Covid-19 Virus

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by Hornet4ever, Jan 30, 2020.

  1. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    Luckily I got back on Wednesday.

    The crazy thing is that the spikes are in very specific areas. The vast majority of travellers will be visiting the Costas where infection rates are low.

    I can't see a "quarantine" that allows you to travel on public transport on your return to your home, and still allows you to do essential shopping, is going to be very effective anyway! And are the police/authorities even checking on people to ensure compliance?

    On a side note I wasn't too impressed with the measures at Gatwick. You had to fill in a form but only a few random people were checked, most weren't. And the temperature check monitor was not even manned.

    In contrast Spain had all forms digitised and you just had to present a QR code from your phone to confirm your details. And then there was an individual check of everyone's temperature, no exceptions.
     
    Moose likes this.
  2. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

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  3. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Grant Shapps facing a two week quarantine on his return.

    I therefore wouldn’t be surprised if the quarantine is done with the day before he returns or his flight gets re-routed to Barnards Castle. But he won’t be staying at home for two weeks.
     
  4. AshdonWFC

    AshdonWFC Prediction League Champion 2011/12

  5. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    That’s a bummer. Still, I reckon the quarantine will be dropped within a fortnight for then reasons above.
     
  6. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

  7. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    We seem to have seriously pissed off the Spanish, who now join their Portuguese neighbours in scratching their heads at our indiscriminate ban on free travel between our countries. While other nations seem to have taken a more nuanced approach, we’ve doubled down and will quarantine even people coming from the Canariesnajd Balearics, even though cases are v low on both island chains.
     
  8. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    As soon as Grant Shapps needs to get a pint of milk it'll be cancelled.
     
  9. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    The start of brexit innit ? Soon anyone daring to travel anywhere forrin will have to quarantine for a month on return and pay an "unfaithful tax". There really is no reason why any British citizen should ever need to leave these shores.
     
  10. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Apparently 12 out of 15 regions in Spain have suffered recent spikes in the number of infections, and 10 people came back from Spain identified as being infected last week. How many more slipped through?

    It is difficult, but I doubt if other countries would consider banning tourists only from Leicester, Blackburn, Bradford or Luton (well, yes, maybe Luton), it would be done on a national scale, or not done at all.

    The island groups are not isolated from the mainland as internal ferries and flights are happening with the mainland many times every day. I sort of feel that we need to start moving towards living with the virus with social distance awareness and alertness, rather than trying to avoid it all together, but we know that the government has been lambasted for even thinking about that without actually implementing that sort of philosophy, and then also been lambasted by delaying lockdown by even a a few days, so it is now ironic that they are being lambasted for acting too quickly, even before we know whether it is worth it or not.
     
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  11. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    And the biggest joke is that the checks at Gatwick are very sporadic, from what I've seen, and the "quarantine" is unlikely to make any difference as people can still travel home independently and go out to shop.
     
    wimbornet likes this.
  12. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    If they’d acted this quickly regarding people arriving in the country in March from Italy, Spain etc we would have been much better off.
     
  13. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I think this is pretty much what's driving the policy approach now. They want a do over.
     
  14. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    Most people won’t actually do the quarantine anyway though. Apparently only one in five get a call to check they’re doing it.

    I’ve got some sympathy for Spain, however, they were so desperate to get tourism open they started cooking the books regarding their figures so they’ve also got to take some responsibility. Back when the U.K. was getting grief for reporting more deaths than the whole of Europe combined, Spain were reporting zero deaths and everyone bought it. The reality is they changed their reporting method so they could contrive to report zero deaths and stopped publishing up to date R rates and infection numbers to make it appear it was all under control. The reality was it was nowhere near as under control as they attempted to suggest, so they’re reaping what they sowed to an extent now.
     
  15. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    It is possible to comply with something without it being forced on you, of course. After all, most complied with lockdown without immediate threat of enforcement or sanction.
     
  16. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    Of course it is, but I personally know of someone who has just booked to go to Spain on Thursday knowing full well about the quarantine. They are wfh, but don’t plan to change the rest of their behaviour and said they’ll just wear their mask when they go out.
     
  17. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    For me it's not whether it's too quick or not. It's just the decision making is far from transparent. Surely a more graduated approach isn't beyond the government? There seems to be no (public) early-warning system, no means to give people any notice that changes might be imminent and no obvious objective criteria that apply so people can see when cases are approaching the level where further restrictions could kick in. The same can be said domestically as well as for international travel.

    From what I've read it seems to me there's full justification for restricting travel to two regions of Spain. And probably enough evidence to put people travelling from the rest of Spain that the picture could change so they're captured by it too.
     
  18. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    Yes, I think you are right.

    But they are doing the damage to the tourist industry and international relations without the benefit of preventing the spread of the virus.

    They need to implement rigourous checks at the border, ban non essential travel and have a proper, enforced quarantine.

    I can certainly understand Spain's frustrations. The tourist areas are largely unaffected and the "hotspots" are being locked down.

    If we still believe the risk is still too high then we need implement proper controls over travel. What we have, from what I've seen, is a half hearted and ineffective approach that is not fit for purpose.
     
  19. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    And I know someone who does plan to comply... So I don’t think we can necessarily presume that “most won’t do the quarantine”. Some will, some won’t. I take the point, though, that that makes the policy rather ineffectual.
     
  20. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    So I have a 13 year old desperate to go away for a week. She’s worked really hard all year, including while remote schooling, and I think she deserves it. So I’m on the verge of booking a week away to Sicily. Am I completely mad? We would happily quarantine on our return if things change while we’re away and the 16 yr old, who would not be prepared to do so, is going to stay at home anyway because she would rather keep hanging around with her mates in the UK. I’m torn between thinking it’s actually a really good time to go (fewer people there, etc) and she really deserves it, and thinking it’s idiotic in the middle of a pandemic. Views?
     
  21. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I'd be slightly reticent to go to Italy, albeit you can't get much further south if you go to Sicily and the big issues earlier in the year were obviously in the north.

    We're still planning to go on our Turkey holiday next week- though we're fully prepared for it to be cancelled right up until the moment the plane takes off and have accepted that risk and won't whine if it happens. For us though a couple of big reasons to persevere were: it's the same place we went last year, so we're confident it will be safe and we know the lie of the land. It's a self-contained hotel complex with its own private beach as part of a package holiday and, frankly, we're not going exploring wider with a 4 and 5yo in tow. And also we have confirmation because we booked it pre-Covid, and even though the dates and flights have changed since, our travel insurance still covers us for coronavirus related claims. Plus we figured next year is likely to a complete shitshow with Brexit and likely high demand pushing prices sky high so we expect to be giving travel a miss.
     
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  22. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    It's a risk and whether you are willing to take it is down to you.

    It looks like the pandemic in Sicily is under control at the moment but things can change quickly. It is wise to plan for a 14 day quarantine on your return just in case.

    If you are ok with that possibility then, based on my own recent experience, travelling isn't too bad. Gatwick was really quiet and there are plenty of sanitisers around. Masks are universally worn and the flight I was on was far from full.

    If you do go, check out the documental requirements at both ends. We had to complete a form for Spain and there is one for your return to the UK.

    It's also worth checking out what is required when you are in Sicily and make sure you take enough masks etc. You can also get small bottles of sanitiser that are under the 100ml limit to take with you.

    You might want to check to see what is open and what you can do too. Spain was very quiet for this time of year but there were also some businesses that were closed so it had the feeling of being "out of season".

    Finally, there is a risk of quarantine. But there is also an outside risk that you might not be able to travel if one of you gets ill here. It's unlikely that it would be covered by insurance so you could end up losing your holiday and your money.

    As I say, it's up to you to way up the risks.
     
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  23. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    *Weigh up.

    Sicily is a wonderful part of the world btw. I went there a couple of years ago. I'm sure you will have a great time if covid doesn't mess things up!
     
  24. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    Thanks. Like @UEA_Hornet we would be going to a hotel we’ve been to before. And, similar again to UEA, it’s a hotel with a private beach and lots of space and for a week we’ll just chill out there, rather than go exploring. We decided that, if we were to go away this year, we’d rather go back to somewhere we are familiar with. I think the solution we’ve landed on is that I’ll go away with the 13 yr old and Mr HH will stay put and look after the dogs and supervise the 16 yr old. We’re booking everything through a travel company we’ve used many times before and they’re going to include complementary lounge access at Heathrow (which I believe is busier than Gatwick at the moment, because BA has shifted many of its routes from Gatwick to Heathrow). It is a risk but, as you say, it’s a calculated one and it’s on us if it doesn’t go as planned. Fingers crossed..

    PS Hope you had a lovely time in Spain and got back in time to miss the new quarantine rules
     
    sydney_horn likes this.
  25. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    Yes, we got back last Wednesday so no quarantine requirements for us. It was a really good and relaxing break despite everything.

    I hope you are as lucky and have a wonderful holiday! Chances are you will.
     
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  26. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    If it was not for the fact that we would not be insured if we went to Mallorca I would happily be there right now, but sadly it is something we dare not risk so it is stay at home for now :(
     
  27. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    Hearing a govt spokesperson talking approvingly about Austria's £160 on-the-spot test or 14 days quarantine I wouldn't joke about it...
     
  28. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    This x 10. I've also booked a little retreat for Mrs Diamond and myself later this year because I'm thinking exactly the same.
     
  29. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    And now dead from “coronavirus complications” having never left hospital.
     
  30. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    Thoughts and prayers.
     
  31. lendal

    lendal Reservist

    His team were still tweeting its fake stuff yesterday


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  32. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

  33. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

  34. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    It’s a confusing narrative at the moment. One the one hand we are a couple of weeks down the line from ‘over by Xmas’, vaccine ‘triumph’ and the Govt ‘Eat out to help out’ campaign was launched today. And yet counter-intuitively we are told that the Govt is considering shutting the pubs to allow the kids to go back to school (is that where the little so and so’s were?) and keeping in the over 50s. Right now we are in the middle of widespread lockdowns in the North.

    Maybe this was inevitable. We had the calm before the storm, easy to understand exponential growth and then decline as the lockdown worked. That ‘story’ arc seemed to have a logic that’s hard to find now.
     
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