Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

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

UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

93 replies

halcyondays · 15/01/2021 17:32

Thank goodness. At last they’ve seen sense.

OP posts:
mumnowformerrockstar · 15/01/2021 20:22

Too little too late BUT at least they are actually doing something that might help now.

mumnowformerrockstar · 15/01/2021 20:23

@ineedaholidaynow

Will it impact travel insurance too?
Definetly yes
52andblue · 15/01/2021 20:26

@lockeddownandcrazy

Should have closed off all people into the UK yonks ago. We are an island, we should have used this to protect ourselves, then we might be out of it by now.
Exactly! Why squander a natural advantage for 10 months? Oh, I know, a totally inept Govt! Grrr....
PicsInRed · 15/01/2021 20:28

@MaxNormal

They may make a public example of some cheeky quanratine cheating fuckers then "reveal" we need hotel quarantine. Hopefully we'll have the army run it - NZ learned the hard way that this isn't a job for civil servants.

Chances of the above happening are verging towards zero I would say.

So no chance of doing what NZ is doing?
Mrbob · 15/01/2021 20:32

Imagine not seeing your family for over a year. There's a risk going anywhere at the moment, but she didn't know that was going to happen

Well those of us in Australia have managed it and all live with the knowledge that any interstate travel can result in overnight border closures with no notice, cancelled trips and being sent into quarantine. It’s a pandemic

notimagain · 15/01/2021 20:36

@mumnowformerrockstar

Too little too late BUT at least they are actually doing something that might help now.
Well yes, in the case of the testing, yes, it's about time to.

OTOH the closure of travel corridors pretty much puts us back to where we were late last spring when there were restrictions on travel and the corridors hadn't even been invented....

SnoozyLou · 15/01/2021 20:44

@PicsInRed Oh no, I definitely agree. It should have happened ages ago.

I tell you what, when we do get to travel again, we'll make the most of it. I work remotely. Last holiday, I worked virtually every day. Never again. Guess I needed a smack around the head to see what's really important.

And Thanks to you too. This is a nightmare, but hopefully it will be over, one day?!!

SnoozyLou · 15/01/2021 20:47

@Mrbob I'm not arguing with you - you're clearly in a much better position for taking that stance. But I can see the temptation with borders open, and people are/were travelling for much more trivial reasons.

kingat · 15/01/2021 20:57

I see what you mean with leisure flying,but just two days ago was one the news, so these are still flying I think.

This is all just smoke and mirrors. I know someone who was going to Brazil via Portugal on Monday, ok thats out now, but I just had a quick check, you can get tickets for next week via Amsterdam, Paris or Madrid

MaxNormal · 15/01/2021 21:02

So no chance of doing what NZ is doing?

In my opinion no chance at all.

kingat · 15/01/2021 21:07

But is not just NZ, Poland for example border are closed to flights, if you arrive by land you quarantine and you have to show up in the window at different times once a day.

notimagain · 15/01/2021 21:12

I see what you mean with leisure flying,but just two days ago was one the news, so these are still flying I think.

"Leisure flying", as in passengers travelling on airliners, yes that continues..it will still continue..the borders are not closed.

User158340 · 15/01/2021 21:14

Emergencies aside, what kind of idiot is traveling at the moment anyway?

User158340 · 15/01/2021 21:16

@MaxNormal

The travel corridor closure thing really isn't a very big change.
It's a gesture to show they're doing something and get a headline, they do nothing to enforce quarantines. They've been weak on border control since the start, after a Brexit campaign of 'control our borders' the time we've really needed it and they've done fuck all.
notimagain · 15/01/2021 21:22

@User158340

Emergencies aside, what kind of idiot is traveling at the moment anyway?
Err...off the top of my head...a few I'm aware of...

Embassy Staff/politicians.
Medical workers/researchers.
Very specialist Engineers/technicians enroute to fix something bust in the infrastructure (power/water/telecomms).
Lots of people in the oil/gas industry travelling between home and place of work.
Logistics Personnel (e.g; ship/aircraft crews, engineers all needing to get to where their ship/cargo/aircraft is originating from)..

There are plenty of other "idiots"Hmm but that's for starters.....not everybody can "stay at home" or even stay in country.

Aloamilk · 15/01/2021 21:23

So, being dim, this isn't closing our borders as such is it?

User158340 · 15/01/2021 21:34

@notimagain I'd cover essential workers/freight/supplies etc as emergency

User158340 · 15/01/2021 21:35

@Aloamilk

So, being dim, this isn't closing our borders as such is it?
It's about being shown to be doing something because they keep being told to shut the borders.
Heyahun · 15/01/2021 21:37

@User158340 emmm some people have to travel!

My husband had to go back to Ireland a few weeks back - his elderly mother wit dementia fell - was taken into hospital and there was no other family to look after her when released from hospital - he went! I think that’s pretty essential! He is still there trying to sort live in care for her now!

Hoping he will get back here somehow in the next week or so!

Obviously he will isolate / take a test / whatever it takes!

I don’t think many people are on holidays at the moment though 😂 hardly think many would want to fly to the U.K. for a laugh - what are they gonna do aww all the sights?

User158340 · 15/01/2021 21:38

[quote Heyahun]@User158340 emmm some people have to travel!

My husband had to go back to Ireland a few weeks back - his elderly mother wit dementia fell - was taken into hospital and there was no other family to look after her when released from hospital - he went! I think that’s pretty essential! He is still there trying to sort live in care for her now!

Hoping he will get back here somehow in the next week or so!

Obviously he will isolate / take a test / whatever it takes!

I don’t think many people are on holidays at the moment though 😂 hardly think many would want to fly to the U.K. for a laugh - what are they gonna do aww all the sights?[/quote]
Well that's obviously an emergency.

notimagain · 15/01/2021 21:41

[quote User158340]@notimagain I'd cover essential workers/freight/supplies etc as emergency[/quote]
Fair enough..

notimagain · 15/01/2021 21:41

@Aloamilk

So, being dim, this isn't closing our borders as such is it?
Nope....
PicsInRed · 15/01/2021 21:43

@Aloamilk

So, being dim, this isn't closing our borders as such is it?
It's a grooming process.
bubblebubblebubbletrouble · 15/01/2021 21:46

I might be a bit cynical after 10 months of this shower but I feel like this is another after the horse has bolted response to the criticism of celebs being in Maldives/Caribbean/Dubai over Christmas now that they are mostly back anyway.

sonjadog · 15/01/2021 21:57

I live in a country that is on the travel corridor list. The reason why we are there is that infection rates are extremely low. Closing the corridor is an empty political gesture that looks good. Large numbers of infections are most unlikely to be coming with people arriving from countries with low infection rates. Especially as they will have taken a test within 72 hours of travel.

Also, it doesn't mean the borders are closed, people can still come as long as they are prepared to quarantine.