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Original poster

Over 200,000 people will fly into the UK this week with no quarantine in place

81 replies

ssd · 08/02/2021 08:08

Yet our schools are shut, businesses closed, population locked down and going frankly nuts

Yet you can still fly into Britain with no quarantine in place

This is unbelievable, why are we even bothering?

OP posts:
Original poster
ssd · 08/02/2021 08:11

And we are told we need to stay at home and save lives.
People from countries with the south African variant can come into Britain via other countries. And thousands will this week. Yet we are all washing hands and trying to home school kids like it'll make a difference.
It wont, this variant will be rampant in a few weeks in the uk. And I dont think schools will be able to go back 8 march if it is.

This government really has blood on its hands.

OP posts:
GalesThisMorning · 08/02/2021 08:13

How do you know its that many? That's awful. I thought we had some restrictions I place?

pinkunicornwithacatonitsback · 08/02/2021 08:14

This is exactly what I want to know as well.

As long as anyone can fly in from anywhere, we're never going to get out of it. And I really resent my child being denied an education, running the risk of losing my business, not seeing family or friends just because it may "inconvenience" someone to quarantine in a hotel for 2 weeks.

The fact is that they don't know where the next variant will come from. They literally can't know that. So only ensuring quarantine from a few countries is putting a plaster on a severed leg. Utterly pointless.

StealthPolarBear · 08/02/2021 08:14

Agree. I don't get how people are getting flights when most of us don't go five miles away from home.

stilllovingmysleep · 08/02/2021 08:15

It does feel as if the restrictions in international travel are few and inadequate. All countries that have done well with Covid have strict border controls in place

I do despair sometimes

Original poster
ssd · 08/02/2021 08:15

Its reported on the news as 205 000 people will fly in this week and hotel quarantine starts a week today

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 08/02/2021 08:17

Friends of ours decided to merrily holiday in South Africa for Christmas and New Year. Ok the news about the SA variant was only just breaking whilst they were there, but even so what a stupid idea! These are normally perfectly intelligent people with professional jobs.
They arrived back here via another Country and of course didn’t quarantine. This just shows that you cannot rely on people to do the right thing, they have to be made.

Theworldisfullofgs · 08/02/2021 08:18

Because our government is useless.

ScrapThatThen · 08/02/2021 08:18

They are legally required to quarantine though not in a hotel. I agree it's inadequate.

stilllovingmysleep · 08/02/2021 08:18

Yet whenever this pretty obvious problem is raised eg on twitter etc, there is the claim that "we are not able to do more / it's not practical"

I also wonder: why? If the reasons are so clear and convincing, tell us what they are

Countries that managed this also have goods coming in and out etc. Here in the U.K. it's not just travel for goods transport that is allowed. Much more travel is allowed. Surely travel should not be a priority these days? I say that having close family abroad myself. I'm aware how painful it is

stilllovingmysleep · 08/02/2021 08:19

@ScrapThatThen

They are legally required to quarantine though not in a hotel. I agree it's inadequate.
@ScrapThatThen yes but from everything we have read this is not enforced

I read a long tweet a few weeks ago about the quarantine process in South Korea. It really opened my eyes.

Summersummer22 · 08/02/2021 08:21

@ssd

Its reported on the news as 205 000 people will fly in this week and hotel quarantine starts a week today
Have you got a link? For what reason would that many people be travelling all at once OP?
Original poster
ssd · 08/02/2021 08:22

Its been reported on GMB today

OP posts:
Original poster
ssd · 08/02/2021 08:23

It shows that we think airports are empty as we're all staying at home or staying local and we dont really hear of many people travelling...but they are. I know people working abroad just now and its classed as essential but it's most definitely not

OP posts:
MaxNormal · 08/02/2021 08:23

We are far from the only country that doesn't have hotel quarantine in place. I wish people would stop panicking and winding themselves and others up.

RaggieDolls · 08/02/2021 08:24

@stilllovingmysleep

Yet whenever this pretty obvious problem is raised eg on twitter etc, there is the claim that "we are not able to do more / it's not practical"

I also wonder: why? If the reasons are so clear and convincing, tell us what they are

Countries that managed this also have goods coming in and out etc. Here in the U.K. it's not just travel for goods transport that is allowed. Much more travel is allowed. Surely travel should not be a priority these days? I say that having close family abroad myself. I'm aware how painful it is

^ this. It isn't practical to have schools shut either and yet they are.

I'm an intelligent person and I fail to grasp why 200,000 people need to enter the country this week.

It makes me so angry to think of the restrictions in my life and the total lack of real travel restrictions. It is beyond my understanding to comprehend why it is ok to get straight off a flight and onto the Heathrow express to then be trusted to quarantine.

MaxNormal · 08/02/2021 08:25

Airports are empty though. DH just got back from Dubai as it happens and he said they are like ghost towns.
Unfortunately banning certain flights then creates crowding on the remaining routes though.

YouDoNotHaveTheAuthority · 08/02/2021 08:25

summersummer I wonder if people have brought forward their expected travel to avoid an enforced quarantine period.

stilllovingmysleep · 08/02/2021 08:25

@MaxNormal yes it's true many countries also don't have proper quarantines in place and those are the countries, like us, that have the most internal restrictions, longer lockdowns and falling economies

Not sure why not be concerned about that?

MaxNormal · 08/02/2021 08:27

UAE doesn't have a failing economy or a strict lockdown and they're letting in a lot more flights than we are.

CrunchyCarrot · 08/02/2021 08:30

Yep, nearly a full year after all this started and the UK govt still hasn't got it right.

Pimlicojo · 08/02/2021 08:37

I had a family member flew in from a high risk country last year. She did quarantine for the required 15 days, but no checks were made.

lightand · 08/02/2021 08:37

This is why I act within the rules, but am not bothered much about things I dont have to do, such as washing shopping, staying indoors as much as possible etc etc.
The gov never has seemed to have any intention of stopping the most flights it can. So the UK will always have a problem with covid.
Even those staying indoors for 1 year, will eventually likely have to visit a doctor. Are they planning in staying indoors for say 5-6 years? I know several people who have stayed indoors. Not sure if they are coming out this summer or not.

I think it is a bit like the school stuff. First time around, so many people kept their kids off school. This time? They cant wait to get them back. A generalisation I know, but you get the idea.

stilllovingmysleep · 08/02/2021 08:37

Does UAE have widespread Covid community transmission?

I'm not sure what your main point is @MaxNormal - do you think tougher border restrictions is not needed in the U.K.? Wouldn't help? Is not doable?

Frequentflier · 08/02/2021 08:40

I entered the UK in September. I quarantined for 2 weeks but nobody checked up on me. I would have been happy to download an app- unlike many I do not think it authoritarian- but I wasn't offered one. In contrast, my daughter entered India from overseas as early as March 2020, was told to quarantine, local govt officers checked up on her and our apartment complex officials also checked to make sure she wasn't out and about. I guess many think that's a total invasion of privacy. I do not. You can't expect people to do the right thing.