Would you go to Aus and leave your kids for 3 weeks?

[Flyornofly]

Hi - have NCed as feel guilty even thinking about this.

I am originally from Australia, married to an Englishman and have lived here for 20 odd years. 2 kids, daughter 4 and at nursery, son 2 at home right now. My family are all in Australia, my dad is 80 & mum 78, & I have a sister who is having a baby in may.

I haven’t seen my family for coming up to 2 years, I was meant to go in March 2020 when the lockdown happened. I now have a window where I could potentially fly and do the quarantines on either side (am a contractor and between projects). However, I am hesitating about bringing my kids as it will be 2 weeks cooped up in a hotel room and then only 2ish weeks with family before having to fly back. DH can’t travel with us as has to work.

Was thinking as an alternative to leave kids with DH and do the quarantine by myself, then spend just a week with my parents and come back. So would be away for 3ish weeks. I can get on a flight so no probs there.

Would you do it? I feel awful about even thinking about being away from them for that long. But am worried the Australian borders will remain shut for another year or more, and I won’t have the ability to take 3-4 weeks off once this gap between jobs finishes. And my dad, in particular, isn’t getting any younger.

I can’t figure out whether I’m being utterly ridiculous to even contemplate this or I should just GO and the kids will survive.

@SpeckledyHen

OP could you quarantine in a house with a pool, garden etc to make it more bearable? Or do the rules state that it must be a hotel ?

No. Government allocated spots in medi-hotels ONLY.

Thanks GADDay

Reading these posts shows it’s even harder than I thought.

But at some point won’t you be questioned on why it’s essential travel. What will you say?

Everyone is on a hair trigger here and Victorians in particular are demanding zero cases and they don’t care who has to suffer to achieve it. We’ve had people locked out of their home states because they dared to take a holiday in another state which then had a small outbreak of covid. And nobody cares about them.

I'm surprised how accepting they are of this situation (have family in Aus) I can't imagine preventing people returning to their homes would ever work in the UK ( talking about people stuck in other states rather than abroad )

I don’t think it’s much of a CV risk but people will be desperate to go back because parents are really very ill. Or they have been stuck out and want to get home.

Do they weight relative need? Hopefully if someone is facing missing seeing a parent they get priority.

I did it recently. You won’t get stuck out there because they will want you to leave. It’s the coming in they don’t like.

Are you a citizen? We have someone at work who is a citizen and has been unable to get out. They are a dual citizen and now regret taking out Australian citizenship. They were told if they were a permanent resident or on any other Visa they would be allowed out but as a Citizen they are not being allowed out without evidence that they NEED to get out. OP may be okay as 2 young kids left in another country may well get a tick but my colleagues only reason is that they resent being ‘held prisoner’ by a Govnt, and now want to go to the other country where they hold citizenship and stay with (perfectly healthy) parents. So far they have been unable to get out. I think if one of their parents gets life-threatening illness and they have evidence they would get out. They are prepared to toss their job if they can get out but currently stuck here and we put up with the moaning.

Alien it’s interesting to read re hair trigger but I can understand why

They would survive, but personally I wouldn’t.
If one of your parents were terminally ill that may change my decision, but not if they are basically ok.
The world feels an unpredictable place and you could get stuck there if flights get cancelled.

@alienspiderbee I think the whole aussie open thing has started to wake people up

I am amazed that no one has brought the right of an Australian citizen to return / be repatriated to the courts. There are some really heartbreaking stories (not mine!).

Also their ages is a factor - if they were older and could understand I might feel different

I'd go, and leave the kids with their dad. They will be fine.
When I've travelled for work I've always been the one sobbing in my hotel room but the DC were fine, they loved the novelty of it.

Reasons for essential travel are based on opinion, nothing is set in stone. This is far more essential than a lot of the people travelling in and out of various countries at the moment.

@HoppingPavlova are they Australian resident though? I am not. It’s a completely different situation. (I also think it’s completely outrageous that you cannot leave to go to another country of which you are a citizen and am amazed no one has challenged it but there you go.)

am a contractor and between projects

Don't forget you said in your OP that you'd actually be BETWEEN PROJECTS, so the BS about it being for BUSINESS is just that.

@zafferana don’t you have some curtains you need to be twitching somewhere? Of course seeing my family is the primary reason. I do also have a legitimate reason to travel for work. Totally legal. If you don’t have anything constructive to add to this thread can I suggest you fuck off to the many threads on MN where people are moaning about people going for walks with coffee and driving more than 5 miles to see people in their support bubbles (also perfectly legal!!!)

[quote GADDay]People - fgs, dont encourage this ridiculous pipedream.

Op has no hope. There is a reason Australia is mostly covid free and that does not involve popping home to see ma & pa.

www.smartraveller.gov.au/COVID-19/trying-get-home#caps[/quote]
FFS her parents are 80 (and nearly), she's got a work reason to travel that would allow it, and she would isolate properly.

My parents live overseas, I am also unable to travel to see them and am terrified that I may never see them again. People who live in the same country or even in the same.timezone don't understand how much this affects your ability to see each other or even stay in close contact.

Sounds like it may be impossible logistically, but if you can I think you should do it.

This is far more essential than a lot of the people travelling in and out of various countries at the moment.

Various countries yes, Australia no. Most trying to get there will have more pressing reasons.

Don’t forget the two week quarantine can be extended - there is a man stuck in a hotel for 4 weeks and no sight out as he had the UK variant of covid -its bot a strict two weeks it can be longer

"Tiny minds"? OP, you're sounding really mean and unpleasant.

Almost everyone has said this is a terrible idea. This doesn't mean they're not sympathetic to your situation. It sucks. It absolutely sucks. Lashing out at people here won't change it.

Yes @blahblahblah2000 that is a worry.

@OverTheRubicon exactly.