AIBU to not travel to the UK under these circumstances?

[UpToMyElbowsInDiapers]

DH is British but moved abroad to my country almost a decade ago. Pre-pandemic, we would visit his family in the UK every 18 months or so. Because of the pandemic, we missed our last trip. His grandparents are aging and unwell. His mother hasn’t met our DC2 now 2 years old.

DH really wants to plan a trip to the UK this summer. I’m sympathetic, particularly to be able see his ailing grandparents as they very likely have months but not years ahead of them. They have been vaccinated, and UK vaccinations are proceeding at a pace unimaginable to us!

BUT: WE will not have been vaccinated by this summer. We will also have a 4yo, 2yo and a newborn. While I deeply respect my DH’s desire to go, it just sounds like total madness to attempt with two toddlers and a newborn under normal circumstances... let alone during COVID needing to worry about masks on an 8-hour flight, and quarantine when we get back, not to mention the health risk to us (we have no risk factors, but even with mild illness for a couple of weeks, it would be so miserable looking after three young kids...)

DH sees my logic but is very sad about it. AIBU to hold this line, or should we book a trip and then see closer to the time if we need to cancel?

@gavisconismyfriend

At the moment Canada isn’t on the quarantine list for England/Wales but it is for Scotland and other parts of the U.K. may follow suit - as our internal restrictions lift, there maybe greater action regarding external borders etc. However it is your husband’s family so I’d let him make the call. If you are the one driving the decision not to go and something happens to the GP he may hold you responsible for his not seeing them. Up to him, his DPs and GPs if they want to take the risk to his GPs.

All visitors to England have to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. (except from a very small number of places - e.g. Scotland etc)

www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

Overseas travellers are entering the uk, even ATM, and it's worth bearing in mind that, and again it's ATM, if you enter England from Canada there's no requirement for hotel ("managed") quarantine - the traveller goes directly to a place of quarantine, which can be with friends/family and serves out "time" there.

Problem is restrictions will change over Spring summer, it'll certainly be interesting to see how the rules change if the UK vaccine program really drives the local rate down - will entry restrictions be relaxed...or tightened? Will Canada stay off the "red list"

Sadly I'd not be making hard bookings and committing money for the proposed trip "at the moment".

m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dq_2qPHDCo&feature=share

Thanks for all of the food for thought. The idea of DH going with DD1 is an interesting one. That could work, and could be really lovely for them both! They rarely get one-on-one time together.

I also take on board the comments about not being the one to say no, in case it causes bitterness down the line. I think I’ll take more of a cautious “ok” approach, with an emphasis on what it would take to make it feasible (e.g., no quarantine requirements on both sides, because that’s just a non starter with his work).

I’m less panicky than I was about this, mainly because when I tentatively raised it again he told me “oh yeah, summer makes absolutely no sense. I’m not sure what I was thinking. This would be feasible in October at the earliest, so let’s wait and see.”

In the light of day, I think there isn’t going to be any argument about this. We’ll see what things are looking like in the summer and make a decision about October or Christmas.