Vaalimaa’s border station became congested when Huuhkajie’s supporters returned from St. Petersburg to Finland after the European Championships. The HS asked the Border Guard, Kymsote and the supporters of the Owls what they think about the background to the congestion.
Finns the return journey of football supporters from the men’s European Championships in St. Petersburg has been talked about in recent days as the number of corona infections has increased and a large proportion of infections have been traced to St. Petersburg.
When the supporters returned from St. Petersburg after the match between the Owners and Belgium, Vaalimaa was born border station congestion. For example, the Finnish National Team Supporters Association (SMJK) has wondered how congestion was not known.
Read more: Huuhkaja fans brought the coronavirus to Finland, but what really happened at the Russian border? This is the responsibility of the transport group’s transport manager
HS asked the Kymenlaakso Association of Municipalities for Social and Health Services (Kymsote), the Border Guard and SMJK how they thought the border crossing was successful. Questions were answered by e-mail, after which representatives of other respondents had the opportunity to cross-comment on the views expressed by others before the story was published.
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“In many ways, the design was really empty.”
Kymsotesta the questions were answered by the Chief Medical Officer in accordance with their responsibilities Marja-Liisa Mäntymaa, Communications Manager Anni Björklund and the Security and Risk Management Manager Jarno Rämä.
How did Kymsote try to instruct football fans traveling to Russia before the European Championship trip?
“Kymsote’s preparation for European Championship tourism was primarily about ensuring health safety checks at the border of the return trip. Kymsotella has also been involved in football and football tourism. When traveling abroad from Finland, the assumption has been that the national or THL-info (Department of Health and Welfare) has been the most followed.
Kymsote, together with Eksote, the Finnish Border Guard, THL, STM (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health), Husi (Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District, Finentry) and Traficom, prepared a message that was sent on behalf of the Football Association to all Finnish flag holders via Uefa (European Football Association). The message called for travel to the Games to be avoided, highlighted the risk of infection and provided instructions for returning home. ”
What are the border models based on?
“To cherish since January 2021, health security at the border crossing point has been an additional task imposed by the government and performed by Kymsote (health counseling) and Hus diagnostics (sampling and diagnostics). The task has been getting heavier all the time and requiring more resources. On June 22, 2021, until about 6 pm to 8 pm, the task was resolved. Even that evening, health safety requirements were met. Advance information on cross-border traffic was in the order of “10–100 buses coming”.
According to the employer’s obligations, those who work at the border must be notified of shifts sufficiently in advance. At the beginning of June, for example, it was not yet known whether train traffic for the Games would open. Planning was in many respects really empty and evaluations if not guesswork. There was virtually no additional staff available. ”
A representative of SMJK said (HS.fi 29.6.): “The mistake has been at the end of the border guard or Kymsote. There has been no knowledge and no involvement. Communication between the authorities is still in its infancy and no one is taking responsibility. ” How do you respond to the criticisms made?
“It would have been unwise for SMJK and other tour operators to have sent a written travel plan to the south-eastern Finnish border, from which the information would have been transferred to Kymsote. Plans have been actively inquired, especially at the border.
No such travel plan document has been found by SMJK or by most other operators, although [niitä] has been searched in Kymsote from the archives of many different people. According to the information I have received, the same applies to the border with south-eastern Finland, where no written information has been found. If SMJK has such a message to present, we will humbly accept your feedback.
There is no communication problem between the border and Kymsote. ”
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“We don’t really know what we could have done better.”
From SMJK the matter was commented by the transport and sales manager Kimmo Elfvengren.
HS has received an e-mail sent by SMJK in May informing the representatives of Eksote and Kymsote about the transport schedules and the number of people involved in the transport on the basis of current information.
The decision to cancel the Allegro traffic was made following a message seen by HS. Subsequent discussions have taken place by telephone, according to SMJK.
How did the various authorities (eg Kymsote, Border Guard, THL) succeed in issuing prior instructions for the European Championship trip to St Petersburg from SMJK’s point of view?
“A person from Vaalimaa visited us to talk about the matter in connection with the crossing on or about 20 May.
We received well-updated information, especially from THL, and we also followed their information. ”
Did you receive written receipts that things were okay?
“We did not ask for any written answers but informed all possible parties about the transportation of our buses. In addition to us, the bus company also announced the transports to various parties. ”
The Border Guard and Kymsote have said there was no information on return schedules. How do you comment on these views?
“We have announced the times of the number of buses departing on June 22 and the approximate number of passengers. We provided the bus volumes with delivery dates about a month in advance and in addition the specified transportation volumes two weeks in advance. For non-SMJK transports, we do not know if they have reported anything, but we did.
We are not a tour operator, but we allowed our members to travel by bus to St. Petersburg because the trains did not run and the quarantine regulations along the lands were the easiest for a long time. We don’t really know what we could have done better. ”
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“Congestion was not caused by one or two operators.”
The Deputy Border Guard Deputy Commander, Major, answered questions from the Border Guard Samuli Murtonen.
An earlier HS story said that SMJK had called the Border Guard two weeks before the trip and told them about the bus schedule. What could be the reason for the fact that the information has not been passed on?
“The Border Guard has requested information specifically to the e-mail addresses it provided by e-mail. At the end of May, SMJK replied to the Border Guard’s previous contact by e-mail. In that email, SMJK could not estimate the number of buses or return schedules. After this, the Border Guard is not aware of SMJK’s contacts on 22 June. related to return traffic. “
You said earlier that the exact information about the border crossing plans was obtained from only one tour operator who arranged the trip on one bus. In other respects, the information has been said to be fragmented. Where do you see the problem areas of pre-communication if there is so little communication?
“No operator, company or individual passenger has per se been obliged to respond to a request for information. Return traffic congestion was not caused by one or two operators, but by several operators. There were also a very large number of car passengers on the move, who would not have had any access to information about their movements. ”
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source https://pledgetimes.com/european-football-championship-huuhkaja-supporters-returning-from-st-petersburg-congested-the-vaalimaa-border-station-football-fans-and-authorities-on-various-lines-for-reasons-this-is-how-they-c/
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