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Original poster

Will you visit the UK this summer? (covid)

106 replies

Taiyo · 07/04/2022 12:17

I'm British, but I live in my husband's home country with our 2 young kids.

I haven't been back to the UK since covid started as this country has strict hotel quarantine on return, which I'm just not prepared to do with 2 young kids.

It's now been lifted, so we can do quarantine at home, so I should be ready and happy to go to the UK, but I'm just so worried about the covid situation in the UK at the moment and the airports closing.

A lot of people say omicron is just like a slight cold, but my mum says quite a few people have told her that they were really quite sick with it and obviously some people are still dying (my parents are high-risk).

I just wonder if anyone else is hesitating to travel to the UK for similar reasons?

Also, I know there is a covid section and I wondered about posting there but I really wanted to hear what people who live abroad think as I think people in the UK maybe have a different perspective on things.

OP posts:
Justkeeppedaling · 26/04/2022 17:02

I feel it's a complete and utter shit show in the UK. Schools are closing, hospitals are closing, airports are closing. There was something like 5 million people infected the other day. That's almost equivalent to the entire population of Scotland.

I know many people in the UK are over covid, but I just worry that the governments of other countries don't see it that way and the UK will become a no-go zone.

Best stay where you are then.

AMindOfMyOwn · 26/04/2022 17:11

worriedatthistime · 26/04/2022 14:30

Is there no cases of covid in japan then ?

No comparaison
UK vs Japan

Plus @Taiyo is right. It depends in how THEY see things and Japan might well decide the situation in the U.K. is dire. Whether people in the U.K. agree or not doesn’t really come into it.

AMindOfMyOwn · 26/04/2022 17:11

@Taiyo could you go in your own this time?

miltonj · 26/04/2022 18:24

@Taiyo yes sorry, you're circumstances are different to mine. We did not have to test to get back into the country where we live and our flights are not even 1% the cost of yours. In your circumstances I would probably stay put. You have my sympathies, it's so hard being away from home and family.

Cameleongirl · 27/04/2022 00:19

AMindOfMyOwn · 26/04/2022 17:11

@Taiyo could you go in your own this time?

I’m also wondering whether a solo trip would be easier at this difficult time. Spend some quality tine with your parents and plan a longer family trip when the travel restrictions are less onerous.

annabell22 · 01/05/2022 19:55

I want back on April 1st. Unlike my last visit in October, I didn't need a day 2 test or a pcr to return to my country of residence.

I spent the weekend with my elderly parents. On the third day my father tested positive. I left there (as planned) the following morning. Two days later my mum tested positive. By the time I got home the following weekend, I was positive too. I doubt I'd have been on that plane if I'd needed a fit to fly test. At least it was an airline that still requires masks as I didn't expect to be positive.

Alcemeg · 01/05/2022 20:25

I'm in the UK now after several years living abroad. Life is short, and I wanted to be closer to the people I care about, especially those who are nearing the end of their lives.

Compared with the country I came from, the UK is fairly relaxed, e.g. not wearing masks in shops. I'm enjoying this, though. There were dark moments in the past couple of years when it sometimes seemed we'd never get back to this level of normality. I'm so grateful for the vaccination program that has made it all possible.

FrequentFlyer96 · 09/06/2022 09:40

Has anyone changed their plans for summer travel? We’re still planning to visit UK and the nearer it gets the more nervous I am. But we haven’t been home for 3 years so seeing family is the main aim. I feel like I need to accept the fact we’ll get Covid, coming from a place where it’s largely not a thing anymore.

ClaudiaWankleman · 09/06/2022 11:09

FrequentFlyer96 · 09/06/2022 09:40

Has anyone changed their plans for summer travel? We’re still planning to visit UK and the nearer it gets the more nervous I am. But we haven’t been home for 3 years so seeing family is the main aim. I feel like I need to accept the fact we’ll get Covid, coming from a place where it’s largely not a thing anymore.

I think you're vastly overestimating Covid prevalence in the UK.

Deadivy · 09/06/2022 13:06

I've just come back and tested positive after two days back home. No idea where I've got it from, although a woman on the flight out had a nasty cough, so who knows, but I went to UK at Christmas and March when Covid was rife there and didn't contract it then. The flight delays were much more stressful than anything and now I've got Covid, it's nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

Ozgirl75 · 20/06/2022 13:54

We’re going to the U.K. from Australia on Saturday - first time in 3 1/2 years. Not concerned about covid as we’ve had it and it was fine and we’re vaccinated. More worried about the shitshow that is currently Heathrow!

echt · 22/06/2022 03:55

Going to UK in September. All vaxxed up and will definitely mask up on the flight. Then get Covid as soon as I set foot in Heathrow, no doubt. Hmm

Still, not been to the UK in six years.!!!!

Fitterbyfifty · 25/06/2022 10:44

I'm waiting until the last minute to decide. I have seen my parents recently but they haven't seen my kids since 2019. Not sure what to do as they are vulnerable and won't want us to visit if they think it is risky.

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 22/07/2022 20:21

FrequentFlyer96 · 09/06/2022 09:40

Has anyone changed their plans for summer travel? We’re still planning to visit UK and the nearer it gets the more nervous I am. But we haven’t been home for 3 years so seeing family is the main aim. I feel like I need to accept the fact we’ll get Covid, coming from a place where it’s largely not a thing anymore.

That was my approach and sure enough I’ve caught Covid here in the Uk!

SD1978 · 22/07/2022 23:31

Just came back from the UK. didn't catch Covid, don't know anyone who did, and there isn't any real concern about it.

P205 · 23/07/2022 00:29

Currently, 1 in 17 people in the UK have COVID. It’s not a shot in the dark by any means.

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 23/07/2022 09:58

P205 · 23/07/2022 00:29

Currently, 1 in 17 people in the UK have COVID. It’s not a shot in the dark by any means.

Yes many of my friends and family here in the UK either have Covid or have just recovered. It’s just seen as normal now from what I can see. I’m staying with family who are not expecting me to mask or isolate from them because they’ve all had it very recently, and aren’t particularly worried about getting it again.

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 23/07/2022 09:59

I also noticed that in tourist attractions at least 1/3 of visitors are wearing masks when indoors.

CloudPop · 23/07/2022 21:55

You have to work on the assumption you will catch covid. If you don't it's a bonus. It's absolutely rife and especially if you come from somewhere that has been super careful, and probably haven't had covid before, you're almost certainly going to catch it. Plan on 2-3 days of feeling rotten if you herb typical covid.

worriedatthistime · 23/07/2022 22:06

I know several people who have caught covid on holiday abroad as well , its pretty rife across europe

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 24/07/2022 08:51

worriedatthistime · 23/07/2022 22:06

I know several people who have caught covid on holiday abroad as well , its pretty rife across europe

Yup!

DD caught it in Spain after 2 years of avoiding it back home.

Natsku · 24/07/2022 19:08

Just got back from 6 weeks in the UK. Didn't get ill at all, my dad and my brother both got nasty coughs but tested a few times and always negative so hopefully not covid. Was out and about and mixing with people a lot, and hardly anyone seems to be using masks there any more (my country seems to have forgotten about them while I was gone too, I was the only one wearing a mask in the supermarket today) so I was really expecting to get ill and quite relieved that I didn't (at least so far, could still be incubating it as I only got back last night)

Fitterbyfifty · 24/07/2022 19:55

Fitterbyfifty · 25/06/2022 10:44

I'm waiting until the last minute to decide. I have seen my parents recently but they haven't seen my kids since 2019. Not sure what to do as they are vulnerable and won't want us to visit if they think it is risky.

Since my last post my parents have had covid do I guess that means we don't have to worry about giving it to them!

Ozgirl75 · 27/07/2022 01:18

We just got back from the U.K. as well, an absolutely fantastic trip. The flight was easy, Heathrow was so calm and quick that we surprised my parents who were still getting coffee as we were through so quickly! 40 minutes from landing to walking out the airport.
Loved every minute, didn’t want to come back.

FrequentFlyer96 · 27/07/2022 06:31

Unfortunately as per expectation we caught covid within a few days of arriving and have spent much of our two week trip home feeling ill and unable to see friends and relatives, which was the whole point of travelling. Absolutely unsurprising as I’ve seen barely anyone wearing masks and it seems like Covid has ‘disappeared’ in the UK- things are pretty much back to normal with very few precautions or restrictions. Mixed feelings about this. It seems sensible that we have to learn to live with it, but at this moment with a ruined trip it’s a bit hard to stomach. For anyone else travelling this summer, definitely need to build in an expectation that you’ve a good chance of catching it.