dagbladet that the problems arose as soon as they landed on Norwegian soil.
– Inside the arrival hall it was crowded with people. There were both elderly and families with small children. I was told that seven planes landed in 45 minutes.
She also says that she met an elderly man who had also traveled from South Africa.
– He was to visit a daughter in Moss and had traveled for about 20 hours. No one offered him any help or a chair to sit on.
In addition to a lot of waiting, there were large crowds and Camilla says that people stood shoulder to shoulder.
– You do not expect to be exposed to more infection pressure when you arrive at Gardermoen, than you have been during 18 months in Africa. It seems very unnecessary.
EIGHT HOURS: Camilla and Felix had to wait eight hours at Gardermoen. Photo: Private
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After the passport control, Camilla and Axel had to wait in a packed room for five hours. They were then taken down to the baggage hall with a security guard. There they had to stand and wait behind a barrier for two hours until they were allowed to pick up their luggage one by one, according to Camilla.
– It was strange that we had to stand for two hours and wait for us to pick up the luggage that was 50 meters away, she says.
The head of the department for communication and public relations, Gurli Høeg Ulverud, at Avinor, believes that people should be prepared for long waiting times.
– There has been a lot of writing in the press about this with expected queues, so I think most travelers know that there is a risk and what is the cause. If you are going to a quarantine hotel, there are even more waiting zones and bottlenecks you have to go through, Ulverud says.
QUEUE: Camilla and Axel had to stand in line for a long time. Photo: Private
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No access to food or drink
After five hours of waiting, several people were both hungry and thirsty.
– No one came with any water. When we went with weights to the luggage hall, I asked if she could buy us some food or drink. But she only said that it was something she was not allowed to do, without giving any further explanation, Camilla says.
Avinor has previously explained that there must be access to a vending machine on arrival, but the 48-year-old says that this is not true.
– There was only access to the vending machine after five hours, but this did not apply to us who were going to quarantine hotels. We stood together behind bars.
Hotel from hell
Ulverud says that there should have been water available and travelers should have had the opportunity to buy food and drink.
– There are vending machines with drinks and snacks in the luggage hall. They are deployed well visible. Everyone should be able to use them, even those who are followed by weights. What happened in this specific case is unfortunately not easy to answer, says Ulverud and adds that she can not answer why travelers were not offered water.
Camilla says that there was chaos as soon as they got off the plane and she believes that this could have been done in a much easier way.
– Why is it necessary to keep people in small fenced areas with police escorts and barricades? Why is one treated like a criminal while trying to follow the rules, she wonders.
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