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About 200 people who took a flight from Washington DC in the United States last night and arrived at OR Tambo International this afternoon are stuck on the airport runway with nowhere to go.
The group of South Africans arrived in the country on Monday as part of a coronavirus repatriation process, but is now unclear on what to do next.
According to some of the people, who contacted News24, the passengers landed before 17:00 and were kept in minibuses on the tarmac with their belongings, having no idea where they will be taken to carry out their 14 days of quarantine. .
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Among them was South African surf champion Jordy Smith and his wife.
The champion had been training for the next world surf tour, in Hawaii, when the Covid-19 world pandemic occurred. He told News24 how the journey had started chaotically in Washington.
“There was no confirmation about boarding the actual flight. The department and the SAA did not actually issue tickets, so no one knew who was on the plane and who was not.”
Without a ticket, there would be no flight, even if people had paid for the tickets. They waited around 10 hours, while this confusion and anxiety reigned. Smith said he and his wife, Lyndall, sighed in relief when informed that they were on the flight, just 20 minutes before boarding.
“I felt very sorry for some people who were left behind,” he said.
“On the plane, we were being served in hazardous materials suits. The first 3-4 rows were empty.”
This made the couple doubly sad for those left behind.
“That was bad enough, I thought,” said Smith.
Finally they arrived in Johannesburg, at around 4:35 pm, at the OR Tambo International Airport.
“They took us off the plane, they all got tested while they were on the plane, checked the temperatures, etc.”
His luggage was loaded in kombis: only 10 passengers per 20-seater vehicle.
(Katie Martin, supplied)
All passengers had to sign the acknowledgment that they would be in quarantine for 14 days, before leaving the US. USA
“We were told we were going to a government facility to quarantine for 14 days. And now we have been sitting on the runway for about five hours.”
“We are safe, but it is freezing,” said the surfing champion shortly before 9:30 p.m.
“We have been sitting on the ground here for about minus five hours and it is very cold. There are about 270 South Africans, all standing with nowhere to go,” he said.
Smith said officials on the ground seemed to have no idea what was happening and passengers were told to remain firm while the matter was resolved.
“It is frustrating not having any correspondence with anyone. Right now everyone is sitting in limbo …”
(Katie Martin, supplied)
Another South African on the flight, Matthew Kalil, told News24: “It is turning into a mini party, as it would be with South Africans!
“We have been through the phase of being gatvol. It is cold, there is no food, there is no water, it really is not the best place to be.”
“There is no one from the government here, no one from the health department.
“No one really knows what is going on … only many of us roam the asphalt, like farting lost,” Kalil said.
He felt for an older woman, who just wanted “a hot meal and a warm space,” after the grueling ordeal.
Kalil, who wanted to return to his Cape Town home, told News24 that the group was to be housed in a hotel for quarantine.
However, he said the group discovered only after landing that there was a problem with an agreement between the government and the hotel, meaning the group had nowhere to go.
“People are trying to stay in a good mood,” he said, “but I don’t know how long this will last. We’ve been here since 5:00 and all I really want is to rest and eat.”
He said that while they were allowed to enter the airport terminal, airport staff had allowed the group to use the restrooms.
(Katie Martin, supplied)
Kalil said he was also concerned about where the group would be taken, after hearing reports of unsatisfactory living arrangements for those in quarantine.
Around 10:10 p.m., passengers were asked to return to their vehicles and began to leave the airport, but had not been told where they were going.
When contacted for comment, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation forwarded News24 to the Department of Public Works.
Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille’s spokeswoman Zara Nicholson told News24 that the department was aware of the situation at the airport, but there were reasons for it.
Nicholson said they were receiving conflicting reports that some passengers who had landed had been transported, but others were still on the runway.
“The problem is that we continue to be notified the day people arrive and that goes against the agreement that is supposed to be in force by a joint national committee, which is that Public Works must receive a 72-hour notice, to that we can get and assign sites correctly, “he said.
He added that the acquisition process was difficult to carry out if the department did not have enough time.
“It happened yesterday (Sunday) and it happened again today (Monday), where we were told at 22:00 that people are landing. Sometimes it is like an hour’s notice, so we must follow and assign sites within our processes, but we can’t do that if they tell us the day. We are aware (of the situation), “said Nicholson.
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