Kyrgyzstan coronavirus travel re-opening/restrictions Q&A

[Wesley]

Because this isn’t about visa regulations (which very clearly hinge on citizenship and always have done so) but about Covid restrictions (which are ostensibly meant to limit the spread of a pandemic), and last time I checked, viruses do not behave differently depending on citizenship (that is: I may cause a greater risk because I live in a country with high infection rates, but I do not cause a greater risk simply because I am allowed to vote in a country with high infection rates). You are drawing a false equivalency here. Kyrgyzstan’s Covid restrictions simply do not make any sense, unlike in most countries where admittance or non-admittance depends on residency rather than citizenship.

Plus: the Kyrgyz government has not even clearly communicated what the rules even are (otherwise I would not have needed to even go there and try). So while you have every right to defend Kyrgyzstan, I do not think you are correct in this instance... and due to the clear arbitrary and discriminatory nature of the regulation and the harshness of the reception, I simply cannot share that viewpoint - and I have every right not to.

[bwv812]

Their covid restrictions and regulations have clearly always hinged on citizenship and not residency.

If you want to talk about the supposed purpose behind their covid policy, also recognize that visa policies are mainly about income levels and the risk of illegally overstaying. So can I argue with the border agent that despite carrying a Kyrgyz passport I'm a legal resident of Canada and am just as low a risk of illegally overstaying as any other Canadian resident/citizen?

The regulations seemed pretty clear when they were posted here, and while Switzerland was on the list of countries that could cross the border, the Netherlands was not. I'm not sure why you think it's so unfair that a sovereign nation can and will enforce their policies, even if you don't think they make sense.

[Wesley]

I do not feel like I need to clarify any further. I will just say that it was precisely not always clear that these regulations were about citizenship rather than residency (one only needs to read back this thread for evidence of that), and that I am entitled (like everyone else in this world is) to signal disagreement with policies that are blatantly arbitrary and discriminatory, even when there is nothing I can do about them - nobody can force me to find such policies “fair”. I am not contesting the right of sovereign states to enact their own policies; I am exercising my right to disagree with them.And finally, your visa analogy is and remains a false equivalency.

End of story on my part: I’ve given my report and my opinion on the procedure, and any reader can take from that what they like.

[Jealgu]

It is pretty clear that it is about citizenship, because that is very safe to assume unless otherwise stated. Just find a non-eu/non western expat in either the Netherlands and Switzerland with proper permits how easy it is for them to travel to places outside of the Schengen area. It is clear that at the very least you took a 50/50 shot here.

Holding a grudge to an entire country because one official did his job, complaining about discriminatory border crossing policies while you have one of the strongest passport in the world while there is a global pandemic going on? Well, lets just say that I have an opinion about this, a strong one.

[bwv812]

There's no problem with disagreeing with a country's policies, and nobody has claimed you don't have the right to disagree.

It is, however, rather absurd to claim the policies at hand are "blatantly arbitrary and discriminatory," and ridiculous to be harbor a grudge because you couldn't convince a border official to ignore the regulations and bow down to your superior logic.

[Wesley]

Sure. Whatever you like, oh Wise One... I shall immediately change my feelings on your orders!

[travelerthomas]

Okay, it's off-topic and completely irrelevant, but if you think this is discriminatory and arbitrary then wait till you get the treatment some of my fellow travel companions with lesser passports received; treatment beyond enraging and a frequent occurrence to them.

I get that it totally sucks to be rejected on the border, and not that you asked, but you may need to check yourself and your entitlements. Systems are truly idiotic sometimes but as some others pointed out, you ought to have known it was a 50-50 going in without the right passport.

Not to rant on you, totally get how much it sucks to be asked to turn around. I was denied visa on the border to Papua New Guinea after I'd spent literally days and weeks researching and planning the country. Utterly dejecting. Anyway, this is hardly something you can fault Kyrgyzstan for.

[Wesley]

As I said above:

End of story on my part: I’ve given my report and my opinion on the procedure, and any reader can take from that what they like.

But do feel free to discuss this further amongst yourselves.

[Jealgu]

Looks like Mr. Wesley wants the last word.

And. It looks like he has to try a bit harder to achieve his objective.

[frunze]

Frankly I had some sympathy in the beggining but lost it. The guy just expected to be waved through the border because he comes from a rich country and who the fuck are those kyrgyz to choose who comes to their country?

Some covid regulations are idiotic? Sure thing, a lot of them do. Such as when your country, Netherlands, completely fucked me over by announcing they now demanded negative tests even for transit, without any notice. They went one step further and demand one negative pcr test AND one negative antigen test, and to add to the absurdity, the less precise antigen test comes last.

Does anyone rant about evil are those dutch for making completely pathetic and illogical rules about who can come in to their country? No, they are entitled to that, of course.

And do you want to have a real experience of being pulled over and denied entry for absolute no reason despite actually following the rules? Try the USA next.