Summer Holidays 2021

[abzmike]

Deep Thought said:

So... the traffic light system then.

Even with GREEN status, you must have test before you fly home? And then again after you return home.

Hmmmm... i would say that would personally rule us out for travel. Not wallying about on holiday trying to find a COVID test kit in some local Spanish Pharmacy......

All speculation as far as I can see. Nothing was announced today regarding travel. All the traffic light stuff was leaked to the media in the last week, but until it's announced there is no substance to anything. I was getting hopeful about travel last week, but clearly the tone of the briefing day was to dampen down any level of optimism.

[Amateurish]

Steviesam said:

LeroyLoser said:

Same with france, you cant get in without your residency card or application proof, people are being turned away on the: ‘attending essential maintenance to 2nd property’ or ‘viewing potential property purchase’ premise.

Cant find anything on news, this is chat going on in local expat fb groups for france.

Thats a bit odd then. The French gov website clearly says its OK to go with a negative covid test and a sworn health declaration.

Or are people getting turned away at the British border point?

I just came back from a trip to France and there are no French restrictions on travel from the UK. However you do need an "attestation" for travel once within France.

[anonymous-user]

abzmike said:

All speculation as far as I can see. Nothing was announced today regarding travel. All the traffic light stuff was leaked to the media in the last week, but until it's announced there is no substance to anything. I was getting hopeful about travel last week, but clearly the tone of the briefing day was to dampen down any level of optimism.

Today was useless from a holiday/travel POV , there’s going to be traffic lights and hopefully travel will start up more May 17, that was it.

Definitely less than was expected

[Amateurish]

Vasco said:

Tyre Smoke said:

Ahh, but France announced a month long national lockdown last night. Food shops and hair salons only allowed to open, schools shut and six mile travel limit. Nationwide.

Hair salons allowed to open but schools closed.......

Don't forget the chocolate shops, also deemed essential!

[a311]

abzmike said:

Deep Thought said:

So... the traffic light system then.

Even with GREEN status, you must have test before you fly home? And then again after you return home.

Hmmmm... i would say that would personally rule us out for travel. Not wallying about on holiday trying to find a COVID test kit in some local Spanish Pharmacy......

All speculation as far as I can see. Nothing was announced today regarding travel. All the traffic light stuff was leaked to the media in the last week, but until it's announced there is no substance to anything. I was getting hopeful about travel last week, but clearly the tone of the briefing day was to dampen down any level of optimism.

Can you not bank a few of the two LFT everyone is going to ve eligible for?

Family member who works for the NHS now has to take photo's of negative at home LFT. Not sure they've thought that through......

[Tyre Smoke]

Is anyone really going to be testing themselves twice a week after all these vaccinations and nobody getting ill or dying?

It's just not going to happen. Or people are going to report a negative test having not done one.

[vaud]

Tyre Smoke said:

Is anyone really going to be testing themselves twice a week after all these vaccinations and nobody getting ill or dying?

It's just not going to happen. Or people are going to report a negative test having not done one.

I'd do it to go to a large live event like cricket as it is a minor inconvenience for me and a level of civic responsibility - ditto if I was going into hospital to see an old relative.

But otherwise, no, not as a weekly ritual.

I think some people will do it in the same way that some people do 15mph in 30mph zones and if that's what helps them get back out into teh world then so be it.

[Harry H]

I'm still hopeful for our early June trip to Canaries.

Boris said he sees nothing in the data that says we're not on track. Where we're going will either be green or amber. And even amber is isolation for 10 days, five on negative test. So as we get back on a Friday that's only an additional 3 days WFH.

Bit of a fag but still doable. If it puts others off that's fine by me. No struggle for sun loungers, waiting for service at the beach bar.

[Welshbeef]

Tyre Smoke said:

Is anyone really going to be testing themselves twice a week after all these vaccinations and nobody getting ill or dying?

It's just not going to happen. Or people are going to report a negative test having not done one.

Question really to you - if this helps guarantee the dates set why wouldn’t you?

[Amateurish]

Will £500 pp in Covid tests for everyone going on holiday put people off?

[Tyre Smoke]

Welshbeef said:

Tyre Smoke said:

Is anyone really going to be testing themselves twice a week after all these vaccinations and nobody getting ill or dying?

It's just not going to happen. Or people are going to report a negative test having not done one.

Question really to you - if this helps guarantee the dates set why wouldn’t you?

I haven't said I wouldn't. But I very much doubt I could be bothered twice a week for weeks on end. I'm due my second jab in the next couple of weeks anyway.
This isn't the thread for it, but I don't understand the need for masks and testing if we've all been jabbed. Either the jab works (like the flu jab) or it doesn't. Evidence would suggest it's working fine with nobody in hospital and nobody dying. Relatively speaking.

[ChocolateFrog]

survivalist said:

Canute said:

El stovey said:

Interesting checking out Florida (or any other state) webcams and seeing what it all looks like.

https://www.webcamtaxi.com/en/usa/florida.html

Still doesn't inspire me to take my family there when they endure 41,000 gun deaths a year. :-/ I can't imagine what it's like to have that shot constantly in the back of your mind.

Canada seems more mellow, or even some central Amercian countries.

Random deadly shooting of tourists is pretty rare, although so is dying from covid. People seem to worry an awful lot these days, probably better to just get on with life.

We were robbed at gun point in Florida after they broke into our hotel room via the balcony and a friend of my mum was murdered there as a tourist, it definitely does happen, maybe it's not as bad as it used to be.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/s...

[ChocolateFrog]

ElectricSoup said:

Pete102 said:

I'd wager that for many people who voted Brexit, right of free movement was not at the forefront of their mind.

Beg to differ. It was at the forefornt of many voters minds with respect to movement into the UK, otherwise the Leave campaigns wouldn't have played on that so hard, although it was evidently not very well considered by those voters with respect to movement out, despite being warned of the consequences of what they were doing by the Remain campaigners. I'm sure, however, you're right many of them didn't give a fk about movement out, and essentially voted to remove those rights from their fellow contrymen who wanted, cherished and indeed needed those rights. The penny has probably dropped with some of those now though, and they are starting to see the problems they've created manifest in their own lives. To them, I say "ha ha ha ha tough st you stupid fks". However, I am deeply sorry for those who did not vote for this removal of rights and have subsequently suffered at the hands of those selfish, stupid pricks.

Edited by ElectricSoup on Tuesday 30th March 11:37

Edited by ElectricSoup on Tuesday 30th March 11:37

All those millions of people who voted Leave worrying about working in the EU



Sometimes I wonder what planet Remainers are on.

Anyway, Brexit digression. On the plus side none of us would be vaccinated if we were still in the EU.

[vaud]

Amateurish said:

Will £500 pp in Covid tests for everyone going on holiday put people off?

Would be more like £1000 for a family of 4? - 4 tests out and then 4 tests on the way back in @£125/each?

[ChocolateFrog]

vaud said:

Amateurish said:

Will £500 pp in Covid tests for everyone going on holiday put people off?

Would be more like £1000 for a family of 4? - 4 tests out and then 4 tests on the way back in @£125/each?

I was under the impression lateral flow tests were only a few quid?

I'm having to do 2-3 tests a week and I get an hour's overtime per test so it must be costing someone (the tax payer ultimately) a fortune.

[JQ]

vaud said:

Amateurish said:

Will £500 pp in Covid tests for everyone going on holiday put people off?

Would be more like £1000 for a family of 4? - 4 tests out and then 4 tests on the way back in @£125/each?

It will likely put people off who've not yet booked. However, I suspect there's an awful lot of people who will be hoping to go on holiday this summer having paid for said holiday in 2019. I suspect many would rather pay an extra £1,000 than defer again.

[Wiltshire Lad]

Amateurish said:

Will £500 pp in Covid tests for everyone going on holiday put people off?

Could be less I hope. If you're vaccinated then you won't need a test on the outwards journey for some countries. You will need a test before coming back from all destinations - and this could be around £130 pp - but could be less (my daughter live in US and recently paid $80 or so). Not sure if the tests on return are aid for - as in theory you can turn up at a test centre and get tested for free.

i would expect some of the package travel companies to start including the overseas test as part of the deal - as someone else has said - no one wants to try to organize themselves given the relatively short period that you have to get tested and receive results back before your return flight. Enough people have had issues getting results back in the UK, let alone overseas.

[Wiltshire Lad]

ChocolateFrog said:

I was under the impression lateral flow tests were only a few quid?

I'm having to do 2-3 tests a week and I get an hour's overtime per test so it must be costing someone (the tax payer ultimately) a fortune.

They are - problem is I'm not sure if a LFT is acceptable for some countries as you don't get any paperwork - they require a certificate from a lab - which means a PCR test. Cyprus for example, has stated a PCR test is required. As with most thing Boris - clear as mud...

[Pete102]

Welshbeef said:

Tyre Smoke said:

Is anyone really going to be testing themselves twice a week after all these vaccinations and nobody getting ill or dying?

It's just not going to happen. Or people are going to report a negative test having not done one.

Question really to you - if this helps guarantee the dates set why wouldn’t you?

In the interest of healthy discussion, my view is aligned with Tyre Smoke - What's the point? Infections are still reducing, deaths are now in low double digits, all of this without widespread testing twice a week. With vaccinations and sensible measures out of the lockdown, I cannot see the justification.

I view the testing with a very healthy dose of scepticism, as we've seen already HMG is not averse to moving the goal posts (vaccines are our way out of lockdown....now its vaccines and increased testing). I think its fair to say that most people will tolerate testing for international travel but testing at a domestic level presents a very concerning potential for scope creep - right now, twice a week is proposed, will this increase to every other day? every day? Will it be solely restricted to COVID? What happens if you don't take and submit a test result?

[vaud]

ChocolateFrog said:

I was under the impression lateral flow tests were only a few quid?

I'm having to do 2-3 tests a week and I get an hour's overtime per test so it must be costing someone (the tax payer ultimately) a fortune.

Lateral flow are, PCR are ~£120 I think, so it will depend on what is demanded at the other end?

Easyjet seemed to be referring to PCR: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56647119
and
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/03/how-much-does...