Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Long immigration queues at Changi due to H1N1 measures

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Long immigration queues at Changi due to H1N1 measures

    Originally posted by flyguy View Post
    Believed now s'pore have stand down in its so called mitigation phase as the spread is already more local.
    Tonight at Changi, massive queues in T2. Everyone's required to fill out an additional pink form that the SQ cabin crew announced over the intercom.

    Even those in transit.

    Hence it was unfortunate that they then didn't bother to hand out the form to everyone, only a minute few.

    So the rest of the plane and I didn't think much about it, disembarked and saw the mile-long queues in all 6 open counters (especially the resident's queue, which was only manned by one officer who complained about the lack of manpower - he then informed me they only insisted everyone fill in the form since two days ago.

    Well, obviously depending on the thermal scanner strategy was in many respects insufficient. Anyway, the pink form + thermal scanner strategy, imo, is only a stopgap at best. If pax see the mile-long queues, they have only one thought: get through it as fast as possible and with minimal effort exerted.

    It doesn't help that the security officers barely/did not glance(d) at the pink sheets in the automated passport lanes where Singaporean citizens waltzed through for those with the passports that are machine-readable.

    Then again, neither do the security pax in KLIA, so I wonder what result they're hoping to achieve.

    Oh - and for the record, some people stay in more than one place/hotel in a visit abroad. And I don't just mean SPG/Hilton/*insert hotel-chain* hoppers here, either. People DO go from city to city domestically, sometimes by car. And I doubt any/most leave forwarding addresses.

    I find this not reflected in any of the forms I've been asked to fill out anywhere, doesn't matter which country. Execution-strategy mismatch, in my opinion.


    Anyway - for all those coming to SIN, ASK for that pink form in-flight.

    And brace yourself for some serious queue-age if going landside. What's normally a 10 to 15-minute trek through immigration turned out to be 45 minutes for me. And I was the first in Y to disembark.

  • #2
    Ouch! Should hopefully sort itself out once people become familiar with the need to fill out the form.

    What's the idea behined the form? I thought Singapore had moved on to a mitigation strategy rather than try and check the spread?

    Comment


    • #3
      Flew SQ185 - didn't know about the pink forms. Saw them at checkin though but the lady at J check-in said I wouldn't need it !

      Anyway I found out via the PA that I would need it. Asked for it and like Kyo there were no forms to be had on board the aircraft.

      However, there was someone at the gate with a bunch of forms handing them out to disembarking pax.

      Comment


      • #4
        Everyone on my flight had to get our temperatures checked and fill out one of those pink forms after getting off SQ228 2 weeks ago. But we did it at a holding area near the gate rather than at immigration. We didn't know about this new process until we got off the plane and were met by the Welcome Committee. They must have expanded it to all arriving flights?
        All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

        Comment


        • #5
          Huh? We had the forms a couple of weeks ago and no onboard/gate checks. Ditto a month ago on flight from Australia (which at the time was one of the few places with significant numbers of H1N1 cases).

          Many countries are now reducing their swine flu requirements because it is now widespread. Eg Australia & NZ have both stopped using their forms & thermal cameras, China has stopped taking temperatures onboard (but still has thermal cameras along path to immigration).
          ..

          Comment


          • #6
            yeah think kinda late for SIN to do it at the airports now

            Comment


            • #7
              Yeah, saw those new forms passed out on SQ 319 the other day.

              On the other hand, BKK has now dispensed with having passengers fill out the additional health form.
              Le jour de Saint Eugène, en traversant la Calle Mayor...

              Comment

              Working...
              X