Oh ffs just shut the borders already

[Circumlocutious]

‘PM concerned by Brazilian variant’

Sure, the mutation may be insignificant. Sure, we might be able to quickly tweak the vaccines so that they still work against it, if it all. Or it might completely fuck everything up and we end up a strain that vaccine-resistant. If not the Brazilian one, then it could be another mutation that emerges somewhere in an intensive factory farm four months from now.

I think the world won’t learn this lesson - that near borderless travel and weak quarantine rules are not sensible in a pandemic - until it’s too late.

"the UK government" probably won't learn the lesson, no. It's not done so far let's face it.

I 100% agree OP.

They had the excuse of not knowing in January even though fuckloads of the rest of us were already buying masks and turning Brexit cupboards into Corona cupboards but there's no excuse now.

It's a disgrace that the borders are still open to leisure and zoomable business travel. A fucking disgrace.

I agree with closing the borders to anything except freight. I don't know why this wasn't done in March.
I also don't understand why stricter, fully monitored quarantining from the airport and paid for by the traveller testing hasn't already been done.
And don't get me started on so called travel corridors - another magic word like bubbles and Covid secure, to pretend travel across countries is safe.

I am really struggling to comprehend how a party that practically got elected on the back of the "control our borders" rhetoric are too bloody scared to do just that.

@PutneyHill

I am really struggling to comprehend how a party that practically got elected on the back of the "control our borders" rhetoric are too bloody scared to do just that.

Sadly the aviation industry has almost permanent access to the Treasury, transport ministers and the media, and lobbies vociferously for its interests.

I just don’t know why those interests supersede, say, the rights of business operating within our domestic economy. Or the right of children to an education.

how can we 'tweek' the vaccines when thousands have already had it though?

@PutneyHill

I am really struggling to comprehend how a party that practically got elected on the back of the "control our borders" rhetoric are too bloody scared to do just that.

yes! ironic isn't it

Exactly!
We are a bloody island - why waste the natural advantage that should give us in keeping a rampant infectious disease out?

I hope not, DH is flying to the Middle East on Friday.

@MaxNormal

I hope not, DH is flying to the Middle East on Friday.

Oh we'd better not then...

OP totally agree.

Close the borders to all but freight and those who can prove need.
Reopen hotels near the airports, and get EVERYONE off every flight to quarantine for 14 (or maybe 10) days, at their own cost, fully catered room service. With sufficient PPE provided for workers. Might just have the bonus of saving a tiny fraction of the hospitality sector too.

Probably because its already too late

Close the borders now, if we had done this in the beginning schools would be open by now. It’s crazy, stop people coming into the country.

I briefly toyed with trying to correct the science. Then I realised it would be a waste of time. So I'll just fall over laughing at the concept of keeping the rampant virus out since we are an island. Anyone noticed that it seems to be most rampant on said island? No?

Close the borders is not the answer to everything!

What about those of us who want to escape?

@TheoriginalLEM

Probably because its already too late

No, its not, but Johnson is always 5 days late, we all were screaming at him to LD in March, shut schools, have another LD, cancel the xmas easing and now this....

He should resign, a latter day Chamberlain.

the Brazilian variant is likely here already!

@52andblue

Exactly! We are a bloody island - why waste the natural advantage that should give us in keeping a rampant infectious disease out?

Well, apart from the bit that's on another island...

@Moondust001

I briefly toyed with trying to correct the science. Then I realised it would be a waste of time. So I'll just fall over laughing at the concept of keeping the rampant virus out since we are an island. Anyone noticed that it seems to be most rampant on said island? No?

It hasn’t always the most rampant here though (think last summer), and it’s not impossible that we’ll get to the stage of very low cases again.

@GirlCrush

the Brazilian variant is likely here already!

Why make it worse?

Totally agree OP. It's insane that we are still not on top of this nearly a year later.

Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but as someone else pointed out on another thread, what about the NI/ROI border?

@Moondust001

I briefly toyed with trying to correct the science. Then I realised it would be a waste of time. So I'll just fall over laughing at the concept of keeping the rampant virus out since we are an island. Anyone noticed that it seems to be most rampant on said island? No?

OP is talking about the new variants that aren't in fact rampant over here yet. Not the Kent or South Africa strains that are already established.

Ever heard of a little place called New Zealand. You might want to go and read their case study, closing borders (amongst other measures) works. We have enough to deal with without the newer strains coming in on top of this catastrophe.

It's the Yes Minister 'standard foreign office response' again isn't it.

@MaxNormal

I hope not, DH is flying to the Middle East on Friday.

Bring a sleeping bag Mr MaxNormal, you may be some time.