Esther is a photographer and was on some odd jobs in South Africa, where a new mutant of the virus came to light this week. “I was fully vaccinated and I traveled from Cape Town. There was little sign of the virus there. I was not in a risk area and I hardly saw any other people during my trip.”
On Thursday evening at the airport in Cape Town, she had to show a (copy of a) QR code for her return journey. There was a good check, says Esther. Moments later she gets on the plane. Around 00.20 (local time, in the Netherlands it is then 23.20) the plane with Esther and about 300 other passengers departs for the Netherlands. It is only eleven hours later that it becomes clear what awaits the passengers.
10.30 – The plane lands at Schiphol and the telephones start to ring.
Esther flies business class. The man sitting next to Esther gets a text message with an ominous message.
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“He told me that our flight had to be quarantined. I thought that was very strange to hear. We all knew nothing at the time, but the captain and the staff could not tell us anything yet. Everyone was surprised and nobody could tell us anything. explain, but the crew was very friendly,” explains Esther.
12.00 – Although the plane has landed, it is still on the runway, far away from the airport itself.
“We still received no information from the personnel on the plane,” says Esther. “The only thing we got was the information we read ourselves on regular news websites. The GGD, KLM or the flight crew were able to tell me less about the situation than my mother, with whom I texted.”
The aircraft is still not allowed to have contact with anyone or anything. “There was only water, all the food was gone and we didn’t get anything either. It seemed like there wasn’t really a plan, like none of the crew knew how to handle the situation.”
14:30 – The occupants are finally allowed to leave the aircraft and are taken to terminal G in buses.
“A lot of people were complaining. That’s not surprising. The flight lasted 11 hours. I was in business class, so I was still pretty good, but people in economy class had traveled 11 hours. They were constantly very close together “explains Esther.
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According to Esther, people are also close to each other in the buses. “Really mutt. That was very crooked. I thought: I probably did not contract the virus, but if someone in this bus does have it, then that is asking for infections.”
14.40 – The passengers are led to a waiting area in the terminal. The crew of the plane does not go inside.
“There were all kinds of chairs and small benches. Then we had to wait. Everyone immediately lined up because there was going to be testing, but that would take a long time, it turned out afterwards. We were sitting and standing really close together. “
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17.00 – Testing begins.
“Likewise, then, because it went very slowly. There was pushing here and there, because nobody wanted to give up their place in the line and everyone wanted to be tested as soon as possible. I myself stayed in my seat. I didn’t want to give up my place. Some people stood on their feet I don’t know how long There was no food and information all that time I was really very hungry Around 5 o’clock I finally got a can of Coke and a sandwich Everyone passed the food to each other. “
17.30 – The atmosphere is getting grim. People get restless and stare at the military police who guard all exits.
“A man got a kick out of the Marechaussee. More and more of these kinds of riots started to arise. People were quickly irritated and the queue to test was pulled and pushed harder and harder. Some men got up and took the lead. They were also really angry and forced the staff to call their bosses. They wanted someone to take care of us. But it didn’t happen.”
According to Esther, the passengers were cold and had hardly any blankets. “We got about 30 blankets for 300 people. A GGD employee to whom I complained admitted that we were right. But he couldn’t do much about it himself, he said.”
18:00 – Esther stands in line to test.
It becomes clear that all passengers will receive the results at about the same time. Esther is also offered victim support.
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“I thought that was strange. I would have preferred food. Then we had to wait. We didn’t know what to expect.” Later it turns out that it is mainly a matter of waiting. The results are taking much longer than previously reported.
01.00 – A doctor from the GGD will explain the situation and the virus.
The end seems in sight. According to Esther, ‘it is all going very quickly now’. “Finally, we gradually got the results, in addition to warm blankets and sandwiches.”
02.30 – Esther gets her result: negative. She can go home.
“It was only then that it became clear how many people had the virus. First you saw that tufts of people were placed in a corner. These were the people who had tested positive. They had to leave the room one by one through a different door. If they did not have their own transport, they were taken by Red Cross vans to a hotel where they had to be quarantined.”
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Esther was eventually detained at Schiphol for 16 hours. “I was completely devastated. I had hardly slept for a day. There was still so much uncertainty. People were also getting really impatient. We actually had to wait for a formal test result, but the staff managed to print something of a proof so that we still had were allowed to go.”
12.00, the next day – Esther, quarantined at home, receives her test result via email.
She’s glad she didn’t have to wait for that email at Schiphol. “I have another five days in quarantine, then I have to be tested. Then I am ‘free’ again. But I am very afraid that I will still test positive later. If that is the case, it is probably due to the situation at the airport Esther concludes.
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