To think it’s dumb that international holidays are being encouraged in the middle of a pandemic

[Redolent]

AIBU to think is probably the part of the coronavirus pandemic that will lead to WTF reactions in future history books? A world clinging desperately to its globalized ways and unwilling to countenance altering them even in the midst of a crisis like this.

European countries have just gone through months of brutal economic and social lockdowns, with the goal of suppressing the virus. They’ve just experienced, at a huge cost, what it’s like to have the virus slowly and imperceptibly land within their borders via air travel.

And yet, just as the virus starts circulating at low levels, they all decide to open up their borders to each other again, in these supposedly safe ‘air corridors’. Enroute to their destinations, their citizens flock to public transport, then to busy airports and planes, where they sit for hours in the midst of other passengers, then on to their destinations, where they mix with other citizens coming in from all over the world too, in social and alcohol-fuelled conditions. In the meantime, governments - like the UK - have vowed that any outbreaks in other countries will mean that returning tourists may have to suddenly quarantine for two weeks upon their return home. It’s a panicked and volatile strategy, subject to a monitoring of the spread of the virus in multiple other countries. Of course it’s bound to go wrong.

TLDR: close the borders. Internationalism can wait.

It is so frustrating to see how we gave stated in isolating for nearly 4 months, just to see all that be for nothing.

All these mass gatherings, pubs opening and now jumping on aeroplanes. It's not the destination that concerns me, it's the airport and flight.

We have a holiday scheduled for the start of October, but I can't see us getting on it, so will loose a lot of money, but unless something drastically changes, I can't see me getting on it.

As many of us are still waiting for the second spike that so many MNers were convinced would happen after VE Day, or the one that was meant to have happened after we first had pictures of crowded beaches, or the one that was going to happen right after schools reopened to three or four year groups, maybe not everyone is terrified that they will automatically catch Covid as soon as they venture out. Maybe not everyone wants to put life on hold indefinitely and would rather live for today.

You forgot the BLM rallies, people going to
McDonald's and primark as well!

None of which have shown a "spike", but people still live in hope that it will! They're holding on for Bournemouth now, which will be another non event.

Fucking stupid comparison, 40000 people have died since then, we're a bit more knowledgeable now?

But people are still ignoring social distancing and doing what they want, despite warnings - Bournemouth, Liverpool, BLM demos/riots, having non socially distanced parties/raves, etc. A significant minority are too thick and selfish to care about the risks to others. They WILL go on holiday and sod the risk because they want to - just like they went to the seaside or a party.

We definitely will not be going abroad this year. Will wait and see what happens before we decide whether to go in the UK or not.

Certainly unless we know we can go to places such as castles, stately homes, museums etc easily we will not bother.

I don't personally see the point of paying good money (and holiday places in the UK are hardly cheap) to sit in someone else's property when I have a perfectly nice house and garden and sky, netflix and good shower etc.

Going for walks is nice but if it is the only thing to do our weather is too unreliable.

people won’t be covered because most insurance companies have amended their policies to exclude anything to do with Covid .

Not true. They won't often cancellation or travel disruption due to coronavirus but many will cover you if you become sick while abroad.

A quick google tells me there are approximately 250,000 people employed in the UK by airlines and in the aerospace industry. It is not as simple as people being “dumb enough” to go abroad or wanting a week in Benidorm. It is about supporting a huge part of the UK economy, let alone the knock on global economy.

often cover

Totally agree! Everything they said we wouldn't be able to do this summer we are now being told it's fine
My theory is they want the second wave out of the way before the dead of winter.

I'm going in a campervan. I fail to see how that puts me, or anyone in the places I go to, at any additional risk.
Why don't I stay in the UK? Because right now it's 14 degrees where I am and shitting it down. And because the UK treats campervanners like scum and you're forced to stay on sites, unlike France and Spain that have plentiful cheap and free facilities.

It is about supporting a huge part of the UK economy, let alone the knock on global economy.

Given the effect of air travel on global warming it's one industry that many would rather not support.

But people are still ignoring social distancing and doing what they want, despite warnings - Bournemouth, Liverpool, BLM demos/riots, having non socially distanced parties/raves, etc. A significant minority are too thick and selfish to care about the risks to others. They WILL go on holiday and sod the risk because they want to - just like they went to the seaside or a party.

And the figures are still deceasing, so it shows they're not going while suffering symptoms? You've forgotten VE Day nothing happened after, primark opening nothing happened, people being able to meet up, nothing happened, you want to stay locked up forever, then do it! Less queuing for people wanting to live a life!

I’m so torn on this. 70% of my closest friends work for UK Tour Operators, some where both mum and dad do. It’s really crucial for their jobs that holidays start again although there will still be huge job losses across the sector. BUT I have cancelled mine for September as I cannot agree it will be the experience I want.

Given the effect of air travel on global warming it's one industry that many would rather not support.

But 100000000 s will and do support the industry.

We booked and paid for a trip, in full, in January. It's not a package, we booked it indiwourselves, travelling to London, then on to two European cities for a few nights each, then another for a week. Travelling by train the whole way, with a flight home from the last destination. We are due to go in 1 August.
It is incredibly tough. We normally camp in Cornwall. Every year. This is a special birthday year for both of us and the dcs have never been abroad. We were so excited. Now, if the travel advice is that we can go, we will, because if we don't, we stand to lose £4k. We have risk assessed and are happy that the rates of infection are lower in all of our destinations than they are here. I certainly can't imagine going to Padstow for the day right now.
However, we are gutted, it won't be the holiday that we had hoped for. It will be much harder than it would otherwise.

There are loads of people in our position. We are not stupid, drunken, irresponsible, thick, lacking risk assessment or any of the rest.

But people are still ignoring social distancing and doing what they want, despite warnings - Bournemouth, Liverpool, BLM demos/riots, having non socially distanced parties/raves, etc. A significant minority are too thick and selfish to care about the risks to others. They WILL go on holiday and sod the risk because they want to - just like they went to the seaside or a party.

Exactly. People are seriously naive if they think everyone is doing some sort of careful risk assessment and that the airport is similar to the supermarket. Obviously not everyone at the supermarket will be symptom free either but there is more chance that they will give Sainsbury's a miss if feeling ill compared with a holiday.

I don’t blame people for taking the holidays they have booked.

I find it interesting that a short quarantine being lifted has supposedly caused a large increase in demand. From a very low base as pp said.

I think you may be pleasantly surprised at @Putyourdamnshoeson , it's another five weeks away and things will be easing more and more! I bet you have a fabulous time, it won't be as "different" as you think. I'd recommend booking attractions (we always do this in cities anyway pre COVID), we use viator, saves the queuing!

I’m going to the Isle of Wight. I’m going to tell the kids it’s a different country ha ha. A little boat trip over the water, they won’t know any different!

@Mrpumblechook...most of the money for holidays abroad was spent last year as most book and pay for it in advance.So it wouldnt be available to spend here.Even if you could get refunds from travel operators it could be months til the money gets back in accounts and our season at home would be long done.In all fairness too would you go sit and holiday in say Bournmouth after the scenes we all witnessed last week?

Booking a holiday isn't a priority here, maybe next year but I'm waiting to see how it all pans out. I'm rather hoping the weather holds up and I can enjoy my home and local area.

Love the IOW @Ori37, they must be suffering terribly!

But 100000000 s will and do support the industry.

Yes, but the question is should they be supporting that industry. It is unfortunate that jobs will be lost but apart from that less air travel would be a good thing for the earth and certainly for our children's future.

The virus isn't going to just disappear, do you propose lockdown and no normality for years and years?

Funny how no one cares about other viruses and diseases at the moment, only the coronavirus which has a very very small chance of killing you if you are not in the vulnerable category. Those people should be supported to protect themselves however they wish, but the rest of us need to crack on with normal life.

part of me will be glad if 1000s of them do go abroad rather than swarming over Cornwall and the Lake District

What a delightful sentiment. So you are quite happy for my family to be infected by "swarms" of your inferiors so long as you can still enjoy your own preferred places?

@halcyondays

Yes, it’s madness. New Zealand have the right idea.

But poorly executed (my best friend lives there - Covid cases in quarantine on the rise again because the rules on being in 1r day isolation were broken too many times, and the country is in huge debt (getting worse by the day because tourism is their only real economy) so really can't stay shut until there's a vaccine.

Guernsey also went 'full New Zealand' and so far won't reopen their borders. They've had no new cases in almost 2 months and have eradicated Covid completely.

Jersey (where I am) also closed its borders. It was the game-changer decision. Our figures now are miniscule - as of Friday only 5 remaining active cases (all monitored in isolation). All children in all year groups in all schools are back in class because we've been able to safely do so. No union opposition, incidentally! Our hairdressers opened over 2 weeks ago and we're able to eat and drink in restaurants and pubs both inside and out. No more queuing or one way systems to go shopping either now.

All because we're already down to 1m physical distancing, driven by our tailored scientific advice and a proactive testing regime. Over 10% of the island (mainly keyworkers and the most vulnerable) have been tested now as they work to chase down the odd outlying cases wirh no symptoms. However, anyone can book a test a a few of the chemist's for £60. The island is also running 2 (soon to be 3) community antibody testing rounds to monitor antibodies. People for that were selected at random and both a neighbour and a friend seem to have had it in between their 1st test in April and their 2nd in May, but neither had symptoms and no one else they live with caught it (lends anecdotal weight to the theory asymptomatic people don't pass it on as easily). We've also been running a pilot testing programme at the airport to test the people allowed on one of the handful of 'lifeline' flights a week (only people with a proven essential reason for travel have been on them) whereby they're first tested on arrival, asked to self-isolate for 4i hrs until the result is back, and tested again on days 5 and 7. So far no one has had a single positive out of that pilot programme. All good.

But now Jersey is aiming to reopen its borders from next week. And that means expanding the testing. It will be free for the first 2 months, but I'm nervous that letting people in is still a huge risk. We've worked so hard to get to this point, and we are nervous of the still high rates of active cases on the mainland and worried that some visitors might behave without a care for our community in the way the crowds didn't care much about Bournemouth last week. I really hope that doesn't happen.

So come to Jersey (or go to Spain, Croatia or Greece etc) by all means - all our economies need tourists too, and we'd like a bit of that normality back too - but please be considerate and don't break our isolation and testing rules on arrival. They're for your benefit too! 😊