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It was on December 21 that the ban on flights from the UK to Sweden was introduced, due to the new, more contagious corona mutation that was discovered.
Since then, no direct flights from the UK have been allowed to land in Sweden.
But on Saturday it happened anyway, as Svenska Dagbladet first reported. In the morning a British Airways flight landed in Arlanda with 33 passengers.
That’s what the border police say
– It is not allowed to fly from Great Britain to Sweden, it is a government decision. They took us to bed when we saw that there were passengers on the plane, Border Police Chief Patrik Engström tells the newspaper.
Also, it refers to the Swedish Transport Agency.
– It was a total surprise. We carry out a border control on the plane. Swedish citizens have the unconditional right to travel to Sweden. The local police also contacted the region’s infection control doctor, who assessed that no special measures should be taken, Patrik Engström tells SvD.
29 of the 33 passengers are said to be Swedish citizens. Four were Finnish and would continue to fly to Helsinki.
The border police chief tells SvD that a family with young children underwent the PCR test. By the way, it is unclear whether passengers have been screened for the coronavirus or not, and the Public Health Agency has previously said that testing people at airports is not considered effective.
Tips for Swedes traveling from the UK
Here is the advice from the Public Health Agency for those who have been to the UK and arrived in Sweden on December 12 or later:
Stay at home
The Swedish Public Health Agency wants you, who are arriving in Sweden from the UK, to stay at home for at least seven days after arriving in Sweden. The authority writes:
“If you do not have symptoms or test positive for seven days, you can move around the community after that, but you should always follow the advice and recommendations that apply to everyone.”
Avoid close contacts
The Swedish Public Health Agency writes on its website:
“If for any reason you don’t have the opportunity to get tested for covid-19, it is important that you stay home, avoid close contacts and be careful with hygiene for at least 7 days after your arrival in Sweden.
Test yourself for covid-19.
The Public Health Agency wants you to get tested as soon as possible, and then again on the fifth day after leaving the UK.
If your test for COVID-19 is positive, healthcare staff will contact you to follow up. It happens in different ways in different regions.
Source: The Swedish Public Health Agency
Swedish transport agency “British Airways misunderstood”
Mikael Andersson, press director of the Swedish Transport Agency, confirms that a plane with Swedish citizens landed in Sweden on Saturday.
He says that the flight “is something that has been done in violation of the flight ban decided by the government.”
How could it have been so?
– The information I have is that they (British Airways airline, editor’s note) have simply misinterpreted or mixed up the messages we have issued. In aviation, something called Notam is issued, which stands for Notice to Air Men, information that is sent to airlines that shows what restrictions and other things are in the airspace connected to certain countries.
Mikael Andersson continues:
– The Swedish Transport Agency has issued two Notam, one of which says that there is a total flight ban for passenger flights between the UK and Sweden. Then we also issued a Notam saying that there is a travel ban to Sweden from the UK and Denmark, but that Swedish citizens are exempt from this travel ban. And the entry ban applies to all modes of transport and means that Swedish citizens still have the right to return to Sweden. But when it comes to flights, it’s a total stop at the moment. And, as I have been described, they simply misunderstood or misunderstood this and thought it was possible to fly as long as the passengers were Swedish citizens.
The Swedish Transport Agency claims to have ensured that local infection control is reported. “Since then, we have also contacted the Public Health Agency to make sure they are also updated on what has happened,” says Mikael Andersson.
Photo: JOHAN NILSSON / TT NYHETSBYRÅN
Informed Stockholm infection control
According to the press officer for the Swedish Transport Agency, he has now “ensured that British Airways has understood what applies”.
– We have closed the door so that this does not happen again. We have since clarified our Notam to counter that other companies might misinterpret it, says Mikael Andersson.
Did protection against infection begin as soon as these passengers landed at Arlanda, who were isolated while awaiting sampling?
– I have no information about it. We at the Swedish Transport Agency are not actively involved in infection control work.
But do you know if security measures were taken after it was established that the Swedes from Great Britain had landed?
– No, I have no information on what measures have been taken. They are Swedavia, Karolinska and the Swedish Public Health Agency, the authorities are responsible for infection control measures. At the Swedish Transport Agency we take care of the operational flight.
The Swedish Public Health Agency and Smittskydd Stockholm must have been informed of the incident. Expressen is looking to Swedavia, the Swedish Public Health Agency and Smittskydd Stockholm for comment.
Interior Minister Mikael Dambergs, S, declined to comment.
