More preparation and info

The aforementioned Facebook group, has several posts a day and some have even been posting pictures of their food, which is useful.

Much of the discussion is critical of the booking system itself.  That is generally justified but some have had their places cancelled because they were "signed in on multiple devices" (sometimes incorrectly) and naturally enough, many appear to be genuinely suffering from spending hours and hours each day, continually refreshing the screen in a vain hope that a vacancy will crop up.

As I write this, it is the final day of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, so the competitors and their entourages will get MIQ spaces on their return. It was also announced that the Dubai Expo staff, will also be allocated MIQ spaces and it appears that groups of more than 20 people, be they business or sports related, and even entertainers, are getting MIQ spots, when ordinary folk are denied, or just have to spend hours a day hoping to secure a place.

The irony of it is that the NZ Government sees some of these groups and sports teams as an 'economic benefit' to NZ. What irks many of the people struggling, is that they may be self-employed, and collectively, also of economic benefit to NZ.

On the Facebook page are many examples of people stranded and suffering by not being able to be with sick or dying loved ones. Families split because those working overseas just can’t get back. Others with jobs expiring, or tenancies expiring, work visas expiring. Job offers in NZ not able to be fulfilled and so on.

Logistically, it appears there are difficulties with having enough staff to run the systems and a system that is far from perfect.

At long last, the news media are picking up on this, but will things really change?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

During this period, the two pressing issues for me are the pre-departure Covid test timings, from NZ, and booking an arrival day 2 test in the UK. Then there will be a departure test from the UK.

Results have to be shown, and that in itself raises the issue of how long it actually takes to get the results, in a format that can be shown at the airport(s). That inevitably means reliance on a mobile phone – something I rarely use.  I prefer an emailed hard copy - which is fine if at home and able to use a printer, not so easy if travelling.

The challenges of keeping up with the requirements of a) NZ, b) Singapore c) UK is a bit of a pain. Requirements are constantly changing.

The next post may well be about what I’m learning about preparing for the flight. The flights. Transit through Singapore. UK Arrival and departure procedures and so on.

Feel free to comment!