Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Why was France chosen for quarantine?

33 replies

notevenat20 · 15/08/2020 08:21

Apparently the rule is that if a country has more than 20 cases per 100,000 then people who travel from there have to quarantine. But according to www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea that includes:

Poland
Portugal
Czechia
Denmark
Croatia
Iceland
Cyprus

all which are apparently ok to travel back from but have more than 20 cases per 100,000.

Why?

OP posts:
Original poster
notevenat20 · 15/08/2020 08:30

Sorry, strike Portugal off that list.

OP posts:
Original poster
notevenat20 · 15/08/2020 08:31

Argh... in fact it shouldn’t be struck off. Oh to be able to edit old posts.

OP posts:
starrynight19 · 15/08/2020 08:33

I thought you did have to quarantine from Cyprus , I know you have to from Portugal they never got an air bridge initially.

Original poster
notevenat20 · 15/08/2020 08:36

Portugal I just keep getting wrong. But no quarantine from Cyprus it seems. www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cyprus

OP posts:
Noextremes2017 · 15/08/2020 08:45

20 per 100,000 is totally insignificant. It’s just a ridiculous figure dreamt up by the out of touch non-entities on SAGE.

Think about it. You go to France and you act sensibly by socially distancing (the French do this as well).

So you probably don’t end up spending more than a few seconds close to anyone. The chances of coming into contact with any infected person are virtually ZERO.

It’s all a sham. Part of Dom Cummings / Boris Johnson’s ‘control games’.

epythymy · 15/08/2020 08:51

Because when boris had to choose between saving lives and saving the economy he managed to do neither

Now he's terrified of "doing nothing" because initially everyone was screaming at him to "do something" and now he's constantly "doing something"

icecreamvan · 15/08/2020 10:30

That sums it up nicely epythymy

Mumratheevergiving · 15/08/2020 10:58

@epythymy

Because when boris had to choose between saving lives and saving the economy he managed to do neither

Now he's terrified of "doing nothing" because initially everyone was screaming at him to "do something" and now he's constantly "doing something"

Good point ^

Also the Government know their handling of quarantine /lack of testing in Spring was disastrous. They don’t want a repeat in Summer. It would be negligent to re-import cases with unfettered spread just at the point lots of families are returning from holiday and kids will be back together in large groups in school.

IAmTheWaiting · 15/08/2020 11:03

It's ridiculous. And totally about the media - they hyped up France as the next obvious target so Boris had little option because the public were so caught up in that media hysteria, screaming "do something" that he obeyed, regardless of the actual data or sense behind it.

HeresMe · 15/08/2020 11:45

20 cases per 100000 is 0.02 percent. It's all showman ship.

BamboozledandBefuddled · 15/08/2020 11:46

@epythymy

Because when boris had to choose between saving lives and saving the economy he managed to do neither

Now he's terrified of "doing nothing" because initially everyone was screaming at him to "do something" and now he's constantly "doing something"

That sums up this whole situation in a nutshell. A poster on here suggested a few days ago that Johnson's next announcement would say we must wear bobble hats at all times and skip everywhere instead of walking. It wouldn't surprise me to wake up one day soon and find out that's a new law - after all, we haven't tried it yet. And the really frightening thing is that a very large number of people would obey it.
MRex · 15/08/2020 11:49

The cut-off is 30, the exempt countries are all below 30. Couldn't you have guessed that when you saw they were all in the 20s, but France and Netherlands both went over 30? (And along with Ireland are the last countries the UK wants to close a border with because they are direct neighbours). Some other countries below 30 aren't in the list, because their testing / healthcare / general trust in their figures isn't sufficient.

Noextremes2017 · 15/08/2020 16:40

Tell me why 30 is a reasonable cut off.

It could be 300 or 3000. It if was 3000 that is 3%. Insignificant!!

Or it could be 3.

It is arbitrary NONSENSE.

It is an open question whether we have an idiotic media leading on an idiotic Government - or whether it is the other way round.

Some simple common sense needs applying - but I don't think there is any of that in the British Establishment these days!!

Original poster
notevenat20 · 15/08/2020 21:53

MRex. "Transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Friday that any country recording above 20 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in a week could “trigger” the introduction of quarantine measures."

Is that a misquote? www.google.com/amp/s/inews.co.uk/news/greece-travel-quarantine-list-second-wave-580376/amp

OP posts:
MistyMinge2 · 15/08/2020 21:56

DH reckons it's got more to do with Brexit and a fingers up to France than it has Coronavirus.

Bollocksitshappenedagain · 15/08/2020 21:58

I think I read there was other factors as well. Speed of increase, reliability of testing etc

RunningNinja79 · 15/08/2020 21:58

In answer to the question its because France is very popular and if quarantine is required then lots of people will be put off going so they will stay in the UK and spend money here instead, therefore growing our economy.

Also it includes anyone travelling through France who has to stop at some point (unless you manage to drive non-stop from a 'safe' country like Germany which apparently is doable - I've never tried)

Derbygerbil · 15/08/2020 22:26

I thought it was 20/100,000 over the period of a week.

pontypridd · 15/08/2020 23:53

"Behind the scenes, French officials say there is growing impatience with what Paris sees as “unhelpful” rhetoric from the UK government. “Boris Johnson seems to want to divert blame to foreigners for Britain suffering Europe’s highest number of deaths and its deepest recession,” a French government source said."

This is a reason given my the Telegraph. Sounds very likely to me.

ohthegoats · 16/08/2020 02:27

French Covid stats: 3,310 new cases in 24 hours after 2,846 yesterday. Average over last 4 days is 2,250 compared to circa 1,500 last week. Acute cases remain rare but they are edging upwards. Only 4 Covid19 deaths in France in last day (total now 30,409) but intensive care patients up 9 net at 376 and all hospital patients up 29 at 4,857.

Anecdotal - cases in hospital coming from restaurant staff.

ilovesooty · 16/08/2020 02:46

Probably to ensure that all the teachers and families / pupils could all complete quarantine and get back to school / work by the beginning of the school term so as not to impact the economy further.

ohthegoats · 16/08/2020 02:56

I've got teacher friends finishing their holidays because they couldn't afford to come back in time.

Daph73 · 16/08/2020 03:22

Because, just perhaps, they have data that you are not privy to. Obviously there will be multiple indicators they look at.

Yellowbutterfly1 · 16/08/2020 09:24

I think it’s more about politics and Boris Johnson trying to make the point that’s he’s in charge and you must do as I say regardless as to wether it makes any sense or not.

worriedandannoyed · 16/08/2020 11:26

@ohthegoats

I've got teacher friends finishing their holidays because they couldn't afford to come back in time.
Should they have even gone considering this was on the cards? I cancelled my holiday so my children didn't risk missing any school. I'd be pretty angry to find out their teacher had to miss the beginning of term for this reason. It's been on the cards for weeks.