To report someone returning from Spain

[Archie1989]

A friend of my partner has said he has no intention of isolating on his return from Spain. Should I anonymously report them? My mum was on the shielding list and it’s making me quite angry. People who went abroad would know the risks during all of this....and then to refuse to isolate shows such arrogance and disregard for others.

I don’t know this person well and I don’t want to make my partner feel stuck in the middle.

@DomDoesWotHeWants

There is absolutely no way I would put people I don't know over and above the welfare of my family.

Fortunately, it isn't people like you who get to decide.

Well, ultimately I do decide what I do.

Be real.
Sars-cov-2 is in the UK.
People should behave towards others as if they could have it, regardless.
There won't be a second wave because one person took the virus from Spain or Blackburn.
If there's a second wave in the UK, it will be exactly for the same reasons as the first. Lack of preparedness, lack of enough test and trace, lack of good safety measures in the community and complacency by the government.

Exacatly this.

Plus, there will be a second wave over the winter aka the rates of viral transmission will go up again to some degree because that's how respiratory viruses work! This will continue to happen but will get less severe once vaccines and treatments are available, like every other viral epidemic and pandemic in recorded history.

And individual people going to Spain, not wearing masks, staying in, going out is not going to make any significant difference overall. Use your energy on protecting yourself and upping your own chances for when that happens - wear masks, lose weight, get fit, get some vitamin D. I personally don't care where in the world people do this, we should all be doing it this summer while we can, and if they can get a bit of sun in Spain somehow, all the better probably. All the rest of it and all the government BS is just window dressing.

@DomDoesWotHeWants

Here we go. Why are people so fixated on this mythical second wave?

Because people who know better than unqualified random people on mumsnet say it's a very real possibility.

I believe the science. And most in the know say it's very likely. But some unqualified users of mumsnet say not.

Who to believe?

Hmm.

I'm qualified enough and would say (and did say) there would be ripples for sure.

At least in Europe most countries are capable of detecting increases and making adjustments to prevent a second wave to match the first.
We are seeing that in Spain, Germany, France, Portugal...

Portugal, for example, opened a bit too soon and hasn't got numbers down enough, but they have been stable.

I don't think what we are seeing counts as a second wave as such.
We won't be able to relax and stop putting pressure for a long while, though.

me too, because I am scientifically trained and understand virology and epidemiology, unlike all the doom and gloom mongers.

It will get worse again before it gets better, for sure, but the only things you can actually do about that involve things you can do yourself, not anything anyone else does or doesn't do.

Well, ultimately I do decide what I do.

Let's hope someone snitches, eh?

and we're back to "who to?"

Have the government trained up another half a million undercover cops to monitor people 24 hours a day for 2 weeks that I haven't noticed?

They haven't even got enough to prevent actual daylight robberies round here.

@NewNewt thank you for posting logical and thought out answers on this.

I do feel that as we currently know so little about this, that it’s a time to be extra cautious. And that as time goes on, we will know the more effective treatments for it, even if a vaccine is a while off. I guess it’s that really you want to try and delay the masses getting it while research continues. There have been breakthroughs in recent weeks regarding T-cells for example.

There won’t be a wave because of one person. But millions of people with that same attitude will cause a second wave. Like with the environment - think locally, act globally (or nationally?)

Or act locally, think globally! Doh!

im not asking people to forfeit their livelihood. They made a decision to go somewhere knowing the risks. They made the decision to risk their livelihood by doing that you have no idea of that, people were given the ok to travel and now they need to tell work they need another 2wks at home! The government won’t pay them sick pay so unless you qualify for UC, however long that takes. Also some holiday companies haven’t cancelled flights so you either lose your holiday money or your income for 2 weeks.
You are seriously oblivious OP

@DomDoesWotHeWants

Well, ultimately I do decide what I do.

Let's hope someone snitches, eh?

Well, here's hoping, but I at least hope they come and tell me in person that they are going to.

I guess it’s that really you want to try and delay the masses getting it while research continues

That was never the point. The reason we locked down was to stop everyone getting it at the same time and breaking the NHS. It seems people have completely lost track of that now.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers they made the decision to go, knowing there’s a global pandemic, despite it being very widely reported that a second wave may happen. It was a risk taken. It was their choice.

I am not oblivious. I am being honest. It take some serious head in the sand thinking to think everything was suddenly ok to be able to travel without risk. It is a very clear risk to travel during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC

@Archie1989

I agree with you :)

There will be spikes and it will kick off again over the winter but equally there will be people with immunity this time after already having had it, the medics know much more about the virus now and how to treat it (as well as avoiding treatments that actually contributed to deaths in the early days), there will be extra capacity in hospitals that has been created over the year, more ventilators and equipment will be available now and treatments are starting to come through and will be ready for the winter. Hopefully people will also have got fitter and lost weight which will also help.

I'm sick of all the ill-informed "we're fucked". Of course it will be bad, but it won't take everyone by surprise like this winter and it has also already been bad for people who have lost loved ones and entire livelihoods or have been working like dogs for 18 weeks. Human life has to go on or why bother trying to surpress this virus?

I now someone who has had covid (hospitalised) and lost his job. I don't think I care if he goes to Spain or not (do people who have had positive antibody tests still have to self quarantine? why? who knows?)

You are being completely unfair and naive to the situation. Covid isn’t going anywhere, people need an income, including the tourist resorts in Spain. Everything about this virus and the handling of it has been a surprise, with the “rules” changing constantly. Have some sympathy ffs

I’m not asking people to forfeit their livelihood. They made a decision to go somewhere knowing the risks.

I don’t think many people would have known or even suspected that the government would introduce an immediate quarantine. It took them 4 months to introduce the first ones and they bowed to pressure from the airlines and exempted the exact nations brits like to flock to, and gave two weeks’ notice that it was going to happen. It took them months to introduce mandatory masks and they gave plenty of notice it was going to happen.

The one thing people thought they could count on is that this government has never taken a quick, timely decision on anything so far.

I wouldn’t have travelled to Spain for many reasons but “because the government might introduce an immediate quarantine whilst I’m there” would be the very last thing that would occur to me.

Had a conversation with a relative who lives abroad and not on the list of countries where we wouldn't have to isolate though we are worse than them. I mentioned about people having to self isolate on return from Spain and they told me that the police actually check up on people who are supposed to be self isolating on return from another country.

There have been quite a few threads on here when people were asking whether it would be a good idea to book a holiday once the ban on non-essential travel was lifted. Some people were very much against the idea of being in a plane, but the majority of people who were advising an element of caution were saying you need to factor in the possibility of local lockdown, quarantine, self isolation etc. I assume many people ignored this.

There have been quite a few threads on here when people were asking whether it would be a good idea to book a holiday once the ban on non-essential travel was lifted

Not everyone is on Mumsnet to get that “valuable” advice.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers it’s not going anywhere, but research is showing breakthroughs in treatments, potential vaccines. That’s just in the last 6 months.

I am not being naive here. I get that Spain needs income through tourism. But it’s still a choice to make for an individual to be so blasé about not isolating. Just be cautious. Support businesses too? Buy online to support Spanish tourism if it means so much to you. I don’t think people are jetting on holiday because they feel so passionately about the tourism industry there.

For example. There’s an initiative in Edinburgh called Keep Edinburgh Thriving, where you can do exactly that. Support Edinburgh due to lack of tourism in a city that relies on it.

@Alsohuman that was what DH said to MIL but she said they still plan to go out most nights to their local etc.

The idea we are doing Spain a favour by going is really quite insulting, they may prefer economically that they could reopen resorts as normal, but do the local people really want their villages and lives infested with covid again, I doubt that very much.

I'm qualified enough and would say (and did say) there would be ripples for sure

If its all the same with you, I think we will leave the decision making to those in SAGE that are highly specialised rather some random on an internet forum thanks Lweji

@madbirdlady22 a good point there!

Oh hello Stasi. MYOB

Oh hello Stasi. MYOB you do understand when people reported others to the Stasi it often resulted in those people dying. Whereas reporting people for not quarantining could saves lives.
It’s the complete opposite.