To assume families with children too young to be vaccinated won’t be able to holiday overseas for years?

[ohcarolina2001]

So various countries are welcoming vaccinated people. By autumn my partner and I should both have had both vaccines, but our 1 year old DD is not eligible for a vaccine and by the time all the trials etc have been done on progressively younger people, we are years away from her being vaccinated. AIBU to assume we can’t take her on her first overseas holiday any time soon, because there is no exemption for unvaccinated children who can of course still spread Covid-19?

The only possibility I can see is going to a country which doesn’t require anyone to be vaccinated - but surely these destinations are a much riskier prospect (with an unvaccinated toddler licking everything and no vaccine 100% effective anyway).

Looking at holiday websites, most package holidays seem to be sold out for autumn already. These can’t all have been bought by couples without kids and older couples with adult children, surely? Have families with kids who won’t be vaccinated booked too and are hoping for positive news that kids will be exempt from the requirement to have their vaccines before entry?

@Viviennemary

I won't be going to any country in the EU any time soon after their disgraceful behaviour over the AZ vaccine. I don't want to get on a plane either.

I hope for the U.K. that people in europe won’t have the same attitude. The U.K. would loose a hell of a lot of income in tourism if they did.

The world has changed.

@Plumedenom

It's really really easy to say this when all your family is close. But for those of us who married Europeans....it's absolutely shit and I think very unfair to say we should have anticipated that we wouldn't be allowed to enter the UK for an entire year, or that we would actually leave Europe. Honestly, that was not something I could have factored in 10 years ago when I got married, before the pandemic and Brexit. It was literally unthinkable. Have a bit of empathy please. I knew there may be periods of 6 months, I could never have predicted it would be years. I'm not saying it can be any different but please try and imagine a life that is different from your own situation. And apologies to people who have lost parents and family, as that is harder still.

Well said Plumedenom

@Viviennemary

I won't be going to any country in the EU any time soon after their disgraceful behaviour over the AZ vaccine. I don't want to get on a plane either.

Disgraceful behaviour, you mean like stopping exports? Oh wait, that's the UK.

They won't require for children to be vaccinated!

Economy need tourists, children are very low risk, it will be fine.

At worst we'll have to pay for a test - you might even be away to go without vaccination anyway.

I am planning to go abroad this summer, I honestly can't see the kids being refused access. You can't lock us in the UK forever, I am not spending a year without a holiday.

We managed to go away last summer and a week in October - it was lucky as it was touch and go in October, we'll go away this year. Staycations are not a holiday, our mental health matters too.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

HalfGalHalfCake *I'm looking forward to a couple of years of holidays without screaming kids ruining it Same here.*

^^
Sorry this is a shitty attitude. It’s horrible to wish for restrictions on other people and not you, just because you don’t want them there.

You can always go to an adults only resort if kids bother you.

Totally agree. There are plenty of adult only places you can go to. Wishing restrictions on people with kids is a twatty thing to do.

THe problem though isnt going to be how we get on holiday that is fairly easy with a PCR test etc.

The problem is going to be how you handle us all when we come back and the kids are about to go back to school

I think we all understand how difficult it is for people who have close family abroad who cannot come here or vice versa.

However the op didn't indicate that she had family overseas so most people have just replied regarding holidaying abroad.

This situation will not last forever, honestly.

There aren’t any dates yet as to when we are allowed to travel for leisure. It depends on that. It depends on what the other country says. It depends on if we need to quarantine there or back in the U.K., as you have to now. At the moment just to get back into the U.K. you need to pay for a travel test setup, costing from about £200-400. As well as a negative test from the country you are coming from. And you still have to quarantine for 10 days.

I just can’t see such a large market but able to travel for so long.

Even if one country thinks they’ll take the risk they’ll benefit hugely from the income.

Didn’t Portugal make a statement on travel recently? Re test

Can’t recall niw

Not able..

@ShipOfTheseus at the moment travel for leisure is completely banned so the current set up of quarantines and postal tests amounting to hundreds of pounds is completely unrelated to holiday travel.

I personally think children will be exempt.
We've booked a week in Spain for September with DS3 and DD will be nearly 8mths. Prior to 2020 we had amazing holidays with DS abroad when he was a baby/young toddler and he can't wait to get back on holiday.
Yes it's not essential but we work hard to do things we find enjoyable and DS has already missed out on so much. Those who feel so strongly about not travelling are free to stay in the UK until they're ready.

Here it is

Portugal is the latest country to announce it will welcome British tourists this summer.

Tourists must either present a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test to enter from 17 May, the country’s tourism minister told BBC Radio.

Children may be exempt from test even but I haven’t found anything on it

I hope they do insist on negative PCR tests on the way out and back at a minimum. The situation last summer was ridiculous. Don’t want to undo what we have achieved so far, it would be really stupid to allow people to be transporting covid in and out the country again

Children and the vaccinated shouldn’t be exempt either, they can transmit covid just like anyone else..

I don’t think they will be just can’t confirm either way.

As I understand, it's not like there is some kind of global set of standards.

Each country will decide for itself.

Some countries might say, absolutely nobody in without a vaccine, including kids. Some might say kids are OK with a negative test and vaccinated parents. Others might start with option 1 and move to option 2 as the situation calms down.

Countries which have pushed very hard for "zero COVID" will almost certainly have stricter rules, as the fear of the virus has been dialled up very strongly in their populations, while countries where the virus has been kind of accepted anyway and which have rolled out the vaccine fast, will have more relaxed rules.

It is, the Portuguese border closure was due to the Portuguese variant

There isn’t a ‘Portuguese variant’

I live in Portugal. The Spanish border is closed, I didn’t mention the french or any other border

I just want to bring my kids back to UK to see family. It's been 2 years.

But until the 14 day quarantine requirement when we return here ends, we can't go anywhere.

I don't want a "holiday". I want to hug my parents, my sisters and my best friend.

@whatswithtodaytoday

The vaccines are being tested on children at the moment with a view to them being vaccinated next winter or early 2022, so it's not going to be years.

But yes, there will be some restrictions on travel this year.

They are only being tested on children over the age of 6 at the moment.

Moderna have started trials from 6 months old - I think once the trials are completed in the 6+ age group, they will quickly move down the ages.

I dont think the UK is shit, but I'm in Scotland and driving to France every year is my guaranteed 2 weeks of sunshine. I've had various issues last year, Im a Nurse and missed a holiday and now face the same prospect. Its depressing.

It's not even about the UK being shit, but we LIVE in the UK, we have been in lockdown in the UK, we can visit the UK every weekend and every bank holiday.

It's not a holiday to stay here, never was but is even less after the last year!