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.

Absolutely not. I have work to go to. Work where I am in contact with vulnerable people who are the very ones who's LIVES are at risk through selfish behaviour like this 🤷🏻‍♀️

5 10 minute phone calls and a couple of emails really isn't all that time consuming if it can save even 1 life IMO

@chocolatesaltyballs22

And what did you achieve by that? Did the person in question get fined? Do you sit at your window all day watching what all the neighbours are up to? I really couldn't be bothered.

A clear conscious?

The knowledge that a didn't sit and twiddle my thumbs while someone breaks a law that could cause someone else's parent / grandparent to die next week?

I wouldn't watch a drunk driver get in to a car and start to drive without reporting it because I should mind my own business.

@WindSurfer37

The knowledge that a didn't sit and twiddle my thumbs while someone breaks a law that could cause someone else's parent / grandparent to die next week?

I wouldn't watch a drunk driver get in to a car and start to drive without reporting it because I should mind my own business.

And every day meant the horse was further away from the stable. I’d hazard a guess it had nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with being an unpleasant, spiteful busybody.

Hardly. If people want to break laws that put themselves only in danger then they're free to go for it. I honestly couldn't give 2 shits what other people do. But the minute your selfishness puts other peoples lives risk that's an issue.

My experience probably won't come to anything I'd imagine...but maybe the lessons will mean they can handle the next one more efficiently. And the next one. And the next one.

It's conscience

And I'm sorry but you're kidding yourself if you think the police will 'learn lessons' from this. They simply don't have the manpower to police this.

You think of yourself as a righteous saviour of the elderly if you want. Many will agree with Also - what a spiteful busybody you are. Eurgh so glad I don’t know people like this irl

@MsTSwift And I hope nobody you DO know in real life ends up ill or dead because somebody stuck 2 fingers up and passed a deadly virus to them

The knowledge that a didn't sit and twiddle my thumbs while someone breaks a law that could cause someone else's parent / grandparent to die next week?

Over dramatic in many aspects, but you could be infected and walking around transmitting it to other people. Are you stuck at home in the eventuality of such a case?
You could be killing someone's grandparent next week.

Scotland has pretty much eradicated community transmission at this point. Any cases we now have have come from abroad / elsewhere, so for where I am, people refusing to isolate on return from abroad is the danger.

I think Northern Ireland and Wales are on similar trajectories.

For England, yes many people could be carriers, but you're deemed MORE LIKELY to be at risk if you've returned from certain countries abroad hence why those people have been asked to self isolate.

And I'm sorry but you're kidding yourself if you think the police will 'learn lessons' from this. They simply don't have the manpower to police this.

^This.

Because my occupation actually is on an exempt list I've had the misfortune to see how lockdown was enforced in several countries. Outside the UK if out in public you could expect to be stopped in the street or on the road by police and asked for ID/proof of reason for travel. OTOH after "Border" inbound to the UK there was zero chance of being checked. That was during lockdown itself so I suspect right now there's even less chance of quarantine breaches being being policed - there isn't manpower.

If the story about ringing the Home Office and checking a name against a "special list" came from the Police themselves then I'd wonder there's some fobbing off going on .

Still, if the intention is to keep ringing the police I guess it might be worth checking the exemptions list, otherwise there is scope for

Wow windsurfer, I find your approach astounding. You reported it once and then kept reporting it every day and then escalated to your MP.

There is such hysteria on the thread and I am so relieved I don't know anybody who behaves like that. There is a need for risk assessment. The hotspots in Spain are in particular areas/regions. Vast swathes of the country and its islands have very low incidences of Covid. Lower than many places in the Uk.

Yes we have a law in place on quarantine, and measures in place to monitor this. I am really struggling to understand why some people see this as their role to police.

And to a PP the government have ignored SAGE advice on a number of occasions.

I am very cautious and risk averse. But it is not my place to police the quarantine and take such delight in reporting people. It's highly unlikely your actions are helping anyone. It's entirely for your own benefit from what I can see.

I’m not getting this either, surely everyone on the plane is in the same set of circumstances, they are all coming back from the same place, and surely anyone shielding or vulnerable can protect themselves Ie wear masks when out etc?

Are you jealous they had a holiday or something?

@Bluntness100 masks mainly protect other people not the person wearing the mask.

Scotland has pretty much eradicated community transmission at this point. Any cases we now have have come from abroad / elsewhere, so for where I am, people refusing to isolate on return from abroad is the danger.

Yet no-one is required to quarantine after returning from England.

@MaxNormal No, not from England - nor from a list of about 50/60 other countries....

But Spain isn't on that list. And it's Spain we're talking about.

Yes I know there's no quarantine from England, I live in Scotland. The point is that England has not eradicated community transmission, and nor will Scotland if they don't literally close the borders, which would be a)illegal b)economic suicide, so we're not going to be eradicating it here regardless, so your reporting of someone was petty and pointless.

@MaxNormal

Yes I know there's no quarantine from England, I live in Scotland. The point is that England has not eradicated community transmission, and nor will Scotland if they don't literally close the borders, which would be a)illegal b)economic suicide, so we're not going to be eradicating it here regardless, so your reporting of someone was petty and pointless.

True.

Bit that Is the point isn't it windsurfer. What you have done makes no sense when the borders between England and Scotland are open. People could be travelling into Scotland from Leicester or another hotspot. So your desire to report someone isn't a matter of public safety. It's because you are angry they haven't followed the rules. Even when the rules are inconsistent.

@MaxNormal The Scottish and UK governments (rightly or wrongly) have deemed SPAIN (not talking about any other countries) to be a specific risk, and have set laws accordingly.

If there's a law in place that could put other people in danger if you break it - follow it.

So we should all have the people power to decide which laws we do or don't follow based on whether we agree with them or not? Bit of a slippery slope.

I think a lot of people might arrange for themselves to be tested so they don’t need to quarantine.

My husband was sent away to Spain last week for work, he is due back next week and his work have said they will arrange for him to be tested, so he just needs to quarantine until he gets his test results back.

People could be travelling into Scotland from Leicester or another hotspot. So your desire to report someone isn't a matter of public safety. It's because you are angry they haven't followed the rules. Even when the rules are inconsistent.

Any response to this @WindSurfer37? Because it’s an excellent point.