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?

In the context of international travel though, no country will want us to travel there. 😷

@YoutubeZoom
A lot of European countries have a more balanced approach to the Delta variant and our infection rate.

The feeling in Greece is that "a vaccinated Brit is less dangerous than an unvaccinated Greek"

True :-( Italy has already imposed (quite reasonably) a 5 day quarantine.
Mother: “it’s only 5 days! I can put the lounger out in the terrace!”
Me: “mooooom, I’ve spent the past 16 months chained to a makeshift desk in my bedroom. Seriously? You’re going to throw the kids out of the terrace, by day 3…”

@LivinLaVidaLoki Fingers crossed.

@YoutubeZoom

In the context of international travel though, no country will want us to travel there. 😷

I'm quite happy for my parents to visit me here in my US state, from the UK. They are double vaccinated. They will take Covid tests before they leave. We already have the Delta variant here - the first case was reported in April. We're preventing it from spreading, quite successfully, by vaccinating people as fast as possible. Our Covid rates have plummeted recently, despite the Delta variant having been here for at least two months.

Sadly the US government will not yet let them in.

@LivinLaVidaLoki
Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has rejected calls from Angela Merkel for British tourists to be quarantined on arrival in the EU, raising hopes that tighter restrictions in Europe will not prove terminal to summer holiday plans.

my direct flights home have been cancelled :( I've found flights via Gatwick and looks like they're departing everyday

I also don’t think the Eu will act as one wrt British travel. There is politics and division everywhere including within the Eu. From a Dansk perspective I think it would be totally disproportionate, even India itself was not cut off in that way. I also think that there is acknowledgment that delta will be everywhere pretty soon and it’s just a case of having the system in place to deal with it.

@EasterIssland Good luck!

Oh no @EasterIssland! To Spain, is it? Any idea why it was cancelled? I hope you can find a good alternative!

Schools really can't break up soon enough...

@QuimReaper

Oh no *@EasterIssland*! To Spain, is it? Any idea why it was cancelled? I hope you can find a good alternative!

Schools really can't break up soon enough...

they've cancelled most of the easyjet flights to spain from bristol, I think low demand. where I'm from is not such a touristic place as the south coast so I guess there was barely any demand.

I found and alternative, now I drive to Gatwick and fly from there the day before, bit cheaper but will take us a bit longer.

26 days left!

The Spanish government is expected to publish new rules soon concerning the Balearic Islands. They are not concerned with fully vaccinated people holidaying, they are concern with making sure they can proof they had both shots, and the under 12s which at the moment are a black hole. They can transmit the Delta variant and still travel with their parents without being vaccinated.

I'm flabbergasted Portugal has just introduced quarantine - I thought they were absolutely desperate for UK tourists to come back. It's bizarre that Spain are still not even asking for PCR tests, and their case numbers are still falling, but Portugal are now doing 14 days' quarantine

@Alondra

The Spanish government is expected to publish new rules soon concerning the Balearic Islands. They are not concerned with fully vaccinated people holidaying, they are concern with making sure they can proof they had both shots, and the under 12s which at the moment are a black hole. They can transmit the Delta variant and still travel with their parents without being vaccinated.

spain will request pcr for those not vaccinated to the balearic islands (not mainland or Canary Islands)

Portugal will request 2 weeks self isolation for those not vaccinated

Seriously when will it all end?
And on a separate note, Angela Merkel is aware that Delta variant is already in Europe, right? So what is the point???

I agree. The vaccinated world is really going to have to stop losing their heads over each new variant at some point and accept that we don't need to impose emergency measures for a bloody sniffle!

(All the usual caveats about epidemiologists keeping a close eye on them, and countries where vaccine take-up is low or the rollout is slow, etc. - but for the most part a huge chill pill needs to be taken!)

seems like spain is going to request pcr for everyone not vaccinated, it is mixed messages (I'm Spanish and some news say only balearic and some mainland)

@theadultsaretalking

Seriously when will it all end? And on a separate note, Angela Merkel is aware that Delta variant is already in Europe, right? So what is the point???

She wants to be seen doing ‘the right thing’ in the run up to the election.

She might better then do the right thing about delta in Germany!

twitter.com/BristOliver/status/1409478009355132930

It's pretty bizarre that Spain weren't already asking for a test to be honest!

@Schulte - bad enough for us to be hostages to our local politicians, but becoming a collateral damage to other country's elections, that's taking it to a whole new level!
I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you!

As brits in the Eu we’re used to being collateral damage to political projects 😅 (a bit raw for me today - yesterday I was turned down to volunteer at an event, probably my last chance to do so, because I don’t have a work permit to work in Denmark, despite working in Denmark. Yes I am covered under the withdrawal agreement but I don’t have the energy to explain this or fight this small charity for the right to volunteer for them) . I’m a bit more positive today - the vaccine efficacy seems to be holding up well.

[quote theadultsaretalking]@Schulte - bad enough for us to be hostages to our local politicians, but becoming a collateral damage to other country's elections, that's taking it to a whole new level!
I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you![/quote]
Indeed! Right now I feel at the mercy of both Merkel and Johnson. Not a nice place to be. And I totally agree that the delta horse has bolted.

Watching with interest what the other EU leaders will decide to do.

There seems to be a sentiment that Sajid Javid is going to be more enthusiastic about getting international travel moving again than Matt Handjob. Let's hope so!

We have just under 2 weeks to decide whether to travel to see family in Italy. We would normally drive but the hoohah of dealing with 2 countries regulations is putting me off (drive via France into Italyj). Flights are dead cheap, and we can do the 5 days quarantine in our place (there for 3 weeks probably so no too much of a hardship) but unless they drop the quarantine on return from Amber countries I just can't see it's worth it....
I've emailed the ambasciata d'italia to find out if we are allowed to travel by public transport from the airport to out quarantine place but can't get a straight answer. DH dearly wants to see his mum, she has COPD and the fact she's made it so far through this pandemic is amazing....but is it worth the hassle? Arghhhh what a decision