Bloody Borris!

[NotTheBaby]

Due to go on holiday on Monday. Announcements made tonight but travel agents not open tomorrow. No idea when the new rules start, government website still says the old rules. I’ve got Lateral Flow tests already but now they’re a complete waste of money and I have to spend hundreds of pounds (which I don’t have spare!) buying PCR tests to replace them. I know we have to protect the country, and I know it’s my own fault for travelling during a pandemic, but I wish they’d decide what they’re doing and then announce it with all the details rather than this stressful drip feed 😭

[user97533676]

@echt You're reaching. Pp literally requested we not call him Boris

[Unsure33]

Why are you blaming Boris? And not the virus? Last time he was blamed for shutting down too late now it’s too early . This is a highly unusual mutation and it could be mild it could be serious .

And it will not only be this country putting in restrictions.

We had scientists saying he has not done enough and others saying it’s too over the top.

He really really can’t win.

[greenleathertrousers]

@unsure- I agree with you. Silly to blame one person for a new mutation!

[Unsure33]

Perhaps the sudden move has something to do with the flight arriving in the Netherlands. So they need to act quickly. Give the scientists a window to research the extra ordinary mutation.

But that would mean it’s a good decision and obviously give you nothing to moan about.

[Electriq]

He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, and with a nasty new varient I don't think he has any choice!

[maddening]

Surely you have to expect anything to happen at the mo, it isn't just out government making rules, countries that you are travelling to could change their rules at any time.

[tricky29]

I feel for you, we had to cancel a holiday in 2020 and got sent home from a UK letting with 1 hrs notice earlier this year because of a last-min change in local rules.

It's massively frustrating but it's no-one's fault. We just have to accept that we aren't through this yet and we can book things but need to have an expectation that things might go to shit. Again.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Why do you think the tests are going to cost over £300? I'm not sure all children need them, it's just adults and maybe teens isn't it? So unless you have about half a dozen teenagers travelling with you, it shouldn't cost anywhere near what you think.

We paid under £40 each when we did ours after a holiday in October.

The actual rules will probably be on gov.uk by now or sometime Sunday at least so you can check there.

Unexpected isolation for a few days while you have the test and wait for the result could be a bit of a pain for some though.

But much as I hate the man, I don't think we can blame the PM for any of this, but it's not unexpected either, we are still in the middle of a pandemic after all.

[Fairylights25]

It is Boris, not Borris.

You either pay up for the PCR or cancel as far as I can see, your problems is hardly earth shattering given what the world is now potentially facing. So YABU for being so tone deaf. There will be some very worried people in their homes this evening, and you are going on about the price of PCRs that are needed to protect the country.

I say this as someone also booked to go away, and I am GLAD to take the test, and will do what I can to keep others safe.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Why does it take so long to get a PCR test result in U.K.? We can get results in 15 minutes, one hour or three hours here. Think 6 hours is the longest to wait.

[WeAreTheHeroes]

It depends what you book with whom @MrsSchadenfreude. Free NHS PCR test took 18 hours for me to get the result. You can't use this for travel.

Anyone travelling who now needs to book a PCR test, you can book click and collect at most airports so you pick up your test kit when you arrive. DP did this in October. Or you can book a walk through test you do after you land at the airport.

[stuckinsouthafrica]

I travelled to SA to see my father for first time in 3 years. Flew Thursday night. Landed Friday morning to the news. No flights back in time to beat 4am Sunday so I'm either Stuck here or have to pay £2250 for mandatory hotel. I don't have a spare £2250. It's unbelievable that they brought in the man whilst there flights were en route to SA and gave us no way to return without hotel quarantine.

I still accept it was my risk to take and that in the grand pandemic scheme of things my sorry lot isn't the biggest issue anyone is facing. Still sucks.

[DramaLlllama]

For once I agree with the fovernment. They have acted very quickly and are clamping down on travel as they should. Sorry this impacts your holiday OP, but remember what happened when India wasn’t locked down quickly enough when delta was discovered? The right decision has been made.

[DramaLlllama]

Fovernment? Government 🙈

[PheonixGlitterRepublic]

Oh no Stuckinsouthafrica, that’s terrible news. This has been going on for so long now you would think there would be some kind of protocol to cover cases that haven’t actually entered the country yet when the quarantine rules change. I also don’t think people are taking too big a risk doing these things, the ‘pandemic’ is almost two years in and people can’t be expected to never see family again. I hope you find a way to resolve it... do your circumstances allow you to remain there for the time being or do you have to return soon?

[PheonixGlitterRepublic]

The thing is that quick and decisive action is often already too late. Like the plane stopped in the Netherlands shows, people have been pouring into the UK from SA with negative tests but when they actually do additional testing a huge number of them are positive. The strain will already be working it’s way around. You can try to stop more coming in but if it’s going to be dominant then won’t it happen anyway now?

[Hesma]

Sorry but it’s your choice to go abroad and it’s obvious that things can change last minute, especially this time of year do you were naive not to factor in those costs. I get that it’s stressful but hardly unexpected

[pilates]

YABU
He has done the right thing and acted early. There is a risk element in booking holidays abroad atm.

[Fairylights25]

My bigger concern is not the PCR or the day or two at home (which I will use to unpack and do the laundry) I think the bigger issue is getting stranded overseas if they close the borders in hours, as they often do when things turn bad. If the country you are staying decides to cancel all flights or the UK decides this really is a variant of mass concern then we are potentially stranded over Christmas and beyond. I know of some horror stories of people being genuinely stranded for weeks and months on end. I think the PCR issue is the least of your worries.

[Joystir59]

Lateral flow tests are free. You can order seven at awww.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests time and they are delivered one or two days later:

[OmgIThinkILikeYou]

Yanbu about the fact that he makes an announcement but doesn't actually publish the new rules anywhere. They should have been put onto the .gov website at the time of his announcement. Clear guidelines with the correct implementation dates so people actually know what they have to do and when.

[ChrisS36]

Sorry but if you chose to travel during a pandemic you accepted the risk of this happening. Pointless blaming Boris.

[OmgIThinkILikeYou]

@Joystir59

Lateral flow tests are free. You can order seven at awww.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests time and they are delivered one or two days later:

These are not for travel. I went abroad for surgery earlier this year and had to order a LF with a code. I needed that code to be on my passenger locater form. It was about £60 I think but you can get cheaper ones.

[ChrisS36]

People complaining about having to pay for tests the NHS ones are for people who actually need them not for you allow you a holiday.

[Fairylights25]

joy You are giving out the completely wrong information. First of all you now need to book a PCR not a LFT, and secondly you have to pay and get a booking reference in order to gain entry into the UK using a passenger locator form. You can't use free LFT!!!! And have never been able to. Jesus wept.