Travel quarantine genuine question

[MyOtherProfile]

Can anyone answer this sensibly?
If quarantine for people coming into the UK is important why didn't we do it sooner?
Why don't people coming in from France need to quarantine? Surely everyone will just come in from France and avoid it?

Because by the time the government were take covid seriously we were one of the countries with the most community spread.

One of the deciding factors was France threatening to put UK arrivals through quantitative m quarantine.

I think it's so the government can track the virus. It'll be easier to do that with domestic cases at first.

I don't see the 2 week thing lasting too long as the industry will need to start reopening at some point. The rules should apply for land and air passengers

Wonder how this might work for summer travel to France, I know someone with a house there.

The rules should apply for land and air passengers
Do they not now? Did they differentiate?

Because when flights were working normally we didn’t really have the infrastructure to quarantine, and ensure that quarantine was being adequately observed.

Once there was community transfer, there was no point

Now that there is a chance that quarantine can be effective (app, policing, public support) then it makes more sense. And looks ahead to the day when there is little or no community transmission here and the greatest risk is imported cases

So travel is now allowed from abroad ( ROI and France) with 2 week quarantine. But what reason are you allowed to travel for?

Because when flights were working normally we didn’t really have the infrastructure to quarantine

What infrastructure was needed? What donwe have in place now that we couldn't then? Again, genuine question.

Right now, it’s essential travel only (FCO guidance)

So there might still be British citizens returning from overseas (and people trapped here for a while now seeking to return to their homes overseas) those with compassionate and other family reasons, possibly some exceptional work-related travel

The announcement of quarantine is a clear message that leisure travel is off the cards for the foreseeable

No quarantine for France and Boris only mentioned air travel, what about people arriving by boat?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52610594

I think while we have had considerable community transmission in place, the number of people flying in to the country has been negligible compared to our population - and their individual risk of carrying it has been no higher than anyone else's.

Having said that, I think it's a total own goal not to have put it in place before now.

Ferries sound like a place to catch the virus

What infrastructure was needed?

Clear admin for recording place of quarantine. The authorities being ready to check up on breaches. Possibly use of the app (v easy to leave phone at home though)

If widespread breaches, then tagging

Public buy in to the system - everyone is much more aware of the role of quarantine/isolation in breaking transmission chains

We could have done all that before, big we didn’t because we just weren’t on a pandemic footing. Also because the numbers of flights then were so much larger than now. The sheer numbers of those who police (or other officials) would need to check on would exceed ability to do do. And there’s nothing like an unenforceable measure for being ignored

Right now the vastly lower numbers of travellers mean there is capacity to monitor, also its considerably more likely that neighbours would fin someone in (rather than just chunter) and also people are quite likely to comply anyhow

@Orangeblossom78

Wonder how this might work for summer travel to France, I know someone with a house there.

The house owners would need to look very carefully at the current French rules and as it stands of today today I'd suggest if they are Brits and it's a second home it's not going to work very well, so they'd better hope for some further relaxation.

FYI Even though lockdown in France is eased slightly w.e.f. from this morning there is now a rule of no journeys of more than 100km unless it's for defined essential reasons ( in which case paperwork needed ), and to even enter France in the first place from the UK AFAIK I think you you still need to fit into one of a few categories, such as essential workers, returning to place of Primary residence, French national with family,..

I'd suggest the house owners need to keep an eye on the French news and hope the lockdown gets eased a little more...

Apparently if you come on ferry from Hook of Holland you get 2 week quarantine, but if you fly to Dublin from USA and then transfer within airport to flight to USA -- no quarantine.

The person with the house (who happens to work quite high up in the NHS!) recently went to check on it (Ryanair I think although Easyjet flies there too) anyway they got stuck as they couldn't get a flight back...

I was really supposed they had been able to get there in the first place

It's all stupid!!!!
This means my parents can't come to visit me and I can't go home to see my family for God know how long. What a fucking stupid rule.
We are sheep for them! They will always control us with fear.
Why the French don't need to quarantine??

Am not sure the admin tasks to implement quarantine/self isolation were that onerous. Australia was doing this back in February.

Talk about closing the stable door after the coronahorse has bolted 🤦‍♀️

Why the French don't need to quarantine??

They changed their minds pretty quickly on that one. The quarantine applies to travellers from France too (with some specified exceptions such as lorry drivers)