France on “dark amber” list

[PersephoneJames]

You have to quarantine if coming back from France, doubly vaccinated or not.

Some of us have to make plans. I haven’t seen my parents for two years. They are not in France but this new rule affects me because I have to travel through France (literally for 20 minutes).

This has come out of nowhere. Beta is not new. So why now? Because Boris is opening up everything, which is highly controversial, and trying to mitigate the risk elsewhere.

It’s not going to work.

Don’t be silly. I haven’t seen my family for nearly two years either.

If we start to be felled with the Beta variant would that be worth it so we can “make plans” ?

@PersephoneJames of course the choice of France is politically motivated. The hatred of Monsieur Macron by Mr Johnson is not concealed. There is a stronger case for these restrictions for journeys to/from several other EU countries, but along with hatred for the French government, those holidaying in France I expect are mainly not supporters of Mr Johnson.

The Beta variant is prevalent in La Reunion, overseas French territory in the Indian Ocean!
La Réunion figures are included the national statistics hence the 3.8% Beta .

Same goes for Tahiti, Guadeloupe etc..

Obviously a geography issue for UK government

Sorry, included in National Statistics

@namechanger21oops

At this rate there'll be more shades than a Dulux chart and still nobody will have a clue

fifty shades of amber

So Johnson is creating all this aggravation for people because Beta cases are prevalent in La Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean.

Beta Cases are not a problem in mainland France !!

I said at the start of this pandemic shut the bloody borders and stop faffing around. We live on an island it should be easy like NZ to keep out the virus.

@Aposterhasnoname

Could you take two weeks leave, go to France for one week, then do the test to release on day five of quarantine to get let out in time to go back to work?

You can’t assume that signing up for T&R means you will be out and available for work on day 6…

You could test positive on the day 2 test, you could test positive on the T&R test itself on day 5.

@PersephoneJames

3.4% of new cases in France are beta.

They know that, because despite what Boris tells Murdoch to tell you to think, they do sequencing abroad

People with no imagination of “abroad” beyond their two weeks on the Costa can’t bring themselves to care that the government are playing dirty political games with people’s family lives, but the next thing the government decides to wave an unchecked and unscientific law through (sneakily on Friday night to avoid any comeback) could be the law that breaks you and your family.

Divide and conquer, eh? Open your eyes. ITS NOT ABOUT HOLIDAYS.

All politics and a continuation of the old England vs France battles, that suits the post brexit narrative of this government.

If the UK was seriously bothered about our health and well being, we'd be announcing huge investment in the NHS right now & a social care plan.

Apparently most cases are in a French Island in the Indian ocean & Beta cases are falling in France as the much more transmissible Delta variant (widespread in the UK) takes over.

1/2 million brits were due to travel to France this weekend.

Awful way to treat families.

In my view, this ‘France Beta found in the Indian Ocean’ is to distract the Great British UK from the horrors of Freedom Day.

A bit like imposing quarantine in the UK because Argentinian variant cases were found in the Falklands

I’d rather people missed their Eurocamp holidays than import the Beta variant against which the AZ vaccine is not very effective. Most over 40s have had the AZ vaccine, so this would be a horrendous problem.

I am not a doom monger and have been quite positive about things, but this does worry me quite a lot.

@DottyHarmer

I’d rather people missed their Eurocamp holidays than import the Beta variant against which the AZ vaccine is not very effective. Most over 40s have had the AZ vaccine, so this would be a horrendous problem.

I am not a doom monger and have been quite positive about things, but this does worry me quite a lot.

Do some basic research and you may still maintain your positivity :)

the Beta variant (South African variant) isn't that transmissible, isn't common in France and cases are falling, vast majority aren't in France/europe, they are in a small island ne India.

AZ is still highly effective against Beta causing serious illness.

:
BBC news/ Beta Variant French figures mainly consist of Indien Ocean territories / La Reunion and Mayotte.

How many Uk tourists were going to holiday in the Indian Ocean last night ???

@Lico

: BBC news/ Beta Variant French figures mainly consist of Indien Ocean territories / La Reunion and Mayotte.

How many Uk tourists were going to holiday in the Indian Ocean last night ???

Geography might not be the Governments strongest point?

Oh I was looking up when in the car. Didn't notice the date! Then it's hopeless then. I was hoping they nail it either way. Don't want to have to rush back after staying for one day. With a toddler, it would be a nightmare.

I start to think it's not worth the risk. We booked this trip in 2019...

I can't really get too upset about people whose holiday plans have been messed up. People booked in the middle of a pandemic and should have been prepared for any changes
I have a French holiday planned for this year that was booked in 2019. Moved last summer to this summer cos of covid. Endless faffing with flights changing/unknown rules and every time I change it, it adds to the cost.
If the government don't restrict travel to "essential only" I'll lose the cost of the holiday which is now a few thousand.
So yeah, it's not like being banned from seeing dying relatives but it's so much money I'm not that happy to lose it for a virus that wasn't in existence when I booked the trip.
I'm very fed up with the "shouldn't have booked a holiday" brigade tbh

@Return2thebasic

Just feel disgusted. Completely political. Beta is not a new variant and it's not more dangerous or more contagious than Delta.

Each time things like this happen, I have hard time to believe this government is a product of this democratic society. Just sad.

There's a bigger picture here that you are obviously missing.

The vast majority of people in this country who are older and CEV have had the AZ vaccine. If it is less effective (some say as low as 10%) at protecting people then that is a huge issue. It's an issue for me personally and my husband.

By the way, I'm not panicking or saying people shouldn't be seeing family. I am very said for the people on here who have been disrupted by this.

I just posted that literally on this a page and covidforalways replied that the situation is not as dire as might be feared.

@DottyHarmer

I just posted that literally on this a page and covidforalways replied that the situation is not as dire as might be feared.

About the 10%? I think I got it from your post and the link. That's good to hear. I'm not too worried about catching covid after 2 vaccines, but variants do concern me.

Cases are rising very fast in our immediate area, but hosptalisations and deaths seem relatively low so far. I wouldn't want to risk more variants though. The sooner we get people vaccinated the better.

Beta has been in the UK for yonks. It hasn't been a problem. Delta outpaces it. If I were you I'd be more worried about the huge rise in delta cases here, and the fact that BoJo isn't doing anything about it.

I don't have any confidence in this government (Boris). Anything they say (full of lies) or anything that they do (completely self interest driven).

So no, I don't believe suddenly they chose to do the right thing at the right time.

I haven't read anywhere saying AZ has low effectiveness again severe illness on Beta. Less effective against mild symptoms, like for all other variants.

@knittingaddict

Another upvote for @theotherfossilsister doing whatever it takes to go and see your dad.

Only a bad manager can’t afford to let someone have time off to say a final goodbye. Let it be the bad manager’s problem to deal with for a few weeks and not your burden to carry on your shoulders for the rest of a lifetime.

I really hate to say this, but autumn is a very long time away for pancreatic.

Lost my Gran to pancreatic in Feb when there weren’t even any flights in the air (I’m another expat who hasn’t seen her family in two years now). If you can get across the channel then GO!