Mandatory hotel quarantine in the UK

[Circumlocutious]

There was the New Zealand thread which touched on this, but I thought it’s helpful to have a more targeted discussion. Mandatory hotel quarantine for all UK arrivals, likely to be signed off on tomorrow.

Twitter thread from FT journalist discussing some of the complex aspects involved:

mobile.twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1353657496716660737

Do you think it’ll ‘work’? (presumably its main purpose is to stop new covid variants from coming in). Why / why not?

@eaglejulesk

No thanks. You keep sealed in if you want.

I’d prefer option to open a window.

Not when it's that hot - all opening a window does is let the hot air in. You really wouldn't want to do that, especially when it is hot windy air.

I know Melb heat but I’d much prefer A/C option plus ability to get fresh. Best balcony worst sealed windows. For whole quarantine at least feel Aus air. I reckon most would be same.

But it’s a really small point to pick up on.

..Fresh air

Actually changed my mind. We don't need the hotels, but we do need a lot more stringent checks on those meant to be isolating and we need to scrap the exemptions for busy important people.

@rookiemere

Actually changed my mind. We don't need the hotels, but we do need a lot more stringent checks on those meant to be isolating and we need to scrap the exemptions for busy important people.

Keeping cases low feels different to keeping variants out.

The former can take reduction but latter takes no leaks.

Plus if they only do high variant countries alone it won’t do much

The BJ govt by contrast swings from the most lax to the most draconian measures possible

That's a good point. Its government by populism, "bright" ideas and nudge theory. Its at best unsettling and at worst psychologically abusive

The mentality of people who HAVE to have someone to blame.
Are they in some parallel universe where the situation regarding Covid is the same as it was last Feb??
It's a constantly moving line affecting the whole world to a greater or lesser extent. I bet Aus didn't think it would still be isolated a year later........ get a grip folks.

PinkyParrot anything useful to add or do you just want to slag people off?

There are USA states also swinging back and forth in controls, England is not alone.

Controls will go up and down in most places

I think pp are correct this is going to screw over the average person whilst there's a list of ridiculous exemptions for 'important' people making the entire thing pointless. I live abroad I now haven't seen any of my family for 18 months. I had planned to visit when the UKs current lockdown relaxed, I had also planned to isolate in my parents annex for the required 10 days or do the 5 day test and release scheme. This is now not possible because on top of the month off work, flights, tests etc. I cannot afford to pay the government to put me in a hotel.
At the rate this is going i'll be lucky to see my niece for the first time before she starts school

@nolongersurprised

“But I can see why there’s been no political appetite it for pursuing it in the U.K. It seems nearly everyone in the U.K. has their own, exceptional reason for why it wouldn’t work for them.”

Yes you’re right! But on the other hand they still want the freedom to be able to travel and want things to be opened back up!

There’s not much more you can lock down here! We’re only allowed to leave the house for work and exercise and essential shopping etc. If the rates are still high, surely these measures are worth a try?

It does seem stupid that our kids can’t go to school and we can’t see any family, but people are complaining it’s going to be difficult to go abroad- surely these measures may help us all do what we want in the long run?

@Watermelon999 yes that's how I feel. It's crazy to be complaining about imposing some restrictions on foreign travel, whilst schools and shops are shut, when it should only be until rates come down - hopefully permanently- as the vaccine is rolled out.

How it works coming into Australia is you don't choose the hotel. You are taken on buses from the airport and put into whatever hotel is on the list next. My sister in law just did it and got a room with a balcony. Others have not been so lucky. You are tested on arrival and on about day 12.
In Melbourne it all went wrong initially. Security workers were badly trained and working multiple shifts at different venues. Now police have to do all the hotel security guarding.
I have not been able to believe the streams of travellers in and out of the UK in the last 12 months.

Better late than never I suppose, but it must apply to EVERYONE, including those trying to get around it by travelling via non-risk countries, those arriving by private plane etc. And it must be done properly, hard to imagine that here, or people will just be sneaking out and going on their way.

I heard on the radio news this morning that it's only going to apply to countries where there is currently a new variant - so flights from South Africa, Brazil and Portugal. If so, that's surely not going to be good enough. The new variants only get picked up on genome testing retrospectively - so there is always going to be a lag to detect new variants, by which time we will have imported a few into the UK because we are only focusing on countries where new variants are currently known. Jeez this government are useless. Behind the curve as always.

@DenisetheMenace haven't seen their mum since Xmas. envy“

Haven’t seen mine since 20th December, 2019. We’re in the same country. Lots of people in the same boat.

I'm blue in the face from explaining this but it isn't the same. You can see them in an emergency. My dd was in ICU for 6 days two years ago and it was the scariest time of my life. My mum jumped on a plane and was there five hours later. She pulled through but we were prepared by docs etc.

You will be able to see yours in an emergency. I won't. But the bloody politicians will, and the footballers will, and the influencers "working" in Dubai will.

So many people here posting as if essential travel for work doesn't exist and there's the assumption that everyone who flies is going on holiday.
Honesly with negative tests and a bit more effort to enforce existing riles it should be fine, its hardly where the majority of infection is coming from.

What are we going to do, stay locked up forever?

@TildaKauskumholm

Better late than never I suppose, but it must apply to EVERYONE, including those trying to get around it by travelling via non-risk countries, those arriving by private plane etc. And it must be done properly, hard to imagine that here, or people will just be sneaking out and going on their way.

Yes this worries me that people who want to travel here will already be looking at routes through other countries to avoid the quarantine. Plus they’ll give so much notice that people will rush back before it starts which sort of defeats the object of it altogether!

The government either are incredibly naive thinking that this won’t happen or there’s another reason for it, but it seems a lot of effort to go through when you could end up missing a lot of the cases.

I think a large number of the uk population would support quarantining everyone coming in from everywhere in the short term while we get things more under control.

*Ha. I was reading a post about Aus quarantine from someone who couldn’t open their hotel window even. The thought of landing in that sunshine and dealing with that made me baulk.

I wouldn’t have thought it was very healthy to be shut in a room with no fresh air for a fortnight*

Sadly shut in a room with no fresh air is safer than falling from a window at height which I believe is the reasoning behind it.

I haven't read the full thread so apologies if this has been covered.

NZ made one billionaire quarantine in the Ibis:

billionaire

Another did get to do his 2 weeks on his boat ;-)

Kiwi's returning are not charged unless they plan to leave again quickly. The charges seem to be intended to stop people taking holidays. I think it's important we get our people home. Some has lost jobs, visa's have run out and they have no source of support.

@MaxNormal it’s the way new variants arrive in the country. Not too sure I want the South African variant rampaging through the country. One negative test does not mean you aren’t harbouring the virus

@StarCat2020

*Ha. I was reading a post about Aus quarantine from someone who couldn’t open their hotel window even. The thought of landing in that sunshine and dealing with that made me baulk.

I wouldn’t have thought it was very healthy to be shut in a room with no fresh air for a fortnight*

Sadly shut in a room with no fresh air is safer than falling from a window at height which I believe is the reasoning behind it.

Oh god the wit.

Too much on this fine morning.

@ineedaholidaynow so what do we do, hide in fear of new variants for the next decade?

For the next few months quarantine people, until more people are vaccinated.

Why can other countries do this, but we always find excuses why it is impossible

@StarCat2020

*Ha. I was reading a post about Aus quarantine from someone who couldn’t open their hotel window even. The thought of landing in that sunshine and dealing with that made me baulk.

I wouldn’t have thought it was very healthy to be shut in a room with no fresh air for a fortnight*

Sadly shut in a room with no fresh air is safer than falling from a window at height which I believe is the reasoning behind it.

Don't most hotel rooms only open slightly, just enough to let in fresh air but not enough to fall out?

[quote MaxNormal]@ineedaholidaynow so what do we do, hide in fear of new variants for the next decade?[/quote]
Some people seem to be in favour of that