AAtticus

Just arrived in Singapore from Dubai and received a phone call from MOH there was a positive case on the flight.
Hoping it was not staff and happy I forked out the 600gbp to upgrade to business. Being moved from a SHN hotel to a quarantaine hotel (not sure if there's a real difference?) tomorrow.

Stayed in 2 places in Dubai, both in Deira and on the Palm. Lots of Brits still on the Palm, Deira business hotel was pretty empty.
Most of the beach bars are classed as restaurants so just music background instead of DJ's but I did see a few very packed residence-balconies around mine with no-one wearing a mask.
Can't be surprised then that there were positive cases on the DXB-SIN flight.

cauchy

I had both police (waiting outside the door as I arrived from the airport) and calls. All very respectful (to the point of being apologetic) and well done, but I was under no illusion - if I broke the rules it could end very badly for me.

Schwann

Bet they wouldn't have been there if someone had burgled you or broken into your car!

KeaneJohn

I am assuming you are UK based but I’ve seen so,e influencers and others returned from Dubai this week reporting phone calls and visits from the police. Finally the government taking this seriously all be it many months too late.

KSVVZ2015

Is this in London or smaller towns? I always thought the Met said they didn’t have the resources for such checks absent a referral but small town police would be much more keen to enforce.

Also curious whether police visits (with no other cause) are reserved for just Red List arrivals or everyone now?

cauchy

Red list arrival, not DXB, a few weeks ago.

Not London. Thames Valley Police, urban area.

sbs2716g

maybe they will refund you the SHN hotel fee. As per understanding, the SIN govt is paying for the fee for the quarantine hotel.

Looking at the reports from MOH Singapore, everyday also got imported cases from UAE.

KeaneJohn

London & Home Counties.

Wozza2404

I came home from the UAE a couple of weeks ago and whilst exempt from quarantine due to the nature of my work, no-one checked on me.

I then had friends come home a few days later, who had gone out before Xmas when lockdown was being predicted and spent just over a month there - and they have had to quarantine - and again no checks whatsoever.

But then I've had colleagues return to the UK at similar times who are also exempt who have had phone calls.

So it seems like spot checks to me. Perhaps that will change as passenger numbers fall futher.

moral_low_ground

Time to leave the UAE....

I received my PCR test certificate this morning (from RAK hospital). Whilst it has my name and age on it, it doesn't have my passport number. Anyone had any issues at immigration (anywhere) with a PCR certificate that doesn't have a passport number ?

BTW, for those interesed - In Ras Al Khaimah they are still doing the free PCR test if you have stayed in a RAK hotel for at least 2 days (need a certificate from the hotel - offer now ends 31st March). If not then the test costs 150 AED (£30 GBP). I got tested yesterday at 11am and my test result/certificate arrived today at 10am. The queue at 10am in the Al Hamra Mall was large (maybe 40 people) - loads of Russians and no social distancing by many (it was like a queue for a coffee with everyone chatting etc). If anyone in the queue was positive then I am sure they'd have passed it on - not great!!

MikeManx

I stayed at the Hilton JBR and left last Friday. I used their in-hotel clinic for my PCR (AED 300 and a nurse came to my room to do the swab). Got the results in 24 hours. My certificate did have my passport number in the ID section.

I flew last Friday from DXB to Dublin. Had a few hours in the Maldron hotel at the airport, then flew DUB to Heathrow. PCR cert was not examined at DXB on leaving, I went through border control at Dublin, and it was looked at along with my onward flight and hotel booking by the officer there. But I don't think he checked the passport number was present on the PCR.

I then flew Dublin to Heathrow six hours later - the PCR cert was not examined going back into Dublin airport - and there was nobody at all at Heathrow when we exited due to it being a Common Travel Area flight.

I did complete the UK Passenger Locator Form stating I had spent time in the UAE, so am now isolating at home, but it was not checked as I say at LHR.

This may of course be different since Monday, when the hotel quarantine came in for travellers to the UK from the UAE.

Probably of no use answering moral's question, unless he is travelling to the UK or Ireland.

modularmayhem

This loophole of flying DXB-DUB-UK is getting a lot of media scrutiny here. Indeed its been specifically mentioned in the daily briefings that they will be closing this "backdoor entrance to the UK"

Was your flight busy? I flew DXB-DUB on the day after UK banned all UAE flights, and the flight was completely full, mostly of brits fleeing Dubai

MikeManx

Yes, DXB-DUB was very busy - as was the onward flight to Heathrow. Virtually everyone on that Heathrow flight had also been on the Dubai flight - which is why I was surprised there was nobody at Heathrow to check Passenger Locator Forms.

Personally I think the route will stay open - Emirates to Dublin and then Aer Lingus to Heathrow. There is no border control/passport desk to go through at Heathrow when arriving from Dublin, but there is nothing to stop border control from introducing one.

However if you genuinely originate from Ireland, you don't need a PCR test or to complete a PL Form to enter the UK, or indeed a passport, so it would be down to Border Force at Heathrow to prove you had been in the UAE before dragging you off to hotel quarantine.

They could only do that I think by gaining access to the Advance Passenger Details logs for incoming flights into Dublin, which I'm sure is what they must be working on. Then it would be a £10,000 fine on top of hotel quarantine costs for not completing a PLF correctly, which is probably enough to stop people trying it.

KeaneJohn

From what I’ve seen this week Border force checking DUB arrivals at jet bridge for PLF and PCR this week in T2 and T5 as no immigration due to CTA.

Just like at BHX I’d imagine they’d catch the red list arrivals that haven’t declared it.

MikeManx

I thought they might start to do that.

Of course the PCR test will tell them which country you had it done in, and therefore where you had been the previous 72 hours.

However you don't need either a PLR or PCR if you flying in only from Ireland (CTA) without having originated elsewhere, so there will still be challenges for Border Force as some travellers will quite rightly be able to state that they don't need either.