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A Christmas Day reunion in the UK ended in tatters after an Australian family was stranded at Singapore airport by Covid red tape for two days before being forced to return home.
Mark Donnelly, 43, her husband Robert Layfield, 35, and their twin sons Mitchell and Caleb, 12, should have been in London with relatives for the holiday season.
They had planned to see Mark’s 89-year-old grandmother Joyce after Robert lost his elderly grandmother to Covid earlier this year and then his grandfather soon after.
But instead, they have spent the last two days unsuccessfully asking Singapore airport staff for a Covid test to let them continue their journey.
Now they’ve lost around $ 26,000 in flights and accommodation – and have no hope of getting a refund.
A Christmas Day reunion ended in tatters after a Robert Layfield (left) and Mark Donnelly (right) were stranded at Singapore airport by Covid red tape for two days with their sons twins Mitchell and Caleb before being forced to return home
The family should have celebrated Christmas in London (pictured) with relatives
“It’s not about the money though,” Mark told Daily Mail Australia. “We just really wanted to see our family. I haven’t seen my grandmother for three years.
The family left Melbourne Airport Wednesday afternoon on Jetstar bound for Singapore, with a British Airways flight booked to take them to the UK.
They had checked with the British High Commission that they only needed a recent PCR or rapid antigen test to enter the country.
But upon arrival in Singapore, airport staff refused to let them continue their journey because their negative rapid antigen tests, which they had filmed themselves doing, had not been completed. carried out and certified by a healthcare professional.
They had planned to see Mark Donnelly’s grandmother, Joyce, 89, after Robert Layfield lost his elderly grandmother to Covid earlier this year and then his grandfather soon after ( photo, Robert, left, with Mark and Mark’s mother, Hazel)
Singapore airport staff (pictured) refused to let them continue their journey because their negative rapid antigen tests had not been performed and certified by a medical professional.
Requests for repeat tests at the airport’s internal testing clinic have been repeatedly rejected, despite help from staff at the UK and Australian high commissions.
The four were forced to sleep on the seats in the transit lounge as they waited for the nightmare to end, with stress inflaming Mitchell’s autism and Mr. Layfield’s multiple sclerosis.
Almost nothing was allowed to open in the transit room because of the Covid and the Christmas holidays.
And from Wednesday noon to Saturday morning, they only had the clothes they were wearing and the few things they had packed in their hand luggage.
When they begged for access to their checked baggage for life-saving medicine, they only had five minutes under security escort to access their suitcases.
The four were forced to sleep on the seats in the transit lounge as they waited for the nightmare to end, with stress inflaming Mitchell’s autism and Mr. Layfield’s multiple sclerosis.
The British High Commission had told the family they only needed a recent PCR or rapid antigen test to enter the country (pictured, a screenshot from government website British health)
Singapore finally declared that they were “inadmissible travelers” on Friday and sent them back from the country to Australia.
They were forced to give up and had to return home that evening, arriving at dawn on Christmas Day in an empty house with no celebratory cheer.
“Fortunately we forgot to throw in a quart of milk and a loaf of bread before we left,” said Mr Donnelly, a primary school teacher in Keysborough, Melbourne.
“So we had cheese on toast and beans with a cup of tea for our Christmas dinner. “
He said they were exhausted from the ordeal and now hoped Jetstar and British Airways would take pity on them for at least offering them flights later in the year.
The family were forced to give up and had to return home on Friday, arriving at dawn on Christmas Day (pictured, Robert Layfield on the return flight)
The family are now hoping Jetstar and British Airways took pity on them to at least give them flights later in the year, but have given up hope of a refund.
“It was terrible, to be honest,†Mr. Donnelly said. “Now we’re back home – with at least our own bed to sleep in – we’re in a better mood.
“But it was awful. We weren’t even sure if we needed to quarantine at the hotel as our last PCR tests had expired by the time we returned to Melbourne.
“Fortunately, we were agitated by the arrivals and then we went straight to a testing clinic in Dandenong to get tested before spending Christmas in isolation at home.
“It was devastating. ”
Robert Layfield (pictured left) and Mark Donnelly (right) were exhausted from the ordeal – and could only have cheese on toast and beans for their Christmas dinner after arriving home
Aviation sources said checks should have been made to ensure the family complied with Covid requirements of all countries they passed through before being allowed to board.
But Jetstar insisted, “Customers have provided proof of a negative rapid antigen test.
“However, transit in Singapore requires this test to be administered by a qualified professional. Self-swabbing videos are not allowed. ‘
A spokesperson added: “We understand this is an extremely difficult situation and our team is doing everything possible to help them.”
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