To hope those selfish people on holiday hurry back!

[Thisismylife1]

We are in a global pandemic, cases rising exponentially. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to anticipate that major restrictions were going to be put in place. It is not the time to take an entirely selfish holiday.

I’ve been flabbergasted at the number of people I’ve seen on social media jetting off to get some sun. We’d all love a holiday but I can’t believe people thought this really was ok!

And now flights are being suspended and people are potentially getting stuck.

AIBU to have limited sympathy?

Breaking the rules because you think you are special and they don't apply to you is one thing.

Living your life within the guidelines and current rules and making the most of what you can get? Sounds more than reasonable to me.

Guess who will be happy at the end of the day? Not jealous haters, that's for sure.

A virus by nature spreads. It is either spread through the air, or droplets land and cross contamination through touch occurs. Virus droplets live for days. People with the virus can be sick for weeks.

The only way to eradicate the virus would be for everyone to stay in their own houses for about a month. No work; no supermarkets; no schools; no electric companies; no hospitals, nothing. If everyone stayed put and lived or died exactly where they are, then we possibly could eradicate the virus and make a difference.

Obviously this would be immoral and cruel and completely uncivilised, so instead all we can do is social distance to ‘reduce the spread’ but not get rid of it.

If you send a child to school, you contribute to the spread of this virus. If you go to work, you contribute to the spread. If you go to a store, you contribute to the spread. Some people would be perfectly capable of keeping their children home from school to reduce the spread, but choose not to. Do we call them selfish too?

So as it is perfectly normal to assess and take the above risks based on what WE think is the advantage vs the disadvantage, I don’t see why for holidays, which some might say are as important to mental health as anything else, they should be treated any differently? Being able to see family abroad. Being able to soak up some vitamin D. May well be worth the risk.

The problem is that people expect everyone else to make identical sacrifices to them and it’s not fair.

‘I’m going to send my kids to school and I’m going to go to the shops twice a week. DH is going to go out to work - all worth risking spreading this virus and must be accepted by society...but a holiday, I choose to sacrifice that (probably because I didn’t have one booked anyway) and therefore I expect everyone else to do the same’.

There will be people jetting off this week or last, who work from home, have no children going to school and who do click and collect or have shopping delivered. Their overall contribution to the spread of this virus, may be less than yours op, even with their vacation considered. They may be off home for Christmas, which cancelling in my mind, is a sacrifice we have no right to EXPECT other people to make.

I've travelled quite a few times to see close family in EU and they have also come here and travelled to see other close family in other EU countries. Around 6 times since March. Planes are very safe. No one has become ill. Some of the travel was completely unrestricted and at other times I had to isolate when I came back, which I did. I also know of plenty of others who have travelled within the guidelines and no one has become ill whatsoever. Get off your high horses. It's people getting wasted in Magaluf or in the UK for that matter that's the issue. It's the schools that went back with teenagers not giving a damn and passing it on to granny. It's really NOT coming from being on a plane and in an empty airport.

I'll give you one thing though, it did come from a plane to begin with, as in, from someone from China getting on a plane and then infecting us. We should have closed THEN. Now it makes no difference. Rates across the EU especially are pretty similar at the moment. You're probably safer if you've traveled as you need to register and self isolate or take a test. You're no more or less likely to pick it up in a supermarket in France than in a Supermarkt here.. but at least if you come in from France you need to stay at home..

Oh no, let them enjoy their holidays! If it's all within the guidelines, then why not? We would be jetting off now if we could!

@DBML totally agree with your post. Also some people don't dare go to the supermarket, but send their children to nursery. I would NOT do that whatsoever. But it's their choice and their risk assessment, so whatever. I think nurseries are an absolute hot bed for it, much more than supermarkets and even air travel. There's no way I would send my child to nursery. I also want to avoid catching any other illnesses at the moment, so we don't end up with the flu and covid, which can happen. So I stick to socially distanced places as much as possible- airports being one very carefully thought out socially distanced place ( pretty empty ). But that's MY choice. Others choose to send their kids to nursery.

I think nurseries are an absolute hot bed for it, much more than supermarkets and even air travel

Not in my experience, Ds started school in sept but went to nursery from when they opened back up until sept and they didnt have a single case....

I dont begrudge anyone getting away when they can, its been an awful year and I a week or in the sun helps them, then crack on.
But there is a risk, a risk of no return flights, which should be factored in.

Repatriation in March was needed as was not expected, but if you're stuck now, you should fund your prolonged stay or return flight, not expect the government to rescue you.

@Whammyyammy I agree, it's risky because things are changing quickly. You can't expect the government to rescue you. If you're going to travel, you need to be prepared to stay there and deal with the costs of whatever happens. I got stuck once ( very minor ) but was prepared to stay as long as needed. I wouldn't have expected anyone to pay for me to get back etc. All was well and I had a great time and stayed longer, it was not a problem.

@Kaliorphic

Yes I am judging you you ignorant fucking bitch

Crikey, you need to keep a lid on that temper. It can't be good for you.

Absolutely. I am so sick of people doing stuff just because it's allowed.

Yep, bloody sinners the lot of them. They should stay in their homes, like forever, just in case they piss someone off by following the rules and going out. How bloody dare they.

Are they selfish for going on holiday?

Yes.

Are you selfish for expecting everyone to put their lives on hold in the exact way you see fit?

Also yes.

The irony.

This pandemic has just highlighted how jealous, bitter and nasty some people really are. Telling on neighbours, shouting the word "selfish" at any given opportunity. Miserable joyless bastards.

Pretty much this.

@Whammyyammy

I dont begrudge anyone getting away when they can, its been an awful year and I a week or in the sun helps them, then crack on. But there is a risk, a risk of no return flights, which should be factored in.

Repatriation in March was needed as was not expected, but if you're stuck now, you should fund your prolonged stay or return flight, not expect the government to rescue you.

This! If people want to get away then fair enough but there is enough knowledge after 9 months that things can change very quickly so if you are going then you should be happy to take the risk of staying longer/cutting holiday short and also the risk of any additional costs involved

And definitely it should go without saying that you should quarantine when back if you are told to - and if you are sensible quarantine for at least a few days even if coming from a supposedly safe country

I think that if people are going on holiday for the time being, they do need to accept that they might be stranded there and need some sort of contingency plan, as we've seen travel rules change suddenly at the moment. I don't think they should rely on the government bringing them back if travel is halted while they're away, if it's purely a holiday/leisure trip and not necessary travel.

@DarkMutterings

Well just as long as no one travelling now has an issue with the Chinese who fled Wuhan to Europe, Asia and the US, spreading the virus in the first place.

Cos you know they had it pretty crappy and deserved their holiday or to visit family in safer countries too...

What seems to be the first case of Covid in Germany was documented. It was indeed a Chinese person, who had arrived there for work. This person flew home after developing symptoms and the Chinese monitored every other person on that flight - no one else developed Covid.

So, spread to Germany was hardly caused by people 'fleeing' Wuhan and a symptomatic person in an aeroplane will not necessarily mean that any of the other passengers will be infected.