To think this is just a joke now?

[Justinversusmrtumble]

Portugal possibly going back onto the amber list.
The only thing keeping my parents going is coming to celebrate toddlers DD’s birthday in the summer. It’s getting beyond ridiculous now. Feeling so low today, I miss my family so much.

JFCO missed the memo from HQ that calling people personal insults is against Talk Guidelines.

Restrictions aren't there to personally inconvenience you, theres nothing in any of your posts that shows any understanding of the valid public safety concerns.

I hate the way some people seem to think things like this just don't matter. It's such a cold non human way of thinking.

Losing out on precious time with elderly relatives, children missing out on developing early bonds with their grandparents and so on... It is fucking important. And the day that people stop seeing it as so is a very sad day for humanity indeed.

You can only expect people to care more about the 'bigger picture' for so long.

www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england
Current guidelines on coming back into the uk.
You need to find the Portuguese rules for what to do when leaving uk and arriving in Portugal.
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/entry-requirements
This appears to say there are no restrictions travelling from the uk. But you must have a negative test result.

YANBU, but the fearmongers will tell you differently. Approx 4000 cases in a population of over 65 million is very, very low.

If your parents are British passport holders then they can return to the UK whenever they like.

It's not illegal for you to go to an Amber country for a holiday, the government would just prefer you didn't.

They can come even if Amber and just quarantine at your house.

@User629202

Have some sensitivity to the families of 150,000 victims of a virus brought in in the first place by people coming over with it and failing to isolate, because our government decided to not shut our border.

Rather than this being a race to the bottom in respect of who has a legitimate reason to be upset, you realise it’s possible to say ‘I’m sorry OP, that’s really shit and I get why you’re sad’ EVEN THOUGH other people have also suffered? We don’t need to find the one group ‘worthy’ of feeling upset at the situation. We can acknowledge that it is shit for everyone, that everyone is frustrated and missing important connections, that everyone deserves some empathy and understanding.

As I had previously said, I'm facing the huge financial and emotional cost of having to postpone my wedding for the second time in June if we don't have the rest of restrictions lifted which basically is just towards weddings without restrictions and nightclubs.

So no, it's not a race to the bottom at all. We all have things we are missing out on. But we don't all come on here, get angry at people pointing things out to them and that frankly, tough if they can't travel. Not much you can do. She said about me lacking sensitivity to a holiday. I merely suggested it's more sensitive to think of people who have lost people to this through no fault of their own purely because the government failed to lock the border before.

I don’t understand - they can still come can’t they and just quarantine?

@shivawn

Restrictions aren't there to personally inconvenience you, theres nothing in any of your posts that shows any understanding of the valid public safety concerns.

Because we don't always have to be focused on 'valid public safety concerns' like fucking robots. People are allowed to be sad, angry and upset that they aren't seeing their loved ones.

@Tiktokersmiracle you're obviously just a better person than us all. Well done. Big pat on the back.

I lost my father to it. It's a respiratory virus. There's NO way to fully contain those unless you annihilate the entire human population, the 'shut the borders' doesn't work as they did that in Oz and NZ and are going back to these OTT barbaric lockdowns because you can't ever fully stop or eliminate a respiratory virus. They just are. They've always existed. They always will. So the whole 'Tell that to the loved ones!' go right ahead! I'm one of them. People get sick and die all the time. Life has to go on.

Oh god, shut up with your 'stupid and selfish' people, you sound like robots. Newsflash, viruses spread. 🙄

I gave birth on New Year's Eve last year to my parents first grandson and my parents live in Spain they couldn't get over here due to restrictions and I really needed them here as I had a c-section. They only managed to get over when he was 4 months old and had to do the 10 day quarantine which seemed to drag on for ages, they go back home today after being here a month it's so hard not knowing when we can go to them or they come back here again I know exactly how you feel. I'm not sure where about in the U.K. you are but I'd definitely see if they qualify for the 10 day quarantine as hard as it is xxx

@osbertthesyrianhamster I’m so very sorry for your loss 💐 xxx

@UnusuallyCommon

Yes, also this isn't a communist country, we arent expected to sacrifice our personal safety, health, happiness for the common good. Supposed to be a culture that values individualism. Part of that means we can be a little selfish sometimes.

@osbertthesyrianhamster

We should follow Australia and New Zealand and ban all non-essential travel in or out until next year at the earliest.

Thankfully 'we' won't. This isn't fucking N. Korea.

YANBU. Just have the party anyway. I'm going to see mates later this month. We're all vaccinated. We have ironclad alibis just in case because this is now fucking ridiculous.

So you're likening Australia and New Zealand to North Korea now? In what respect? Because they have governments which do everything possible to protect their people? This is fundamentally why we are in the shit we are. Someone can't go on a jolly, and it's all righteous indignation. It's to protect people! It's not because Australia and New Zealand are despots as leaders who control every aspect of lives of their citizens. I cannot believe we have a situation where we see how well Australia and New Zealand have done, and we don't say "hold up, why didn't we do that here?" No we liken them to North Korea

@CirqueDeMorgue

Oh god, shut up with your 'stupid and selfish' people, you sound like robots. Newsflash, viruses spread. 🙄

Exactly. 'So selfish'. Yep, sure am! Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Absolutely everyone is missing out on something during the pandemic. young people missing exams, freshers at Uni missing out on lectures and getting to know people, not being able to visit friends and relatives abroad, not having proper weddings, funerals or other family milestone celebrations the list goes on and on and on. everyone will have a different thing on the list that is the most important to them and they are the unhappiest about missing out on. Im sorry but from my perspective holidays or any trips outside of the country are an extremely low priority. with skype available you can keep in touch daily if you want with your family. no its not the same I get that. but we all have to stop being selfish about what we want, what we need, whats important to us and see the bigger picture. its waiting a couple of weeks thats all until everyone is vaccinated. Imagine being a 20 something. the impact on you has been huge yet you still havent had a jab. No one wants any of this - least of all both the deaths and long covid. and in deaths I include the indirect ones as well. this pandemic should be a wake up call. sadly its just highlighted how selfish and self centred we all are.

Assuming your friends arent travel agents then the best way to protect their businesses is to keep the number of new infections low for another month or two whilst all those who want to be vaccinated are.

Personally I would prioritize getting the uk open again over the needs of a few to go abroad.

@mummymeister

Absolutely everyone is missing out on something during the pandemic. young people missing exams, freshers at Uni missing out on lectures and getting to know people, not being able to visit friends and relatives abroad, not having proper weddings, funerals or other family milestone celebrations the list goes on and on and on. everyone will have a different thing on the list that is the most important to them and they are the unhappiest about missing out on. Im sorry but from my perspective holidays or any trips outside of the country are an extremely low priority. with skype available you can keep in touch daily if you want with your family. no its not the same I get that. but we all have to stop being selfish about what we want, what we need, whats important to us and see the bigger picture. its waiting a couple of weeks thats all until everyone is vaccinated. Imagine being a 20 something. the impact on you has been huge yet you still havent had a jab. No one wants any of this - least of all both the deaths and long covid. and in deaths I include the indirect ones as well. this pandemic should be a wake up call. sadly its just highlighted how selfish and self centred we all are.

Exactly this

@Xiomara22 Sorry, we’re in Portugal, they’re in the U.K.
It’s so hard isn’t it? So glad they got to see your baby 💜
There’s a lot of confusion here, some people are saying they can only come for essential reasons, some saying they can come but need to quarantine (they can most definitely do this)

I admit I panicked this morning, will have to wait and see. It was just something they needed, I miss them like hell, but they really need this, especially my dad. I worry about what happens if they can’t see us.

Really considering moving back home. If this is how life is going to be, we have to.

Thousands of people have died and all some are worried about is going abroad and having a party.

madness

I don't think anyone is having a jolly time of the pandemic. I get it OP, it is stressful not knowing when or if we can go back to 'normal'

We are due to go at the end of the month, we are actually going to Spain but flying into Faro as it’s the closest airport to where we are going.
In one way it will make it easier for us if both countries are the same as what we need to do will be clearer.
While I do feel for people who this will be a problem for (if it happens) we have planned for this and I think people who assumed it wouldn’t happen have been a bit daft

but we all have to stop being selfish about what we want, what we need, whats important to us and see the bigger picture.

Everyone's needs are different. You do you, others will do themselves. Time to start living again for me and really unbothered about others throwing the 'selfish' label around. They don't pay my bills, they don't have to wake up and be me. They do them and I'll do me.