Guests describe the situation at the Gardermoen quarantine hotels as completely hopeless. Anna Olufsen believes it is unsafe to stay there due to poor infection control and the hotels not adapting to conditions.
The rules on quarantine times in quarantine hotels were tightened on Tuesday evening In Norway. Previously, people staying in quarantine hotels had the opportunity to test themselves outside the quarantine hotel on the third day.
Now everyone who comes from an unnecessary trip abroad must spend the entire period of quarantine in a hotel.
Anna Olufsen is amused by the situation when TV 2 calls her to hear about her experience of staying in a quarantine hotel in... Oslo airport.
"It's just unbelievable," says Olufsen, who is shocked by what happened to her at the Clarion Hotel.
Olufsen arrived in Gardermoen on Sunday morning and stood in a tight line before she was about to undergo the crown tests. Olufsen says she works in healthcare and was fully vaccinated in February.
By the time she got to Gardermoen, she had undergone two negative tests.
- Nobody checked any documents. We were all pushed onto the bus and sent to the quarantine hotel with no information about where we were going or what we would be doing.
-Uncertainty and chaos
Olufsen says she parked her car at the airport and intended to fulfill the quarantine obligation in her own home.
- I could be all alone there. But instead you go and look for information with lots of other people at the quarantine hotel. I'm glad I got vaccinated because it's very dangerous to be here when it comes to infection control, she says frustrated.
Olufsen also filed a complaint with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority about routines in the hotel. Says that the food is placed outside the hotel rooms, next to the towels and rubbish.
- It's just unsanitary. He says the baguette we were served was stale as well.
- How do other guests perceive the situation?
- Many are very frustrated. There are also older people who do not understand the language and therefore do not receive adequate information. It's a rather hopeless situation, says Olufsen.
"The hotel staff are doing the best and are nice, but the lack of information about the tests and what is happening means that there is a lot of people looking for information," she adds despairingly.
Olufsen believes there is no justification for so many people flocking to the same place to spread infection.
She admits that her own journey may not have been so necessary, but staying in Gardermoen is absurd.
- The absolute worst thing was that we had to be tested in a cluster with many other people at the airport. We were not protected from ourselves, and people stood and broke down and cried. He says it's like an attack.
He wasn't prepared
Clarion and Comfort Hotell manager Jonas Johansson tells TV 2 that they fully understand that quarantining against their will is an unpleasant experience.
"It also means that the hotel experience is not what we usually deliver," he says in the email.
He says they had a huge influx of "guests" over the weekend, which they weren't prepared for, and that there were logistical challenges at the time.
- Thanks to the fantastic employees who show up in a short time, we have coped with it, and we will also do our best to make the quarantine stay as good as possible.
Furthermore, it claims that all food is delivered packaged and that they do not want direct contact when delivering it.
- Quarantined people should not be in shared property, but this is controlled by the municipality of Ullensaker. We place strict requirements on our employees regarding infection control and encourage all visitors to follow the guidelines.
Experiencing chaos and crowds
Camilla Osen Holtet (29), together with her cohabitant, celebrated her birthday in a quarantine hotel with a cup of coffee.
They spent four days at the Comfort Hotel by Gardermoen and Holtet describes their stay as chaotic, to say the least.
They sorted out all documents in advance and took into account all precautionary measures and travel restrictions that were issued by the government in relation to departure and entry.
Nevertheless, Holtet talks about misleading information, chaos and crowds at the quarantine hotel. She had the impression that representatives of the municipality of Ullensaker were not sufficiently familiar with the applicable regulations.
Large influx of newcomers
Sylvia Aastad, department manager and operations manager of the quarantine hotels in Ullensaker Municipality, says in an email to TV 2 that on Tuesday there are approximately 1200 guests in total at the four quarantine hotels.
– The tightening of quarantine rules has resulted in a much greater increase in the number of quarantine hotels and incoming “guests” than before. This happened at short notice and gave us some logistical challenges, but so far it's happening, writes Aastad.
- What is the responsibility of the municipality of Ullensaker for quarantine hotels?
- We are responsible for making hotels available to people who are to have an entry quarantine. We do this through contracts with several hotels in our municipality. We are responsible for reviewing who is in quarantine. And for access to relevant information about your rights and obligations during your stay.
