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?

Just saw this...
Would be way less confusing

Yes travel to and from Denmark is fairly easy. The border was shut for around 10 weeks at the start of the pandemic and then open with 5 days quarentine plus and a test. But then since the vaccine rollout has been gathering pace it’s been opened to vaccinated people because they have a ‘corona pass’ without needing a test. The system is heavily reliant on the vaccines being highly effective, which they are.

@YoutubeZoom - I know exactly what you are worrying about! When are you travelling? Would be good to know how you got on!

We travelled last summer with no quarantine and no testing, which is why it's been so frustrating that the rules were more strict this year. Hoping that the quarantine rules change coming into the UK as we're not in a position to travel now for a couple of months due to work but inlaws would like to visit over the summer

Doubly frustrating that the UK didn’t put any border controls in for the first 11 months of the pandemic and now they’ve gone totally over the top!

@theadultsaretalking We are travelling in August.

Some good news. Hungary has just announced that immunity passports will be phased out from restaurants, hotels, spas, etc. once 5.5 mln people are vaccinated. They are on 5.45 mln now. Come on people!

joining as I haven't seen my mum since April '19 and can't decide if we should try & arrange for her to fly early July for 2 weeks to UK from Hungary.

Hungary is an amber country so my worry is that we'll buy tickets and then they change status to red and so she either won't be able to come or would have to quarantine and miss the events she'd be coming for in the first place

Waves at @ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba I think something would have to go horribly wrong in Hungary for them to be red-listed. Apparently their cases are 5 per 100,000!

graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/hungary/

@HotWeather

It is hard. DH & I both have parents in Australia we haven't seen since 2019. His Dad is 92 this year. Australia worries me as their cases are so low, & they seem quite happy being isolated, there is no urgency to their vaccination programme.

Right here with you. I’m hoping that the recent cases might give the vax programme a shove on but I’m not massively hopeful. I think unlikely until after the federal election at this point really.

I have to keep managing the kids’ expectations as they keep hopefully saying ‘maybe Christmas?’

Hoping that they might relax hotel quarantine rules for fully vaccinated people - it wouldn’t get us there because of the kids but if my parents were allowed to leave and then quarantine at home when they got back rather than a hotel they would be here like a shot.

@JassyRadlett that has cheered me up a bit! My DPs would come here too! Not DHs.

Northern Ireland adds Balearics, Malta and some Caribbean islands to travel green lis

No Greece :(

Sorry @LivinLaVidaLoki no Greece added :(
mobile.twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1408131071816970242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1408131071816970242%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fuk-57592006

More good. news
Shapps
Thanks to our successful vaccination programme, our intention is that later in the summer ☀️ UK residents who are fully vaccinated will not have to isolate when travelling from amber list countries 🟠

We’ll set out further details next month

Doesn't help us Brits who live abroad :(

Just want to see my family

So the balearic islands have been added to the green list. But greek islands which are highly vaccinated and haven't seen a covid case in ages remain amber. So I've to move my trip. Again.

I am just sat here in tears. I know its self indulgent but this is a nightmare.

Thanks @EasterIssland
"Later this summer" ooooo specific

Come on, cheer up, who would want to go to Greece or Italy or Croatia, when there’s the option to go quarantine free to the British Antartic Territory??????

Or the Pitcairn Islands

@LivinLaVidaLoki

So the balearic islands have been added to the green list. But greek islands which are highly vaccinated and haven't seen a covid case in ages remain amber. So I've to move my trip. Again.

I am just sat here in tears. I know its self indulgent but this is a nightmare.

Not self indulgent. You poor thing. I’m livid again. Have felt like crying all day. Basically they’ve added the countries where the MPs want to go on holiday. Or what? Germany has a case rate of something like 8 in 100,000 at the moment. If Brits start travelling to Mallorca in large numbers then it’s very predictable what will happen next.

😔 I’m so sad. Where t he e duck is their humanity ? I’m so fucking angry and sad.

140000 F1 fans going to an event next month 🤯

Had a good cry this morning. Not that it helped. Bracing myself for the 2 weeks of quarantine in a tiny German flat with two moaning teenagers and a grumpy husband in tow... can’t really see the quarantine requirement going at the moment.

God you guys, I am so so sorry. I've been fielding messages from my poor friends in US and Germany too - there is NO REASON for this absolute nonsense in places with a fraction of the cases we have not to be allowed to visit here. It's for their own governments to impose quarantine on their return because WE'RE the ones on the naughty step; not for us to quarantine our own Delta-infested travellers coming back from perfectly safe countries.

It's so ridiculous and maddening.

Covid case numbers in schools exploded where I live. [[School Covid closures LIVE: 400 self isolating after Covid outbreak at Durham school

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/coronavirus-school-closures-live-covid-20884866#ICID=Android_ChronicleNewsApp_AppShare]]
I don't want another lockdown.

They’re never going to impose another lockdown! Boris is already threading on thin ice with today’s debacle (his scapegoat has managed to do something that would technically want him sacked, but can’t be sacked because then they’d not have a scapegoat…)
His “irreversible” path to freedom is his key to poll success.
He might get local health official to take tough decisions on his behalf, but school is almost off, by the time they act it’ll make small difference. Nobody knows what September will bring.
I personally try to survive month by month, don’t want to look that far ahead ;-)
But am pretty sure any lockdown will come in a different shape and I bet they’ll not call it lockdown.

The most important thing is that the students (and teachers) don’t have serious health consequences, if numbers are high one can only hope at least the age helps?