Anyone despair a bit at folk still going on holiday

[Rainysun188]

I think it’s just adding to the problem. I’m not jealous at all as I hate flying. I feel really sorry for those working in hospitals when some people are still going abroad and potentially taking the virus there or bringing it back.

'The only criticism I have of the whole process was that we didn’t require a negative PCR test to get back into the UK. IMO this should be required, at the travellers expense.'

Haven't they explained this? Tests without symptoms aren't helpful as they tend to be negative even when people have contracted it and are incubating the virus.

I'm sure you will have been responsible and quarantined for 10 days when you returned.

This pandemic has taught me that British people are totally obsessed with holidays. People talk like it's the most important thing.

I'm sure you will have been responsible and quarantined for 10 days when you returned

We went somewhere on the travel corridor list so no, we didn’t isolate. If we had needed to then of course we would have isolated. I despair of people who break the guidance.

Any test is, in my opinion, better than no test, it won’t pick up all positive cases but will pick up some. A rather high percentage of positive cases are said to be asymptomatic so I’m not sure how that fits with what you say above. Additionally, many countries that seem to be keeping their figures down are using PCR tests and have done since tourism was able to start up again.

I don't despair, but I do judge a FB friend who earlier this year was telling the plebs in Scotland to stay the F at home, and is currently on a break in the Canaries and posting photos each day.

As we're in Scotland the rules about travelling abroad in the Tier we're in are very clear.

I love going on holiday- and yes it is a bit of an obsession- so for now I wish they'd just blanket ban foreign holidays which I think they have done in England, so we can all get back to our holidays sooner.

I think it's when people have in the past ranted at others on social media and then have now gone abroad it grates a bit. Eg. French woman living in London gone home for Christmas just in time. Fine but I remember her telling off people on Facebook for meeting at the park before the first lockdown when it was still allowed. I know which I think is riskier.

I despaIr of my SIL and family who have gone on holiday with 2 children who should have been self-isolating, against foreign office advice, without travel insurance, to a location where flights have been suspended and who now - surprise, surprise - don’t know how to get back. And they plan to ignore the quarantine requirements if they do get back! Makes me so cross.

Flying is hideous right now. After doing social distancing in the terminal and on transport to the airport, you then sit squished with elbows touching the people next to you for hours. Of course, few seem to wear the mask correctly either and masks come off to eat and drink anyhow.

I think holidays can wait frankly.

@MrsTerryPratchett

As I said on another thread, it's a bit cunty.

But then some people are.

😂 Every year we go off today or tomorrow. With teen/ adult children it’s a really efficient way of having a long haul or skiing holiday using less annual leave. This year we all have annual leave coming out of our ears and will be using it in front of the tv. We had sc in the UK booked this year and we were all looking forward to it; cancelled by the company but we would have gone if allowed. We know a lot of cunty people and the skiing photos are galling.

@GrapeLipBalm yes it generally seems to be types that enjoyed telling others what to do that then go abroad and post copiously about it.

Other examples are a FB friend who posted that he wouldn't be letting his DC go back to school when they opened in June to be a human petri dish, but then posted multiple pictures of their holiday in Greece in August.

Or friends with the annoying Stay at Home frame round their profile pic, who seem to flit between UK and their home in Spain with annoying frequency.

I guess I could defriend them but I quite enjoy judging their hypocrisy.

As a lover of travel I've been boggling all year at people going on holiday. I travel to relax, to switch off, to go to a different city's restaurants, bars, museums and sights in a spontaneous way. I don't really see how that's possible or worth jumping through ever-changing quarantine/insurance hoops in the middle of a pandemic. I miss travel immensely but I'd rather wait til I can do it again than insist on doing a more restricted, less enjoyable, less relaxing version of it.

That's before you even get into the public health aspect of it all. Did people not notice international travel being a major driver of this year's global pandemic? Are they just incredibly slow to catch on to how this thing spreads?

As long as people stick to the rules, all of them, as and when required at both ends of the journey then I don't see the problem from a health POV..

But... given the number of threads here saying "I'm in Tier 55, I know the rules, shouldn't go for a skydive,, water the cat, clean the dog but do you think it would actually be OK if...." ..it's clear a lot of people are having trouble with the rules, even if they don't travel..

...and then all our efforts to contain and control this thing start all apart.

A single friend of mine left to South East Asia for at least 4 months just before Christmas. He had to self isolate for two weeks and get a negative PCR test before travel. And the same on arrival. There’s very few if any cases where he is, as they’ve taken this virus extremely seriously from the beginning. We have at least 2-3 months of restrictions looming. I would absolutely do the same if I could but I have dc who must be at school, if they do indeed open.

There would be absolutely no reason why we wouldn’t have close to normality, if the government rolled out the “world beating” track, trace, mass testing system that they were promising 6 months ago. Instead here we are on the cusp of more restrictions until the spring. I’ve had 4 holidays cancelled in the last year, just spent Christmas alone and I haven’t seen my family in 18 months as they live abroad. If people feel the need to get a week of reprieve for 10 days somewhere hot, why shouldn’t they as long as there being tested to the hilt and self isolating on return.

Happy for people to make their own judgement. If they can and they want to - crack on.

I do wonder why - now that someone has brought it up - that we do not insist on negative tests as a condition of entry to the UK like pretty much every other country does. Instead we have this wishy washy self quarantine period, where people can do what they like provided they don't give utterly stupid answers if phoned.

'We went somewhere on the travel corridor list so no, we didn’t isolate. If we had needed to then of course we would have isolated. I despair of people who break the guidance.'

Yes lovely, it does however seem ironic that you're moaning about the lack of testing yet didn't think ah well let's be sensible anyway and keep ourselves to ourselves for 10 days.

I feel really sorry for those working in hospitals when some people are still going abroad and potentially taking the virus there or bringing it back.

The only person I know who's been on holiday since March is a nurse who works on a cancer ward. Not 1 but 4 holidays, straight off the plane and back to work, which is allowed depending on which country you're visiting. Seems insane and selfish to me considering the people on the flight will mostly be from the UK where cases are high. I doubt she's the only health care worker who's done this.

Yes lovely, it does however seem ironic that you're moaning about the lack of testing yet didn't think ah well let's be sensible anyway and keep ourselves to ourselves for 10 days.

I wasn’t moaning about lack of testing. I was suggesting it would be a sensible improvement. Are you as aggressive in real life as you are online?

P.S. Do you isolate for 10 days each time you step outside your home? Based on positive test results, the risk here certainly seems far greater than the place I travelled too. This is a country with an extensive testing system.

I went on holiday for a week in October

We were in a position to self isolate when we got home and we would have been able to pay if we got stuck out there for longer or needed to buy new flights.. as we knew this was a possibility from watching the news over the summer

Wouldnt book anything now and I would rather everything had completely calmed down so will probably be well into 2022

I had every sympathy for people who got stuck this summer when it was still quite new, I don’t have much sympathy for those going on holiday should something go wrong

While on holiday two of my three children back in England got sick and one needed their big brother to step in....i did not factor this in, and that was stressful. I’m happy for people to think that it served me right, cos thats what i felt at the time

If people choose to go on holiday from a permitted tier that's their choice but what about people going from Tier 4?

You can't leave home or see anyone for Christmas but seemingly you can fly to certain destinations with no checks at the airport whatsoever. Absolutely no point having tiers.

I know a couple currently,in holiday in Europe right now. They are mid 60s, part of the vaccine trial but obviously don't know if they've had the covid vaccine or not yet, have weekly covid tests as part of the trial, etc.

I don't blame them for being away whilst they can. A bit of winter sun would do be no end of good right now.

'wasn’t moaning about lack of testing. I was suggesting it would be a sensible improvement. Are you as aggressive in real life as you are online?'

I do tend to call people out on their inconsistencies yes, always pleasantly mind .

@chocolatemonster

If people choose to go on holiday from a permitted tier that's their choice but what about people going from Tier 4?

You can't leave home or see anyone for Christmas but seemingly you can fly to certain destinations with no checks at the airport whatsoever. Absolutely no point having tiers.

International travel is banned for anybody living in T4 (except for specified reasons, basically work).

...We're back to some people simply not following the rules..or is it guidance , whether it's guidance with regard to bubbles, travel within the Uk or international travel....

I don't think it's responsible to be going on holiday during a pandemic.

However, some are more responsible than others. If they get a test before departing and isolate when they come back then it's fair enough.

@stuffedforchristmas

or am I missing something?

Several things. We don't want mutations dancing over the globe.

Even if you were just as likely to catch it at the shop, it would be very helpful for a great many people if we would all not go on holiday or to the shop unless we need to.

This is now a race against time. We're not going to contain it. Lockdowns may not work very well at all now. We're left trying to vaccinate faster than the virus spreads. Bringing home exotic mutations that locals may not have immunity to is just unconstructive.

Added to that, sick UK citizens in some sunny countries will expect better care than the residents, putting pressure on resources and likely demanding help from busy governments. They will also be more likely to stay in complexes where there is more sharing - ventilation, leisure facilities, eating out etc than they would in their own home.

The borders should have been shut this year. The second wave would have been nowhere near as bad.