To think rich people should have to quarantine?

[sally067]

Tweet tonight from Grant Shapps/Michael Green/Sebastian Fox:

twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1334543848333332482

I'm assuming that it will mean that essentially rich people won't have to quarantine when arriving back in the UK whereas the plebs will still be expected to.

I'm sympathetic to the idea that there are some, limited yet real situations where face-to-face eyeballing is the only way to do it.

But shit - that's pretty rare. And the playing field is levelled right now - you literally can't prove your devotion to the deal in person, because Official Advice/ Covid Rules. So that actually removes a barrier by normalising video/remote attendance for everyone - no advantage conferred by making the trip.

I just bet Phillip Green is 'high value'. Unlike us plebs.

Skanking people's pensions is hard work.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9015419/Grant-Shapps-announces-quarantine-exemption-business-travellers.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK

Time for Chris Whitty to speak up instead of saying he doesnt get involved in politics.

At least Jonathan Van Tam has said a couple of times now that the rules apply to everyone.

Agree with SheepandCow It does coincide with the ski season. Loads on Twitter are pointing out the same.

I used to have to travel a lot for "business" but I swear it was just my bosses wanting a jolly (usually away from family life - sad, but true in may experience). There is next to nothing that can't be done remotely.

Business travel accounts for £7.5billion....
That's why
All the people that can justify travelling business class & 1st class will be eligible.

I do wonder if this was going to be announced regardless of the outcome of the vaccine approval.

For the good of all of us? Not bloody likely. And how does one define exactly what constitutes high value? Just another way for the 1% to be able to swan through their lives with very few inconveniences even from COVID, while everyone else’s lives shrink

This is what they’ve always wanted, us plebs are just an inconvenience to them.

This is why fighting draconian COVID restrictions is really important.

He's my fucking MP.
Old Boy's network as always.

I would love to know if any of these vitally important meetings are going to take place halfway up a mountain.

It's sickening that they are so confident in their blatant hypocrisy . I am so over this but I don't know what to do. What can anyone do? I'm absolutely horrified that we are in the last month of being a member of the EU and the Transport Minister is spending his time putting out shit like this.

I work for a business that turns over £20m/pa and employs over 120 people. I regularly go on business trips for this business (not during the pandemic obviously), I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination. The inability to travel has hugely impacted my ability to do my job. Relationships cannot be built over zoom. You may present to an online conference, but it's nowhere near as productive as sitting in a room with people.

The people who employ me are, but I am not.

I would suggest that people actually think about why business travel is conducted in international business before making ignorant , short sighted comments.

It reminds me of that opening scene in Titanic where all the 3rd class passengers are being checked for lice before boarding.

"Anyway, we don't have lice - we're Americans."

...

"We don't have COVID, we're Big Important Bankers."

It's just excuses.
They aren't high value. They just dont want to be treated the same as the plebs.
So they've paid their paid their Tory mates to make this loop hole for them.
One rule for them and one rule for everyone else.

@elfin79

I work for a business that turns over £20m/pa and employs over 120 people. I regularly go on business trips for this business (not during the pandemic obviously), I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination. The inability to travel has hugely impacted my ability to do my job. Relationships cannot be built over zoom. You may present to an online conference, but it's nowhere near as productive as sitting in a room with people.

The people who employ me are, but I am not.

I would suggest that people actually think about why business travel is conducted in international business before making ignorant , short sighted comments.

So by going on a business trip you would somehow be protected and not bring covid back to this country. There will be no chance of you infecting any people you might come across in the 2 weeks after your trip because you didnt self isolate. You cant guarantee that. It's the fact the country didnt shut down fast enough that enabled covid to spread so fast and so much in the first place.

This is exactly how the virus came here from the other side of the world in the first place. The economy of the rich has been allowed to destroy the economy for ordinary people. We really should be more angry.

When they said protect the NHS it was to emotionally blackmail the public.
Carrying on like this is proof that they couldnt give two shits about the NHS.
And thats along with the fact that its one rule for them and one for us.

There are a surprising number and variety of jobs that are exempt from quarantining. I was reading 'high value' as benefiting the economy. On the other hand, there's a lot of evidence to suggest that not shutting down ski resort travel really did impact on the spread of the virus at the beginning of 2020 so I hope that they're not going to support overseas jollies for the rich at the expense of everyone else....again.

"National Lottery"?

I mean, come on.

They should let the rich people pay for someone else to quarantine for them, more money for the government and also keeps the moaners happy, who, if had worked harder at school, could afford to do the same

@elfin79

I work for a business that turns over £20m/pa and employs over 120 people. I regularly go on business trips for this business (not during the pandemic obviously), I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination. The inability to travel has hugely impacted my ability to do my job. Relationships cannot be built over zoom. You may present to an online conference, but it's nowhere near as productive as sitting in a room with people.

The people who employ me are, but I am not.

I would suggest that people actually think about why business travel is conducted in international business before making ignorant , short sighted comments.

Many many people are impacted. My job is completely different and much less effective. I could do my job better if I could meet the vulnerable, scared, poor people I work with face to face.

But I generally don't because of restrictions, and because of risk.

Why do exceptions apply to business, not to 'high value' social jobs? Money, that's why.

[quote ThatDamnScientist]@sinful8

Well yeah? Did you think there was a pre written "how to handle a global pandemic" handbook out there?

May I point you to Operation Cygnus and Pandemic Preparedness Strategy. The UK had the chance to be prepared long before Covid appeared, they shouldn't need to be making it up as they go along. They should have been prepared![/quote]
Also Germany just opened the bottom drawer, pulled their HANDBOOK out and voila... look where they are now.

EVERY gov in Europe has a pandemic strategy handbook.

@VeganVeal

They should let the rich people pay for someone else to quarantine for them, more money for the government and also keeps the moaners happy, who, if had worked harder at school, could afford to do the same

Like carbon credits - covid credits - we shall plant forests of poor people confined to barracks so that we may continue to live fast and free, cruising endlessly at 30,000 ft! Oh top show old boy squaff squaff

Ooh is that the new carrot parents like you are going to dangle in front of your teens @VeganVeal "Work harder at school so you can have the right to spread a virus.
Cheaper than you promising them a car i suppose

Oh silly me. I thought NHS staff, bin men supermarket workers, care home staff etc were high value. That didn't last long

There is somewhat of a rationale for this in that business and first class have seats that are far more spread out and there tends to be a divider between passengers so the virus is less likely to spread.

@SheepandCow

The government aren't even pretending anymore are they. It's open contempt for the public.

A virus doesn't care how much money somebody has. It will still infect them - and they can still infect others.

Then again, how many places will want to let us in? We have one of the highest death rates in the whole world. China - nowadays a growing business hub - certainly won't want Brits coming in. They're letting in the French (with negative tests) but that's because France did more than us to lower their infection rate.

They’ll be more than happy to let in anyone who’s vaccinated - and we’re going to have more of those than any other country.