Spain won't let us in? Holiday

[lamplamplanp]

www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11460428/ibiza-majorca-travel-brits/

Sorry I know it's the sun but it says the Balearics think we were too late to lockdown so may not let us holiday there.

www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1268469/holidays-2020-coronavirus-summer-holiday-europe-eu-european-commission-warning-news-latest
"France has said it will maintain strict border controls until October 30."

ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen/reintroduction-border-control_en
"Temporarily reintroduced border controls in the context of foreseeable events:
France (1 May - 31 October 2020)
Continuous terrorist threat and risk of terrorists using the vulnerability of States due to COVID-19 pandemics; support to measures aiming at containing the spread of virus; all internal borders;"

I was assuming that by "controls" they mean the ones which currently apply, but it does not say that, so it's unclear.
The current rules are that you have to self-certificate - as an EU citizen (explicitly including Brits), you have to sign a piece of paper (before arriving) promising that you are one of these things:

"Individuals having their primary residence in France, accompanied by their spouse and children;
[ ] Individuals transiting through France to reach their residence, accompanied by their spouse and children;
[ ] Healthcare workers supporting the fight against Covid-19;
[ ] Goods carriers, including seamen;
[ ] Flight and cargo crews, or travelling as a passenger to their departure base;
[ ] Diplomatic mission staff, or international organisations staff working in headquarters or offices located in France,
who are holders of a special residence permit or a type D promae visa;
[ ] Cross-border workers at internal land borders"

Why is it always assumed that travel to other countries involves aeroplanes. Far easier to social distance on Eurotunnel when you stay in your own car or on ferries etc Brittany Ferries where you can stay in your own cabin. Also not every foreign holiday involves being in a hotel next to a crowded beach. Self catering in a rural inland area would not involve much social contact. It will be a pity if everyone's holidays are cancelled when some of them could have taken place with very little chance of spreading corona.

This quote from the BC article is bizarre: "The body which represents travel companies reacted angrily, saying the comments were "thoughtless" and risked undermining confidence in the industry."

So the travel industry wants everyone to be encouraged to book holidays which they may not be able to take. Huh...

@Kazzyhoward, Thanks for the correction. In my state here in Aus, some people were slow to comply with the guidelines, so the premier instigated level 3 lockdown, he was q uicker to act than the prime minister in Canberra actually, who thought he was going to the footy on the weekend. Once the level three restrictions came in many people were jolted into compliance TBH. Now it is part of daily life. There are very few flights, if any. I have seen only a few planes in the last few weeks, and I live near a Northern flight path. It is so quiet!

Let us hope we come out of this as soon as possible, with as few deaths as possible.

Nobody knows what will happen.
Simon Calder thinks that holidays from August onwards will go ahead. Every country will have to make their own mind up weighing up the costs of losing tourism income vs risk of another wave of the virus.

This is basic common sense. And it’s not because we’re British, it’s because Britain is still a high risk area.
Would you be happy to let planeloads of potentially infected people in here just to let them have a holiday?

The Sun have basically taken science and used it to fuel a racist agenda. Even when everything is different, some things stay the same. Who’da thunk it? [hmmm]

I think holidays abroad are very unlikely to be happening at all for at least the next 2 years. The best possibility is that people may be allowed to travel again within the UK and that hotels and rentals might be allowed to reopen with certain restrictions in place regarding distancing, cleaning etc.

Slightly off the subject I have noticed an increase in the number of planes in the sky today?

Those that are coming in are bringing home British citizens who were stranded overseas (in some form of lockdown) and essential workers.

On 17th April it was reported in Times:
"At least 15,000 people a day are flying into the UK without checks on their medical condition, the health secretary admitted yesterday.

Matt Hancock said that the equivalent of 105,000 passengers a week were entering the UK from countries including those with serious coronavirus outbreaks such as the US, China, Spain and Italy. Criticism has mounted over the failure to impose health checks or a compulsory period in quarantine for people arriving at UK airports."

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-flights-bring-15-000-people-a-day-to-uk-without-screening-bn255vtjs

vast majority of arrivals will get onto public transport.

I'd be interested to see that these 105,000 passengers a week are all UK citizens or essential workers? I didn't realise we had any restrictions on people entering UK.

@chocolatviennois Eurotunnel would probably be the safest option, but see the post before yours re the current entry requirements to France.
I can see the point of restricting travel. It wasn't just air travellers who spread the virus from the Italian skiiing resorts to France, Germany and Spain. Sure, people know to be careful now, but is it really worth the extra risk of spending more time travelling (and thus stopping at more places) so that people can holiday abroad rather than at home?

Thanks @ChazsBrilliantAttitude

I have seen that information, but strict border controls do not equate to an entire country being closed.

Pre-lockdown I travelled frequently between France and Germany and most of the time I didn't have to go through any border controls. That article is simply saying that this will no longer be the case.

This idea that you can socially distance by staying in a cottage/gite in the middle of nowhere, travelling there by car ferry etc etc is utter rubbish. sorry but we all know what happened in practice before the lock down when social distancing rules were in place. Large numbers of people went to the beaches, cafes, pubs etc because in their minds they are the only ones who would even think of doing that.The travel industry has changed dramatically. the idea of your skiing hols in Feb, cheeky weekend away over Easter week in Devon at May half term and a couple of weeks in the summer have gone. the price of air travel is going to go up dramatically and about bloody time actually because working on the polluter pays principle flights have been way, way too cheap for way too long.

Of course other countries dont want us. they dont want any tourists because the disease doesnt spread, people spread it.

People need to stop seeing foreign travel as some sort of risk free right. it isnt. i am old. when I was younger and you went abroad the cost of the travel was around 4 times the cost of the accommodation. it was something you did every 3 or 4 years not a couple of times a year. this is what we are going to go back to. the explosion in getting married abroad is also going to be hit by this yet still I see brides to be posting about details for cyprus next spring or france or wherever.

I agree we should probably forget about travelling overseas for holidays in the immediate future. However we need to clarify whether we are allowing people to come to this country from countries that are closed to travellers themselves?

I would not let a UK citizen in, saw one man yesterday saying he could not get into Europe from his country unless he used the UK hub and fooled them.

@donquixotedelamancha
"Presumably if places with no Covid 19 do open to travellers it will be from countries with no outbreak."

That will leave about 15 small countries in Oceania, and some Dependencies like Norfolk Island. The rest of the world has had cases of Covid19...

@thejollygargler :) I keep crossposting, see my comment above re the current rules. You are currently not supposed to cross the border just by showing your passport; entry is restricted, though it is on a self-reported basis only, so if you were prepared to lie you would get through afaik. (I don't want to try it myself!) And it's not clear if those are the rules that are extended to October.
Here's the form (finally found a link):
www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/TORONTO/es/Consulado/Documents/Attestation%20deplacement%20International%20en%20Ingles.pdf

The UK is letting everyone and his dog in, they are using it because certain hubs are fussier. Trump may be saying openly, go forth and spread the virus for herd immunity, we are somewhat sneakier.

Portugal is also unlikely to let U.K. residents in for holidays

it was something you did every 3 or 4 years not a couple of times a year. this is what we are going to go back to

No it isn’t. I’ll travel as much as I like. As long as I can get on a plane.

Also, why do people think that flight prices are going to go up horrendously? The airlines are in a position where they need passengers.

1. Their initial prices will be higher than they were, but they can’t afford to price people out of vacationing.
2. Airlines will still need to be competitive, perhaps even more so.

I think the chances of REALLY cheap term-time trips (i.e. return flights to the US for £200pp) are probably over, granted. Luckily I was never able to benefit from this as I work in a school, so I always pay a premium. But if BA starts charging £2500 pp to fly then they’d not be going anywhere and they’d be back to square 1 as far as going bust is concerned.

@ravenmum

Yes, those are the requirements under the current lockdown which will end on May 11. We don't yet know how things will change after that.

We have had to carry the relevant attestation with us ever since lockdown began many weeks ago. The permitted reasons were initially very restrictive and they have had to tweak them and add new forms to cover other eventualities (such as repatriation). In the beginning forms had to be printed out, but there is now a version that you can have on your mobile. You still need a new version every single time you leave the house. This is not new, but it is under constant review.

There is still nothing saying that France is closed until October.

mummymeister - If your post was aimed at me I have taken 1 flight in 20 years. You are also confusing a few issues. I doubt anyone spread cv staying in a self catering cottage and sitting on a beach with their own family group. They would have spread it going to the pub or mixing with other families. The economy cannot carry on with the current restrictions for months on end. Therefore to me it would make sense for things like self catering holidays, eurotunnel and ferries with cabins to open up earlier than flights and hotels, and for people to stay within their immediate family group on holiday, queue at supermarkets 2 m apart etc as they do at home.

I don’t expect to be travelling abroad until January 2021.

Are the people moaning about Spain not letting us in the same ones who are frothing on Facebook about people coming into the UK?

DBML No it isn’t. I’ll travel as much as I like. As long as I can get on a plane

That statement, right there, is why Spain and every other country banning visitors is absolutely spot on. The virus doesnt spread people spread it. People who think that their right to travel trumps everything else and actually have no clue about the environmental cost. This virus and its spread is a brilliant illustration of natural selection at work. Just remember though even if you can travel, your insurance wont cover you but hey you can just sulk a bit and expect the british tax payer to bring you home at their expense.

It just makes me disproportionately angry to hear from people who wont curb their wanderlust for the greater good.

@blue25

If we don’t get a vaccine for 18 months...or worse if we never find a vaccine for Covid-19, what is the difference between going on a plane in August and going on a plane in January?