PPA waiting for digital compliance form solution at Tallinn Airport

Coronavirus testing starts at Tallinn Airport.
Coronavirus testing starts at Tallinn Airport. Source: Siim Lõvi /ERR

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) are waiting for the Health Board to create a digital solution for travelers arriving in Estonia who need to submit their details for compliance with movement restrictions. The Health Board advises passengers to disperse when waiting to fill in their paper forms until the solution is completed.

Currently, when filling out paper compliance forms at Tallinn Airport, passengers from countries with a high rate of infection are asked to wait their turn in a confined space. People are also expected to share pens.

ETV's current affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) on Wednesday night pointed out the contradiction between reality and Estonia's e-state image.

However, passengers are not worried. "It's simple, easier than in most places," foreigners Marti and Sharon who traveled to Estonia told AK at Tallinn Airport.

They agree that it would be easier to fill in data online but said not everyone may have access to the internet. "Maybe an app or code that could be scanned would be easier," Sharon suggested.

The space assigned for filling in forms at the airport is not very large and when several planes land at once from different countries this can create queues, which creates a fertile ground for coronavirus to spread.

Border crossing point manager at the northern prefecture of the PPA Raavo Järva told AK it is not a good situation. He advised travelers who are worried about people gathering to wait a bit longer for others to fill out their forms first but admitted that filling in the forms manually is inconvenient for passengers.

The forms can also be filled in on a computer in advance, printed out and then handed in, but most passengers are not aware of this. It is also difficult to pre-fill questionnaires on the aircraft. 

This is why the police are waiting for the digital solution to be completed.

Deputy Director-General of the Health Board Mari-Anne Härma said: "At the airport, this process should be better thought out. A web solution is being developed in collaboration with the Health Board and the PPA, where people can enter this information electronically and we know the first phase should be completed next week."

The PPA and Tallinn Airport admitted that there are few opportunities to create a larger space, which is why they are hoping for a digital solution to be completed quickly.

Explaining why there is currently no digital solution in place, a spokesperson for the Health Board told ERR News: "There has been quite a demand for new e-solutions during the past 10 months in the healthcare sector and, at a certain point, we needed to prioritize. The e-solution for data collecting at the border crossing is in works. We are expecting the first stage to be completed by the end of the month."

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Editor: Helen Wright

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