Which countries do you think will end up on the green list by end of July?

[nancysblush]

I know it’s dependent on various things, but what situation do you think we’ll be in for travel in the height of summer this year?

I don't understand why people are obsessed with a foreign holiday this year. I understand why people enjoy a foreign holiday over a UK holiday in general, but it's a peculiar obsession in combination with a global pandemic. Take a break where you can, when you can. It is not business as usual this year.

@DogInATent

I don't understand why people are obsessed with a foreign holiday this year. I understand why people enjoy a foreign holiday over a UK holiday in general, but it's a peculiar obsession in combination with a global pandemic. Take a break where you can, when you can. It is not business as usual this year.

As per your comment, So if you can travel abroad , as it’s not banned then people aren’t doing anything wrong by travelling

Even if masses of countries are greener than Green list-wise, there’s still the four-hour queue leaving the UK, and upon returning, not to mention what safeguards etc other countries may have in place.

Added to this is the worry that your destination may suddenly close its borders to the UK or you may have to try to rush back to avoid quarantine….

All too stressful. Although I agree that this year a Devon/Cornwall holiday sounds like a game of sardines.

I don't use Ryanair or like them as an airline particularly, but their boss was quoted in the press this morning as saying that the government needs to stop messing with people's lives. Could not agree with him more.

@DogInATent

I don't understand why people are obsessed with a foreign holiday this year. I understand why people enjoy a foreign holiday over a UK holiday in general, but it's a peculiar obsession in combination with a global pandemic. Take a break where you can, when you can. It is not business as usual this year.

Because its now two years and as new variants will always be appearing, it will never end, how can it?

@EasterIssland - I'm not saying they are doing anything wrong. But there's some unrealistic expectations and a strong degree of First World Problems when it comes to peoples complaints about not getting a foreign holiday this year.

I'd love to get abroad this year. There's family we've not seen in two years, and due to the mismanagement of Covid in the UK we're currently banned from casual visits and it would require a family emergency to enable us to visit - involving two week isolations at both ends of the trip. So no, I don't have a lot of sympathy for someone unable to have a fortnight in Benidorm or now facing ten days quarantine after sitting on a beach on the Algarve.

We got told this last summer, don't go away, wait until 2021. So I did. Meanwhile my neighbours went to Greece twice. Now we are getting told wait until 2022. How many years do we wait for?

If vaccinations aren’t the way out of this then what is plan b? Otherwise let’s crack on. I went abroad last year unvaccinated. It makes no sense to restrict travel for those who are vaccinated.

They are now at risk of putting the rest of the country off being vaccinated if things don’t start getting back to normal. And that includes
International travel.

There’ll be a new variant every few weeks. We need a new plan. That plan has to be ‘live with it, hope the vaccines are effective enough and get on with our lives.

@Bluethrough - there will always be new variants. But viruses follow a typical pattern. Early variants tend to be more dangerous, but they get displaced by more contagious but less dangerous variants - less dangerous to populations in which the virus is endemic. They'll still be wildfire to isolated, unexposed populations.

[quote DogInATent]@Bluethrough - there will always be new variants. But viruses follow a typical pattern. Early variants tend to be more dangerous, but they get displaced by more contagious but less dangerous variants - less dangerous to populations in which the virus is endemic. They'll still be wildfire to isolated, unexposed populations.[/quote]
@DogInATent

Do you mean like HIV, Polio, Smallpox, Measles, Viral Pneumonia or Ebola?

Even influenza is more than capable of mutating to strains which we have little immunity to.
There is absolutely no evidence CV will become less deadly, infact, given its very small mortality rate, it could equally become more deadly AND retain its transmissibility.

We have vaccines that currently work & with almost all vulnerable groups vaccinated across europe and with adequate TnT and free testing, we should start opening up, because if can't/won't now, we never will.

[quote DogInATent]@EasterIssland - I'm not saying they are doing anything wrong. But there's some unrealistic expectations and a strong degree of First World Problems when it comes to peoples complaints about not getting a foreign holiday this year.

I'd love to get abroad this year. There's family we've not seen in two years, and due to the mismanagement of Covid in the UK we're currently banned from casual visits and it would require a family emergency to enable us to visit - involving two week isolations at both ends of the trip. So no, I don't have a lot of sympathy for someone unable to have a fortnight in Benidorm or now facing ten days quarantine after sitting on a beach on the Algarve.[/quote]
Another one with the Benidorm-bashing. Aren't you so witty!