AIBU not being allowed home for Christmas.

[BittersweetMemories]

Just gauging opinions really. Christmas is still a while away and chances are that the learning will be online anyway so likely be a moot point.

DP is technically a student for half of the year. He is mid 30's and took the plunge to retrain last year in the military. He spends 6 months at a standard college (though for his particular course, you have to be employed in the industry) and then 6 months on deployment.

The college is 4 and a half hours away by train and so he stays in halls during the week (works out cheaper than renting a flat and just easier all round) and travels home at weekends (pre covid).

If he does go back to college as scheduled within the next few weeks, technically he might not be allowed home for Christmas!

Would you follow these rules, if you were him?

I can see both sides, he has contact with a lot of people at college plus the 6 people in his "hall" plus the travel so all quite risky.

But he could take the car, drive home and then stay at home for the 2 week Christmas break arguably...

As I said, likely a moot point but just pondering it today

Where has it been announced that people will not be allowed to travel home for Christmas?

It hasn't been announced but the rumours have been floating that this might be the case

I should have specified that we are in Scotland 🤦‍♀️

Do you have kids together op?
I think if the rules of not travelling back are imposed he may well have to sick it up or face losing his place

Stop jumping the gun and chill. We don’t know what lies ahead and there’s no point in worrying about stuff that may never happen.

@Elieza

Stop jumping the gun and chill. We don’t know what lies ahead and there’s no point in worrying about stuff that may never happen.

This!!!

I've seen people ranting on FB today about Christmas and what they will and won't do. Realistically we aren't going to know what's happening til much much closer to the time.

Christmas isn't going to be any better and Ministers are starting to admit this.

People do need to decide how they are going to handle the ban on mixing. Individual Cities aren't going to accept it, if it isn't national. But if we mix, we aren't going to cope come January.

OP, if neither of you are going to be mixing with others, then I'd say he could come home. But they might be enforcing the rule, so you might not get to decide.

I'm not panicking or anything! Just musing really after hearing the news. Haven't even spoken to DP about it.

It is a bitter pill to swallow that I don't see him at all for 6 months, then for another 6 months I only see him Friday night until Sunday afternoon. Those two weeks at Christmas is the only real time we get together so it will be very sad if he ends up locked away in halls almost 5 hours away!

My DD is in Austria (postgrad) and it looks as if she may not be able to come home, or if she can, may not be able to re-enter Austria easily (at all?)

I am annoyed at the 'Save Christmas' ideology. Christmas will still happen this year in some form or other. There is no way to cancel Christmas.

However, I don't think people in single households or students/others in mixed occupancy accommodation should be made to stay on their own on Christmas Day if they don't want to. Maybe support bubbles should be set up to ensure no-one is on their own who doesn't want to be.

Could the OP set up a support bubble with the DP?

In terms of the elderly and vulnerable, I don't think I'll be meeting my elderly parents inside this Christmas because I don't think one day is worth endangering their health. But everyone's situation is different and some people may know/think they already the virus and are happy to chance it. It is clear that any large gathering has the potential to be a superspreading event though.