Tier 3 planned and needed trip abroad

[NottinghamFlorest]

My DSis has had a terrible year. We have had a weekend away planned in a European city with no travel restrictions from the UK. (And where Covid isn't as bad as here). But the city we live in here is now just Tier 3. The rule is 'advised not to leave the area' but just advised not law. Would it still be ok to go? If we social distance the whole time and wear masks? I think it would severely affect her mental health if we had to cancel..

On the whole I think we should be carrying on as normally as possible, but it seems incredibly selfish to leave a tier 3 area where infections are high and risk taking it to another country.

Could you change your trip so that you’re staying in this country? Or stay in a hooter in your own area?

We live in a tier 3 area in UK. We have been in Canary Islands for 3 weeks. Everybody taking mask wearing very seriously. No exceptions. Nobody in a shop without a mask. People putting mask back on in restaurants to go to toilet.
I feel much safer here. Able to eat outside in evenings.
Has been very quiet here. Able to socially distsnce. No longer need to self isolate on return to UK so will soon get busier.

I agree with Nails, it does seem difficult to justify leaving a high risk area to go to a lower risk area.

Probably hence why you’re asking on here.

For the sake of her mental health, of a change of scenery will do her good, then look for a hotel in your current area.

What if we had a private test the day before we went? Thanks for all your comments so far.

‘Covid isn’t as bad as here‘ - well it might very soon be if people travel from English tier 3 areas where rates are ridiculously high. It might not be illegal to leave the area but can’t you apply some common sense and book something more local to you.

This is coming from someone in locked down Wales where the rates in my county are 51 per 100,000

Testing the day before means nothing really. You could still be incubating the virus, or catch it on the plane (could be full of people from Tier 3 areas)

If you’re having to work this hard to try to justify doing what you want to do, I think it’s pretty obvious that you shouldn’t be doing it.

I'm sorry for your sister but you shouldn't go.

@NottinghamFlorest

What if we had a private test the day before we went? Thanks for all your comments so far.

How would that help, all it tells you is that you aren't positive at that moment. Quarantining for say 10 days beforehand then having a test would give you a pretty high level of confidence

I wouldn’t be going abroad from a Tier 3 place, no. This is not ‘needed’ no matter how much you say you want it.

That would work. So if we completely quarantine for 10 days before... then would it be ok?

I think you know it’s not a good idea deep down. I’m guessing from your username that you’re from the same area as me. We had a trip planned next weekend for DHs birthday. He suffers from depression but we decided to cancel. It was really disappointing but it didn’t seem right when we are going to be in T3 next week

This is ridiculous. I can't believe you are asking. You know you shouldn't be going

Thing is with Covid, nothing is ever going to be “ok”.

There are guidelines in place for a reason, as PPs have explained. You could be negative and then catch it on the plane and suddenly that low risk country or place isn’t as low risk - not talking about risk to you, but risk to others.

The safest option for others is for you to remain in your Tier 3 area and stay in a hotel there.

The government are never going to ban travel, but they have advised not to leave the area if you don’t need to.

You need to view the guidelines such as mask wearing and social distancing as a way of keeping others safe, rather than you safe.

No of course you should not go. It’s shit for all of us.

But if we stuck rigidly to the rules there and wore masks and socially distanced, we wouldn't be putting others at risk, would we?

May I ask why you feel the government advise should not apply to you OP?

You take your tier rules with you. So no socalising inside or outside with people outside your household/bubble.
Are you in the same household, or in a bubble, with your sister?

You wont be able to stay 1m+ away from others on the plane.

There are plenty of smaller areas that will be in T3 that aren't particularly high, and plenty of areas in T2 that are higher. The tiers are a very blunt tool.

Do your own risk assessment. If you're in contact with multiple people through work/ school etc then it's not a good idea to travel. If you're largely isolated at home then you're not going to create a greater risk than someone travelling from a lower risk area.

May I ask why you feel the government advise should not apply to you OP?

It's a recommendation, not a rule. I doubt anybody is following every recommendation to the letter.

Exactly... it's advice not a rule. And I work from home and only go to shops once a week. Very low risk really.

The government hasn’t made it the law yet to allow for reasonable exceptions. If people continue to think the current advise does not apply to them, it will become the law. I hope so anyway. I am fed up following the rules when so many people are swanning off on holiday thinking as long as they wear a mask it’s fine.

Do it. This could go on for a very long time. I know how much my own mental health has suffered, and I don't want to see anyone else go through that. We're going to reach the point where, for some age groups, mental health becomes more of a crisis than covid. We need to help each other to stop that happening.

Risk of a mental health crisis is a reasonable exception. It has been throughout the pandemic.

OP it’s blatantly obvious that you’re not getting the answers that you’d hoped to get.

The advice is that you shouldn’t be going. No, it’s not the law where you are things are open to interpretation but the message is pretty clear.

You cannot guarantee that you can socially distance if you going on a plane. You cannot avoid touching things when you away. Staff will need to handle your used bedding, glasses, cutlery etc. All of this is increasing the risk of transmission unnecessarily.

Find another way to be supportive of your sister.

"you should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level area you are in or entering a very high alert level area, other than for things like work, education or youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if you are travelling through as part of a longer journey"

Going on holiday does not meet any of those exemptions.

That is straight off the government website

Sorry, but you should not be going.