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Original poster

Government urged to stop overseas holidays

53 replies

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 03/05/2021 08:48

By a cross party comittee. They aren’t happy with Heathrow arrivals which they describe as a sieve. They don’t want the same thing happening at other airports..
And variants.
Thoughts?

OP posts:
Its90minutestonight · 03/05/2021 08:49

I agree with them, but suspect they will be ignored.

DinosaurDiana · 03/05/2021 08:52

I think all foreign holidays should be banned, but then I also think flights from high level countries should be banned too.
I personally think we need to keep this under control until after next winter.

PleaseCanWePutAGrownUpInCharge · 03/05/2021 08:58

I would rather they were banned until the vaccine roll out was progressing at a faster rate, globally - preferably until after next winter.

I’d much rather have freedom to move within our country and see our family and friends than live through another lockdown because of new variants being imported.

Original poster
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 03/05/2021 09:00

I agree too.

They’ve found evidence of fake test certificates as well. They don’t want last years wave to be repeated this year.

OP posts:
astuz · 03/05/2021 09:11

I’d much rather have freedom to move within our country and see our family and friends than live through another lockdown because of new variants being imported.

But lots of people's families are abroad. I can meet up with my relatives in this country out on a walk, & have been able to for most of the lock down, but meeting family who live abroad involves flights out there. It's not just about holidays.

rookiemere · 03/05/2021 09:19

I'd like whatever is agreed to be the same across all the UK. In Scotland we will get none of the relaxation but all of the retribution.
On a personal level, I don't think foreign travel should be on the cards yet. Not sure I agree with blocking it for all of this year, but wait until everything is open in UK and hospitalisations and deaths are still falling. Then let's have a think about it, but now whilst a lot of things are still closed and we're still not allowed in each other's houses seems premature.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 03/05/2021 09:20

My family are abroad. I think it’s the right thing to do.

loginfail · 03/05/2021 09:27

I agree it's not just about holidays.... though IMHO the committee is right that the mixing of red/amber/green in the arrivals hall is daft, at any airport - Heathrow isn't alone in having a common queuing system.

As for the worries about false test certificates....yes, it is a valid concern, and not just for inbound passengers. Certainly last year airline staff were discovering that some passengers leaving the country were in possession of fake certificates, produced in the UK.......

BigGreen · 03/05/2021 09:29

I think it's too early for overseas travel to be widely available. Next spring would be a better plan.

Alternista · 03/05/2021 09:31

I agree, and I wish all countries would do this, to help get variants under control and until vaccinations are more complete globally.

loginfail · 03/05/2021 09:38

I think it's fair enough for the committee to express concerns, and there should be some changes to procedures at some airports.

However calling for zero holidays, at all, abroad until the threat of Covid in the UK reduces to some very very low and as yet seemingly undefined level presents the very real risk of costing tens if not hundreds of thousands of jobs in the UK, with associated economic and other consequences for lots of families and a very cost to the country. in terms of tax revenue etc.

We're back to risk vs. benefit and that's a government call.

HazeyJaneII · 03/05/2021 09:40

I am desperate to see my sister who lives abroad...but I think we need to wait.

99victoria · 03/05/2021 10:41

My son lives abroad and I haven't seen him for nearly a year. I will be hopping on a plane as soon as I'm allowed

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 03/05/2021 10:51

@BigGreen

I think it's too early for overseas travel to be widely available. Next spring would be a better plan.
There will be no travel industry left if it's left this long for foreign travel to be allowed. Never gonna happen. People will be allowed to go on holiday this summer, and rightly so. We have to start living with this.
Its90minutestonight · 03/05/2021 11:47

If they allow foreign travel and there is another lockdown I will not stop seeing my elderly parents again. Have followed all the rules so far.

doorornottodoor · 03/05/2021 12:24

Seems sensible to stop mixing in airport halls but hopefully not a blanket ban to very low risk countries.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 03/05/2021 12:28

I agree. It should be on hold for now. I feel Sorry for the people who have families abroad but I would never move abroad purely because I am very close to my family and wouldn't want to only see them once or twice a year or whatever. Even pre covid

AlmostSummer21 · 03/05/2021 12:34

I agree there shouldn't be any foreign travel. It's madness to allow people to travel all
over the world spreading all the variants.

My Mum, siblings, nieces, nephews & many good friends are in NZ. it's not like I'm
playing the 'I'm alright Jack' card.

AnyFucker · 03/05/2021 12:35

I am desperate for a foreign holiday but I think this summer is too soon. I am distraught for those with careers in the travel industry but we need to properly protect our own borders and get the UK back on track fully.

Let us learn from the mistakes of last summer, for Gods sake.

loginfail · 03/05/2021 13:03

Given the sentiment from many seems to be along the lines of it being "too soon", or needs to be "on hold for now", what objective metric do people propose as a means of deciding when holiday travel overseas should be allowed to resume?

(Overseas travel for many reasons other than holidays has been allowed for quite some time now).

Abraxan · 03/05/2021 13:08

If they are banned will the government be willing to fund the losses and potential demise of the airline and holiday companies that are likely if they aren't allowed to start soon?

There are so many people employed in the foreign holiday tourist trade. How much longer are they expected to not be able to work?

zafferana · 03/05/2021 13:09

The difference between now and last summer is vaccines and so far none of these variants has been able to evade them. The vaccines are being updated right now for booster shots this autumn for the most vulnerable and already most over 45s in this country are vaccinated.

There should definitely be countries where free travel is disallowed - Brazil, India, etc, because their outbreaks are completely out of control, but banning us from traveling to other countries with high levels of vaccination when we've been vaccinated is outrageous and will dissuade anyone who hasn't been vaccinated from doing so, because what's the point if it doesn't allow you to go back to a relatively normal life?

The way that so many people are happy to live in the police state we now do is terrifying to me.

Abraxan · 03/05/2021 13:12

They’ve found evidence of fake test certificates as well. They don’t want last years wave to be repeated this year.

Easily solved.
Only accept nhs approved ones via the official nhs text/email system.
Or do LFT testing at check in

For vaccine proof if needed, though this looks increasingly unlikely:

In the uk: Convert the nhs app to show the two vaccines more clearly
For other countries: insist on a government approved digital proof. Could be done in a similar way to the US's visa waiver website, for example.

Abraxan · 03/05/2021 13:16

By the summer in England all adults will have been offered the vaccine. As uptake in all age groups is currently very high, much higher than many other vaccines, then that suggests most adults will have at least some immunity by mid summer.

This makes a big difference to how covid might spread, compared to previously.

Obviously people coming into our country may be more problematic. But again if most of our adults have been at least partially vaccinated this is, again, much lower risk than last year.

The travel companies simply can't survive for another year of not being able to trade.

Those who want to ban holidays for another year - are you happy to fund the companies and employees likely to lose their jobs as a result of your preference?

SellFridges · 03/05/2021 13:23

I don’t think international travel should be opened up until we have things running more normally internally.

At the moment I am not really supposed to travel 100 miles to visit my mother because she is housebound and we are not allowed indoors. My kids are supposed to stay 2m apart from the other children that they spend all day with. My fully vaccinated FIL is still advised to shield. I can’t try clothes on in most places before I buy them.

If the festival I want to attend in the summer is cancelled, but people popping for a fortnight in Ibiza is fine, I will be really quite upset. It’s a nonsense.

International travel is not necessary, even when people have family abroad. I’m sorry, it’s not.