Agreed. I was also thinking just within the country there is a need for people to move for various reasons (even the most basic for survival)
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Quarantine
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Agreed. I was also thinking just within the country there is a need for people to move for various reasons (even the most basic for survival)
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Westcountryman
Member
I don't think that anything like this is actually proposed. It is entirely theoretical an hypothetical.
Correct - I am speaking theoretically and hypothetically to illustrate how daft the stance of Sturgron et al is!
Bantamzen
Established Member
Gibraltar might be one, should be popular with the ex-pats....
I assume the Gib-Spain border is open with thousands crossing every day, in which case Gib should probably have been in line with Spain quarantine (in a non-political world!)
This week's pick is now confirmed, travellers from Switzerland, Jamaica and Czech Republic must quarantine for 2 weeks from 0400BST on Saturday
Bantamzen
Established Member
I shouldn't worry too much, the more countries that are randomly added, the less likely it is for any to check if you are obeying the masters. Some of my family recently arrived back from Spain, did their full two weeks without a single contact from anyone, and now they are back in Spain sorting out the things they would have done had the government not panicked into forcing house arrests the first time.
Baxenden Bank
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Is anyone actually checking? Or is it one of the popular craze for new 'fake' laws, where a law is actually passed, but no-one* ever gets prosecuted so, in effect, it's just a bit of publicity at the outset to focus people's minds on the issue and for the lawmakers to look as though they are doing something demanded by the people.
My worry regarding quarantine, and failure to observe it, would be: telling all your work colleagues about booking your holiday in 'Spain', taking a weeks holiday, then returning straight to work. Hold on Mr Bank, didn't you say you were booked to Spain, why are you in the office? If you are in a job where you can afford the extra two weeks off (financially), and the employer is reasonable about your absence, it could be a good way of substantially increasing your annual leave entitlement. Last month Spain (1 week +2 extra free), this month Switzerland (1 week +2 extra free), next month, who knows?
*by no-one, perhaps there may be the very occasional prosecution, just to remind people. There is something in the press today about the number of litter and dog-mess fines being issued (very, very few, minimal chance of being caught, none at all in some council areas).
Its a different situation to Spain. Its very small and a close nit community where contact tracing should be extremely easy. I suspect its not getting added to the list because they are catching imported cases and tracing contacts quickly so the risk of someone catching the virus in Gibraltar is acceptably low. If the community spread gets too high then the Gibraltar government would close the border to protect its citizens.
Cuba had been added to the green list. There are some really good deals this autumn and winter for non european holidays in safe countries. It will be affordable for many more people to go to the Caribbean than usual. I couldn't normally afford but I might be able to this year. Dubai is allowing British tourists in subject to providing a test result. The other emirates are not allowing Brits in unless they have been in Dubai 14 days and UAE is currently on our quarantine list but that could certainly change by winter.
Didn’t know this!!
It’s amazing how it’s BREAKING NEWS, and DANGEROUS/DEADLY when a country is taken off the list, but it doesn’t even warrant a mention if one is added.
I think almost every week there has been at least one addition to the green list. The number of countries on the list is dropping but its not one way traffic. Unfortunately bad news sells better than good news so it gets less (or no) coverage. Cuba is only allowing international tourism at specific resorts and hotels where additional measures are in place. I think the main barrier for many countries being added to the list is trust in the accuracy of the statistics. Belarus for instance has a rate lower than the UK if you believe their official figures... Its a bit surprising that Cuba has been added.
But don’t thousands of Spaniards come over the border every day to work?
So why should they? The travel firms will tell you so there's no need to waste news 'space' with non news.
Yes but because they are employed in Gibraltar contact tracing should be straightforward. Few people will be crossing the border for tourism in the current circumstances.
Because it provides some balance to what risks becoming fear mongering. Its the medias job to inform the public. Travel companies will only do it if it is in their commercial interests.
That’s a bit after the horse has bolted no? Especially if the Spaniard has passed it on to others whilst travelling/crossing the border (do they still queue up to walk across?)
and of course flights regularly get diverted to Malaga.
The media does inform the public in line with its agenda. That's their choice. You as an individual can choose which channel you get informed by to ensure that only news you want to hear is seen. If you want the official version, there is the government's website. It might not have the same 72pt headlines but you will be given the latest information on which countries are considered most at risk by those whose decision it is to set the restrictions.
Greece has just been added to the scottish (and only the Scottish) quarantine list, as usual quarantine starts 04:00BST Saturday
Bantamzen
Established Member
I've long been an avid fan of travel vlogs, and recently I've watched a few of people travelling out to Greek islands. And it seems that at most, if not all of their airports covid testing is the norm. So I wonder, if the Greek authorities can manage to do it at their airports (and anyone travelling through some of the smaller ones will know how chaotic they can be), why the hell can't be do it here? Just another example of a bumbling excuse of a government unable to implement even the simplest of measures.
Pete_uk
Established Member
BAA are not known for bothering with things
The standard UK testing centres have oodles of capacity - I developed a cough and booked a test at a local centre a mere 45 minutes later on a weekend.
Why can't it be made compulsory for anybody returning from another country to visit a test centre within 48 hours of arrival or something, with no need for airport testing?
Once these 90 minute spit tests are introduced, it's a no brainer. Test at the airport, go home, test again 3 days later and if both are negative, off you go. And the spit tests will give a far more accurate picture, as they will tell if you have full-blown covid that can be transmitted, not some fragment of DNA of little consequence.
Bantamzen
Established Member
Given the amount of capacity, there's really no reason why some of it couldn't be diverted to airports & then doubled up to serve both arriving passengers & the local community. You know, a kind of joined up thinking, something that we are sadly very poor at in this country.
As these are just about ready to be rolled out for testing, there's no reason why the government shouldn't be in detailed discussions with airport owners to look to rolling them out there too. This way we can offer more certainty on international travel, instead of the on-off methodology currently applied.
BAA hasn’t existed since 2012.
I don't think there is. A chunk of capacity is going to waste because drive-thru test centres in some locations aren't being fully used, and demand naturally varies through the week. There are pretty poor turnaround times from remote centres and postal tests though.
Also worth noting that test times seem to have got a lot worse in Scotland since the schools went back, with the natural September spike in various ailments causing lots of people to seek tests
Silverlinky
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I flew out to Zante a couple of weeks ago, had to fill in an online form before travelling, told I wouldn't be allowed on the plane if it hadn't been done. I was asked if i'd done it when checking in at Leeds Bradford, but didn't need to show any evidence.
Upon arrival at Zante we had the usual passport checks, then a second check immediately after which consisted of me showing my QR code document (it wasn't scanned or anything) to which a glance was given and no more than that.
Then around the corner they were plucking random people out for testing, and when I say random I mean very few, estimate 5 people off our full 189 passenger flight. The tests were carried out at a table behind a makeshift curtain.
Don't kid yourself that other countries are doing things so much better than we are, as in my experience Zante airport was paying lip service to the whole episode. No distancing for passport control, no distancing for security, no distancing for check-in, or luggage collection etc......all was just the same as it always is, apart from having to wear masks.
On the way back again we were told we had to fill in a passenger locator form on the UK Gov website, and this had to be done no more than 48 hours before return. Again, cue form filling for my family of five, told we needed to show the form and QR code at the airport on arrival....we were all ready when we reached border control at LBA, only to be told by the officer that "there no need to bother with that".......
UKHSA data dashboard
Overall summary of the respiratory viruses in circulation within the UK
Says right now:
UK testing capacity = 350k
Tests processed = never once over 200k
So, that's at least 800 Boeing 737's (like the one I came back from Prague on yesterday) worth of tests not being used
I think it's more likely that the capacity figure is just completely manipulated nonsense than anything else. It's probably the number of swabs they've got in stock, or doesn't account for the machines getting jammed every half hour or there not being enough trained staff or somethingUKHSA data dashboard
Overall summary of the respiratory viruses in circulation within the UKcoronavirus.data.gov.uk
Says right now:
UK testing capacity = 350k
Tests processed = never once over 200k
So, that's at least 800 Boeing 737's (like the one I came back from Prague on yesterday) worth of tests not being used
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