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Original poster

Please help: friend visiting UK from Amber country

43 replies

Lapequenalulu · 15/06/2021 22:28

I would really really (really) like (need) to have my friend visit me on my birthday in a couple of weeks. I am willing and able to quarantine at home with him but realistically he is only available for 5 days, 6 at an absolute stretch. Can anyone give advice on how this could work out with current restrictions?

I'm in London he is in Vienna

OP posts:
RockingMyFiftiesNot · 16/06/2021 06:19

@feesh from the uk gov website

Whenwillitmakesense · 16/06/2021 06:21

My flights to the UK from Switzerland have been cancelled by the airline so looks like flying through Switzerland won’t be an option

MagentaRocks · 16/06/2021 06:21

It won’t work with the restrictions. This sort of thing is why cases are rising with people wanting to do stuff like this. I get from your post that you are probably struggling which is why you need him to come, and I get that but the more people try to find a way to work around the rules the longer this will continue.

sundaysurfer · 16/06/2021 06:29

Um ... Magentarocks no-one is trying to work around the rules, we're trying to help the OP to work it out within the rules.

This 'sort of thing' is absolutely not the reason why the UK is now rife with COVID delta. At all.

PracticingPerson · 16/06/2021 06:34

This 'sort of thing' is absolutely not the reason why the UK is now rife with COVID delta. Depends what you mean by 'this sort of thing'. Non essential travel is a big contributor to why we (global we) are struggling to manage things. Whether it should or could be restricted is a different question, but undoubtedly if we stopped all international travel then transmission would not occur cross border, making it easier to suppress within nation states.

MagentaRocks · 16/06/2021 06:34

@sundaysurfer

Um ... Magentarocks no-one is trying to work around the rules, we're trying to help the OP to work it out within the rules.

This 'sort of thing' is absolutely not the reason why the UK is now rife with COVID delta. At all.

He has to quarantine for longer than he can stay. So no way can it work.
MagentaRocks · 16/06/2021 06:35

@PracticingPerson

This 'sort of thing' is absolutely not the reason why the UK is now rife with COVID delta. Depends what you mean by 'this sort of thing'. Non essential travel is a big contributor to why we (global we) are struggling to manage things. Whether it should or could be restricted is a different question, but undoubtedly if we stopped all international travel then transmission would not occur cross border, making it easier to suppress within nation states.
Exactly. If people didn’t travel when they didn’t need to then would we have the new variant? Probably not.
PracticingPerson · 16/06/2021 06:39

We would undoubtedly have fewer cases and less widely seeded. Some travel to/from India was essential but red list quarantine would have slowed things, potentially meaning we would have got to step four by 21st June.

Whichjab · 16/06/2021 06:40

Not meaning to be pessimistic, but what if he tested positive, he may have to stay a longer, what if the isolation rules suddenly change? I just think you don't have enough time

Nikki078 · 16/06/2021 07:00

@MagentaRocks

It won’t work with the restrictions. This sort of thing is why cases are rising with people wanting to do stuff like this. I get from your post that you are probably struggling which is why you need him to come, and I get that but the more people try to find a way to work around the rules the longer this will continue.
'Stuff like that'

Reminded me of Father Ted and 'down with that sort of thing'.... especially watching the drunken Euro crowds in their thosands out there.

Schulte · 16/06/2021 07:03

@Whichjab

Not meaning to be pessimistic, but what if he tested positive, he may have to stay a longer, what if the isolation rules suddenly change? I just think you don't have enough time
The chances of that happening are probably minute - remember he will have been tested and numbers in Austria are pretty low at the moment. So I wouldn’t let that risk put me off OP. I think it can all be done as long as he gets the tests booked. Good luck, hope you get to see your friend!
Normaigai · 16/06/2021 07:07

He has to quarantine for longer than he can stay. So no way can it work.

No he doesn't. The English rules have always allowed people to leave quarantine part way through if they are travelling outside of the Common Travel Area (not sure if they can leave to go to Ireland).

Sometimesfraught82 · 16/06/2021 07:23

@lalafafa

Really? for a birthday, you're having a laugh.
No. The OP wants to see a close friend she likely hasn’t for a long long time

Good luck op

EarringsandLipstick · 16/06/2021 07:24

But this is madness! Sorry OP, of course you'd like to see your friend.

But even if you can work the testing, you're asking him to come to another country, then not set foot outside the door!

According to details www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england#what-you-can-and-cannot-do-in-quarantine
He is meant to isolate from you except for essential purposes, so you couldn't even spend time together in the house.

It's a shame, but it's not possible, and it's very unfair to even ask it of him.

loginfail · 16/06/2021 07:33

OPs plan is legal, whether it's a good idea???

The chances of that happening are probably minute - remember he will have been tested and numbers in Austria are pretty low at the moment.

With all this talk about travel from India and the comments about the POV from the UK I'm glad somebody mentioned that.

There are two ends to this planned journey and I'd imagine some of our Austrian correspondents wouldn't be too impressed with a plan that might end up with somebody helping to import the Indian variant from the UK.

Original poster
Lapequenalulu · 16/06/2021 07:34

@sundaysurfer
Sad thank you so much for the clarity of your advice and your empathyFlowers. I really really needed to wake up to this.

For context. My 'friend' offered this as a birthday gift to me and he was willing to quarantine for 10 days but due to commitments that is simply not possible.

This man is the love of my life and soul mate. We were in a 2 year relationship when I studied in Vienna 17 years ago!! I decided I was too young to settle and needed to keep going after my dreams..so I moved to Australia. We spent our last 2 months together crying and pouring out our love for each other.

We kept in touch over email and started to drift apart as we each found new relationships.I married my ex 13 years ago. A covert narcissist (not a label but genuinely) who made me question my sanity with continuous gaslighting. I stopped eventually speaking, socialising or even experiencing feelings. I left him a year ago when my son started to speak to me in a similar way.

I started to immediately feel alive again after leaving ex. Lockdown has been a great gift for me allowing me to heal, find myself, self develop get fit. I'm happy! Flowers

I never stopped telling my sister he was my soul mate. So I wanted to know if all of this was a romantic notion. I emailed him on 1st March and left him my number to WhatsApp me. We ended up on a 4 hour call that same night and he confessed (with no prompt or too much information revealed by me) that he always thought of me as the one that got away and his biggest regret was not fighting for me Blush

So as stupid as this sounds we are in love, we speak every day and he is willing to eventually move here if it works out long term. My family knows and is over the moon and my friends knew about him over the years I was married and are happy for me after my years of misery.

It's been beautiful but hard too, I recently had a friend pass away and some setbacks with a business I'm trying to setup so I have been struggling and feeling like I'm climbing an Uphill battle.

his birthday gift offer is the sweetest and most wonderful thing I could receive right now.

OP posts:
Schulte · 16/06/2021 07:51

Do it. I have a similar story myself and been married to my ‘friend’ for 15 years now. All the best for the two of you!

sundaysurfer · 16/06/2021 08:09

What a beautiful story: how ironic that lockdown can bring people together in such a special way.

For what it's worth, my advice would be to focus on seeing each other a bit later this summer. Assuming the UK gets things somewhat under control, I think there will probably be a window (maybe August) when delta is a bit more endemic in the EU, but general levels are low, and some countries are put on the Green list for UK and - at the same time - those countries re-relax rules for people from UK coming in, especially fully vaccinated ones. You could then have a lost weekend in one of those countries, which might/might not include Austria.

For the other posters, earlier upthread. Of course international travel facilitates spread of covid. But not all international travel is equally risky. In fact, some international travel (especially with quarantine and tests) is significantly less risky than travelling around the UK (or elsewhere).

We all understand that partial border closure - primarily to stop stupid tourists doing stupid things, and to take account of the fact that - sadly - people do not quarantine as they should - is a necessary part of the fight against covid and keeping within the rules is important. We should all do that, but - honestly - to suggest that sensible people shouldn't do things within those rules (which are not even designed with the primary aim of stopping them doing those relatively safe things) seems pretty odd.

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