Support thread for those with family abroad

[Schulte]

Anyone interested in a support thread for those of us who have family abroad, and don't know if we can see them this year? I had started to feel all positive and optimistic about going back to my home country this summer to see my parents, but it's now looking far from certain and I'm feeling increasingly depressed.

I thought maybe we can cheer each other up and share the latest on border openings, how and where to get tests for travel, etc.

Anyone?

@EasterIssland

Germany is to lift its virus travel warning for tourists heading to most countries from 1 July, the government has announced.

Only places with a seven-day coronavirus incidence of above 200 would remain subject to a general travel warning, DW reports.

Really? I fear they will make an exception for the UK the way our third or fourth wave is going...

@MareofBeasttown

I have had a lot of bad news from India today.A friend, and the husband of another friend, have died. Both not even 50, and seemingly healthy.Access to good care as well.

I don't think I will be visiting my family any time this year. I am not trying to scare anyone, but Delta seems to be more dangerous than I thought.

I am so so sorry. It is horrendous.

So sorry, Mare.

Unfortunately Easter, I don’t think the U.K. will be under 200k by the 1st of July.

Schulte, given that only about 40% of the people in the Liverpool mass events trials bothered to turn up for the follow up day 5 test I doubt they are bothered if you are in the country.

My parents planned trip to the uk is looking a little shakier and more uncertain than it was. Currently still ok to go ahead, but border controls at home haven’t been relaxed as much as they were going to be because of delta.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay it’s 200 of the accumulate cases. Not 200k cases per day

Don’t know where the k came from. I meant to put 200 per 100k. 🤦‍♀️ It’s been a long day. At the rate we’re going, we’ll be higher than that by then. And that’s without taking the fact that most cases are delta and countries might take that into account alongside numbers.

Frustrating.

It's so frustrating that cases are rising, because you know that's all people will look at. Hospital admissions are still stupidly low (7 people yesterday) and Germany are crowing about having 'almost one in four adults fully vaccinated' when we're coming up for 60%, and coming up for 80% single-jabbed. I can't possibly see how a third wave can properly take hold with that kind of vaccination cover.

Are people of all ages eligible for vaccination in the hot spot areas, does anyone know? It would surely be a no-brainer to offer vaccinations to every single resident of the whole NW red zone regardless of age.

When Portugal was moved to amber I noticed Matt Hancock directly compare the vaccine rate of U.K. adults with the vaccine rate of Portugal’s population. Sly 😏

Very annoyingly all Germany is currently interested in is the spread of the delta variant in the UK. Even when the incidence was really low (under 50 in 100,000) they put us on their red list, and the situation has got significantly worse since.

Every morning when I wake up I want to cry.

I’m trying to convince myself that I can still go there in August and I will just have to quarantine at my parents’ and then after two weeks I can go out and actually have a little holiday. But the logistics of getting all the tests arranged and the results back in time is so daunting, and DH is less than supportive

Schulte I am so sorry for you, and a big raspberry to your husband for being unsupportive. The whole thing really sucks.

As you've said before that my completely baseless optimistic predictions are comforting to you I'll say this - by August I think two things will have happened:

• The Delta variant will have spread through Europe. I really don't think they can keep it out forever, and once it's as much there as it is here and they're at a similar point in their vaccination rollout and seeing the same thing we are (i.e. that case numbers in themselves are pretty benign when they don't translate into hospitalisations) the eye of sauron will drift away from the subject.

• Almost the whole adult population will have been double-vaccinated and they'll go back to using PCR tests as equivalent to full vaccinations for younger people. I actually think this will happen in July to enable family holidays, as the European countries that insist on fully vaccinated travellers will quickly realise they'll miss out on tourist bucks over the schools holidays, and countries with that policy are raking it in.

As I say, just my prediction but I hope it helps

Thank you so much @QuimReaper! Love your predictions and really hope they turn out to be correct

@Schulte

Very annoyingly all Germany is currently interested in is the spread of the delta variant in the UK. Even when the incidence was really low (under 50 in 100,000) they put us on their red list, and the situation has got significantly worse since.

Every morning when I wake up I want to cry.

I’m trying to convince myself that I can still go there in August and I will just have to quarantine at my parents’ and then after two weeks I can go out and actually have a little holiday. But the logistics of getting all the tests arranged and the results back in time is so daunting, and DH is less than supportive

Could you meet your parents in a different European country where neither of you has to quarantine? Of course you'd still have the cost and hassle on return to UK (as it stands)... Plus the logistics and cost of stay in a different location. I am also getting stressed and low now but hopeful that I can still travel. My destination is Croatia and Bosnia - fingers crossed at least of one those will still allow entry with PCR and/ or vaccination record from UK by July. I'm annoyed I haven't already left last month but it wouldn't have been possible with work and childcare. It's so very difficult and unfair - I'm really angry with the "delta" situation now, all those sacrifices and still no (full) freedom.

Yes possibly, France would be the obvious place but at the moment the kids aren’t allowed in without quarantine because they are unvaccinated (unless I’ve missed something). Last time I looked Belgium, Holland and Italy all had similar restrictions for us (or the kids) in place too. They won’t be vaccinated by then.

@Schulte How about Spain? No quarantine there for anyone as yet as far as I know, at least for the time being. And as far as I can tell they haven't seen any negative consequences from their relaxed attitude to tourists, which may be encouraging to other countries!

@Schulte I’m fairly certain that children of fully vaccinated parents are allowed into France under the same ‘no quarantine requirement’ of the adults. If travelling into france from an amber country then all over the age of 6 need a negative test.
This article has an easy to reference table of requirements
www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/New-traffic-light-Covid-rules-checklist-for-travel-to-or-from-France-for-green-amber-and-red-list-countries

Lost I didn't know that, that's great! Schulte are you / will you by then be fully vaxxed?

The 7 days quarantine isn't even the problem for the partially / non-vaccinated, it's the 'essential reason' that's the fucker. I hope they at least do away with that quite swiftly.

The other thing I find crazy about foreign travel is, Greece have been open to tourists (Dutch and I think a few other Europeancountries too) since mid May. Yet their infections are still falling. So surely the safety protocols they have in place there are working?

@Schulte I’m fairly certain that children of fully vaccinated parents are allowed into France under the same ‘no quarantine requirement’ of the adults.

Thanks - I haven’t seen that confirmed in any of the guidance I’ve read. I’ll have another Google!

Spain is too far for DPs, they have to be able to drive to our meeting point. Apparently the Italian PM yesterday threatened to reintroduce quarantine for travellers from the UK too...

Ah yay, I’ve found it on the UK government’s website:

Children under the age of 18 years old, who are travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will be exempt from requirements to self-isolate and provide an essential reason for travel, regardless of whether the minor has been vaccinated or not.

So unless that changes again we should be good to go to France at least!

I'm getting increasingly disgruntled about the vaccination situation with foreign travel. Obviously we had to lock down to protect the vulnerable (and the NHS, in everyone's interests) and vaccinating the vulnerable was the way out of that, but all along there was strong messaging that the young and healthy were making sacrifices to protect the older / more vulnerable. I didn't begrudge it. But nw we're in a position where everyone from 18-40ish is likely not to have the same freedom of movement as those who had the vaccinations earlier, and will probably lose out on another summer. It seems grossly unfair.

Sorry @Schulte I didn't mean to sound resentful of you personally - I am absolutely thrilled for you and your family!

I didn't take it that way at all - I agree that the recently tested should have the same freedoms as the fully vaccinated! Isn't that what the EU is planning though?

@Schulte Thank you It is within the EU, but unclear how that will affect UK visitors now that we've jumped ship! You're right though, they've taken the EU-wide view that non-vaccinated travellers shouldn't be discriminated against and can replace vaccinations with tests, so hopefully that will soon apply in all EU countries.

I am in NZ and suffering a lot of anxiety, I miss my family terribly.

We don't have recidency here yet so we will essentially be locked out of NZ if we leave, despite having jobs and a home here. The borders are still closed to all non citizens and residents. It's so infuriating, there are so many of us here on migrant visas that are just stuck here. I just want to go home and see everyone. It's coming up for 2 years now. DP has a great job here and the thought that if I needed to leave for an emergency means potentially leaving him with no way of coming back is such an awful thought. He is not that close to his family back home so it doesn't seem to be affecting him in the same way.

I just want everything to go back to normal.

So sorry @onelostsoulswimminginafishbowl, I have a friend in exactly the same situation in NZ. It's sort of ironic that NZ is one of the only countries on the green list when they're not having us! She could come back to visit her family but wouldn't be able to get back in. And she works as a nurse and has obviously worked throughout the pandemic. It's awful

It’s just so wrong, how can they lock people into or out of their own countries? There are so many people with dual or even triple nationalities, people who have made a home abroad, when you read the rules it’s like they’ve totally been forgotten