2 week Quarantine re-introduced when returning from Spain

[Motheroftwofeline]

Just heard this on breaking news.

From midnight tonight? Bad news for anyone who is there now and due to travel home. We were supposed to be going at the end of August and now I’m limbo about what to do!!!

Going to mainland Spain? How? FOC have said no non essential travel.

Not sure what you mean by "How"?

Flights are still operating this PM between the UK and mainland Spain, it's still possible to drive..that is "how".

The FCO advice is "against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain".That isn't a ban, but it means you are doing so at you own risk/insurance probably not valid.

[quote labyrinthloafer]@uniglowooljumper I think the risk work would find out is a bigger deterrent than the fine, as the fine will never happen.

But yes, I am sure some will try it on.[/quote]
What risk, though? Does your work spy on you? Can't imagine there's much of a risk for many. They go off on leave. As stated, 'Any plans?' 'Nah. Just going to potter about.' 'Have fun.' And not all are flying, plenty are driving. They go, come back and carry on.

The FCO advice is "against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain".That isn't a ban, but it means you are doing so at you own risk/insurance probably not valid.

Invalidating insurance makes it a riskier decision, before you get to flights cancelled and getting stuck (as happened before).

@Peaseblossom22

It’s not just the U.K. though , Norway brought back quarantine for returns from Spain last week , France is considering closing the border and Germany have said restrictions likely to be considered next week . Can you imagine the outcry if others countries did this and we didn’t . To be honest in this instance I think the Government is damned if they do and damned if they don’t .

For once the government have acted swiftly to do the right thing.

I think it is adding to the confusion that if you have been anywhere in Spain, including Balearics/Canary Islands etc, you have to quarantine for two weeks, but Govt Advice is that you can travel to the islands no problem, it's only mainland Spain that has the caveat about banning "all but essential travel."

Is this so that the insurance companies or tour operators don't have to stump up payments/refunds?

They've done wrong by not giving more notice, 3 pigging hours notice!

What is the difference between my.friends who returned to the uk yesterday from a very high risk Barcelona, to me returning from a low risk Alicante. They could at least have given those of us out here some notice and time to get home.

@uniglowooljumper or the conversation could go "how did you get such a great tan?"

Or you slip up in general conversation with a colleague. Or someone asks you on social
Media about that holiday.

Knew someone who called in sick to go to a music festival and was photographed and the photo ended up in the paper. That took some explaining.

Employers are not trying to trip up employees with these rules. They are trying their best to be covid safe and protect all their staff. But sadly it seems people don't want to comply and would rather just lie. In all honestly if I found out a work colleague lied so they didn't need to quarantine I wouldn't be trusting them, and I would report them as if they can't follow that company rule what others are they breaking when it suits.

Raab said earlier that it wasn’t true that it was only Catalonia etc and that all areas of Spain were showing outbreaks in fridays data

I have a colleague who was refused leave and sent off sick only to go to New Zealand on a six week holiday

To this day only me and her know!

I know a colleague who faked a miscarriage so she could go on a three week trip to the US with her DH.

Never got caught.

I knew someone who attended a made up funeral. They did get found out. Embarrassing.

Sure you can lie, steal or cheat in life and not get caught but most don’t.

The Balearic government and Canaries are trying to negotiate a separate safe air corridor at the moment. Cases are lower there than here. Shame if the tourist industry there is annihilated for no good reason.

Understand about some areas in mainland Spain though.

I had travel insurance before I booked as I have an annual policy through something else.

Doesn't mean anything if - as piggy and fee point out - they don't pay out for pandemics or if you have an abta/ atol protected package who are responsible for the refund.

Good year to holiday in the UK!

Dont go.I cant see things being any different.

Those of us who have paid for a holiday and can't get a refund won't be able to afford to book another holiday in the UK 😢

What risk, though? Does your work spy on you? Can't imagine there's much of a risk for many. They go off on leave. As stated, 'Any plans?' 'Nah. Just going to potter about.' 'Have fun.' And not all are flying, plenty are driving. They go, come back and carry on.

People would often mention to their colleagues where they're going though. Many colleagues would inform on them in this situation as they would be putting everyone in the workplace at risk.

How do Spain's numbers compare with ours?

Friends is Spain have told us to avoid Barcelona and Madrid regions at all costs and it’s these cities with the problem creating the spread

People should have realised the strong possibility of self isolation at a short notice as mentioned by this government. We have decided to forgo our holiday this year and maybe next as well.

The canary islands and the Balearic Islands are both effected. You can still travel there but you must still self isolate for 14 days. That’s effective from today on the uk gov site.

I'm unsympathetic.

We've moved our holiday to next year: if you're stupid enough to go abroad in the middle of a pandemic then the fault is all yours.

We literally live to travel but we've vetoed it until March next year. It's not safe and as everyone can see, it's all too unpredictable.

When people are flying out only to find their hotel isn't even open and they're stranded why would you even chance it?

I booked Tenerife last year for 10 Aug. They’ve already changed the flight times which has resulted in £20+ extra charges to change car parking ...then they told me that the accommodation is no longer available but haven’t been back in touch with any alternative. Now the quarantine which neither me or my husband can do because of work..and the possibility of lockdown if we got there ! No week in the sun is worth that much worry . Gonna cancel and hopefully get a full refund 😓

A Radio 4 Tim Harford show, More or Less, presented research on how the virus spread in the UK. We had an odd dispersal compared to some other countries because it was everywhere, ie dotted across the country (if I remember correctly).

The key point was that covid spread in the UK from c 1,300 separate individual visits to the UK from (mainly) Spain and France by infected people. Not from China, not the US.
And those entries pretty much set up the UK for the pandemic.
If people don’t quarantine properly I wonder whether we will just end up in the same position again - because no one thinks that they’re the spreader.