UK airports are STILL operating ‘like it’s a normal day’: Britons returning from coronavirus-hit countries say they breezed through security at Heathrow with no testing or quarantine advice
- Passengers arriving to London’s Heathrow said there was lack of medical advice
- One passenger said that they were unsure if they needed to go into quarantine
- Another traveller said guidance needed to be provided about social distancing
Passengers arriving back to the UK from abroad have taken fire at the lack of testing and medical advice being issued by airport staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Britons arriving to London’s Heathrow Airport said they were left ‘shocked’ by the very few health checks being carried out and the lack of medical advice available which left them unsure about whether to go into quarantine.
Despite a surge in the number of coronavirus cases across the country, travellers claimed they were left breezing through security as though it was ‘a normal working day’.
One passenger Mete Coban, a 27-year-old charity pioneer and Hackney councillor, who returned to Heathrow Airport from the U.S. on March 16, said: ‘Considering just how seriously authorities were treating Covid-19 in the US, I was shocked at just how little the UK authorities seemed to care when arriving at Heathrow.
Passengers returning to London’s Heathrow Airport have taken fire at the lack of testing and medical advice being issued amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Stock image)
One passenger Mete Coban (left), 27, who returned to Heathrow Airport from the U.S. on March 16, said it was ‘completely irresponsible that we’re not at least providing guidance to people about social distancing’
‘I think it’s completely irresponsible that we’re not at least providing guidance to people about social distancing and giving medical advice.’
While Chloe Sloggett, a 24-year-old aesthetics practitioner from north London, who arrived at Heathrow on Saturday with her fiancé Toby Hastie, said there were far more medical checks in place in Cambodia and Malaysia than upon her arrival in the UK.
Ms Sloggett, who has been self-isolating since returning home, said: ‘As we walked through Heathrow there were posters to explain dos/don’ts and signs to keep two metres’ distance, but no-one there was enforcing it.
‘We had our temperature checked in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) twice and then again in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), but nothing when we landed in the UK.’
Meanwhile Marc Wilson, a 33-year-old postman from Southampton, said he was similarly confused by a lack of advice on what to do upon his arrival from Guatemala via Mexico and the US.
Mr Wilson, who landed at Heathrow on Sunday morning, said: ‘In the Americas, I was checked at every land border, every flight, I had doctors asking me questions.
‘I landed at Heathrow and there was no advice or anything. I couldn’t see any answers online whether I had to go in quarantine or not.’
The Department of Health said the advice for all Britons, whether returning to the UK or not, was the same – to stay at home and only leave if essential.
However, other countries have introduced strict quarantine measures for those entering the country.
Meanwhile Marc Wilson, 33, from Southampton, said he was not issued with any advice about whether he needed to go into quarantine when he arrived at Heathrow
This includes in the US and New Zealand, where travellers must isolate themselves for 14 days upon arrival.
Nick Russell, who is due to return to the UK from Auckland in the coming days, said confusion reigned over whether he and his wife would be subject to quarantine.
Mr Russell, from Berkshire, said: ‘We have very little idea what happens when we arrive at Heathrow.
‘Will we be escorted to some compulsory 14-days quarantine facility? Can we be met by a friend to take us home? What can we do when we arrive home?
‘There are simply no written answers we can find on the Government website.’
MailOnline has contacted Heathrow Airport for comment.