Forum Topic

14 days in quarantine

Apparently soon to be announced; anyone arriving into UK from most overseas countries will be subjected to 14 days self isolation. Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted comes to mind.

Paul Clements ● 2159d51 Comments

Lucille I don't think there will be quarantine.The problem is the government position causes uncertainty and confusion and that is bad for business but also people.Other countries are talking about lifting their restrictions mid June.It makes no sense.It just shows the government haven't got a clue and haven't prepared for the quarantine.If it wasn't so serious it would almost be funny.

Ed Robinson ● 2152d

Who exactly is going to monitor this 14 day isolation?

Lucille Grant ● 2152d

"A Whitehall source said" - is the speculation, wishful thinking, a leak, disinformation, authoritative - or even made up after speaking to someone's PA? Or a minister putting an idea forward to tresdt the water? Is iut based of scientific modelling? Interesting way to run a country?

Michael Ixer ● 2152d

So it looks like they didn't think about any of this since lock down. No surprise there. Winging it as usual at the expense of people and the economy.Apparently pilots and business travelers may be exempt too:https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/business-travellers-flying-into-uk-could-be-exempted-from-14-day-isolation-rules/

Ed Robinson ● 2152d

By my reckoning a couple of weeks IS june

Andy Pike ● 2152d

According to the BBCIt now appears that those exempted from the policy could include freight drivers, in order to allow the flow of goods to continue, and people working on Covid-19 research, but not ordinary travellers.Heathrow web site:There is currently no quarantine period for passengers upon landing in the United Kingdom, however, this is being considered by the UK Government and may be implemented in the coming weeks.So looks like this will not happen in June 2020.

Ed Robinson ● 2153d

UK abandons total French exemption from 14-day quarantine for visitors according to the BBC & FT - so who knows.

Ed Robinson ● 2153d

Interesting that in Hong Kong you have to wait at the airport for your test results.People are tested upon arrival and results ready 8 hours later.The UK instead of flying swabs to the US to be processed, they could just fly us to Hong Kong for a holiday!

Ed Robinson ● 2154d

If Brexit gets in the way of medical and science research then we will be doing ourselves no favours at all.  Shouldn’t happen but it might. Another unnecessary and unwanted risk.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2155d

Couldnt resist it Ed. So many posters on various subjects have done the same  I thought why not 😁

Andy Pike ● 2155d

"You are right Ed now we are out of Europe France can no longer depend on our money."Andy - you're making this sound like a Brexit issue.If only someone told the virus that "we are out of Europe"!

Ed Robinson ● 2155d

You are right Ed now we are out of Eurooe France can no longer depend on our money.Silly me my mistake.

Andy Pike ● 2155d

"All british dependencies apart of course from the US"Sorry I didn't know France was - must have missed something.Interesting Gibraltar is not included in the exemption.It could be because it shares a land border with Spain.Gibraltar in limbo as usual.I'm not sure how that is going to work - the government has had months to think this through. Only two weeks before 1st June.

Ed Robinson ● 2155d

All british dependencies apart of course from the US

Andy Pike ● 2155d

It now looks like the exemptions will be:  common travel area - Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of ManAnd the Every EU State - if France is exempt. What are the odds of the UK standing up to the US - if EU are exempt?

Ed Robinson ● 2155d

Bunny we are not an island. We are Islands!The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.But completely agree.

Ed Robinson ● 2156d

Totally agree Bunny

Paul Clements ● 2156d

We should have had the 14 day quarantine for people arriving in the UK MONTHS ago!!  My little home for many years, Alderney in the Channel Islands, have done this and there is not one single case.  Yes it's easier on a small island, but we are an island too and should have been much stricter, much earlier.

Bunny Payne ● 2156d

You could go to Spain but you need a 14 day quarantine their side and then 14 on return.I think what was said today was not a ban but  a realistic assessment of the situation.Ie where can you go without quarantine or lockdown and who would take you. So why would anyone want to travel abroad.

Andy Pike ● 2156d

The Government announced that it’s unlikely that people will be able to take holidays abroad  this year. Does this purely refer to Summer holidays or, does it literally mean for the rest of 2020? Does this restriction include France, following the agreement we apparently have with the French regarding travel without the need for the 14 day quarantine? Disaster for the travel industry both here and abroad, especially if the restrictions are needed until the end of the year.

Paul Clements ● 2156d

Philippa - if you look at the wording it could mean anyone that is departing from France i.e its the departure point not the nationality."What about us visiting there?" - it's reciprocal .No quarantine measures would apply to travellers coming from France at this stage; any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner. A working group between the two governments will be set up to ensure this consultation throughout the coming weeks.

Ed Robinson ● 2157d

It was just Ireland last night and then today it is France as well who are excluded from quarantine.  What about us visiting there?

Philippa Bond ● 2157d

Exactly Ed. It's all as clear as mud.

Lucille Grant ● 2157d

Lucille it's almost mid May now - with no guidelines how this will work.France is excluded - is that people travelling from France or just French citizens.Believe me the stable door will remain off - this will never happen!

Ed Robinson ● 2157d

Quarantine in June? stable door, horse and  bolted come to mind.

Lucille Grant ● 2157d

The quarantine isn't for now, it is for the beginning of June.There is no quarantine requirement at the moment.

Ed Robinson ● 2157d

Andy, good question. Possibly the unsafest country could sadly be our own on current trends. Even a staycation is a bit daunting right now, if not permissible today.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2157d

Why would anyone want to travel abroad for a holiday at the moment. Is there a country where you would feel safe from the virus or where there is no lockdown? If you do travel I trust you would sign a waiver that says you do not expect the british taxpayer to send an emergency flight to bring you home should your destination suddenly lockdown again. If you find a place  that's virus free would they really want a load of potentially infected foreigners entering  their country?

Andy Pike ● 2157d

Cologne to Frankfurt on a plane?There’s the reason right there.

Stephen Walker ● 2157d

Apparently it does not include France  Isle of Man  or Ireland.But does include Gibraltar.How long before Spain and Gibraltar  are exempt? Going to be very difficult for immigration to spot the French from other EU visitors!

Ed Robinson ● 2158d

4 passengers...fool :)

Simon Knight ● 2158d

"4 people on plane."Pilot, co-pilot, flight attendant, Mum?I hope that the pilot and co-pilot were social distancing.

David Ainsworth ● 2158d

Mum reports Cologne to Frankfurt flight. 4 people on plane. Good in-flight service though.

Simon Knight ● 2158d

A friend's son has lived in New Zealand for 20 years. He visited the UK, I think in January, and had to undertake 14 days self isolatian on return because he had flown via Hong Kong, and the virus was already recognised in South China.His daughter returned to NZ in February after a year in Edinburgh and also had to do the isolation thing. The parents are divorced, so my friend's son hired a caravan for his daughter to stay in in the mother's garden.I know you can't compare NZ and the UK - population density, it's way out in the Pacific, but they haven't had a significant problem. When I heard of the possibility of a 14 day quarantine here I thought, why wasn't this suggested earlier. We seem to be on the back foot all the way through.My sadness is for the friends I want to see, Vienna, New York, Adelaide, some of whom are too fragile to travel anyway, so it means me going to them. And I guess that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Elizabeth Balsom ● 2159d

Even pets have passports these days.Although most people I know chose non-air travel for pets.

Ed Robinson ● 2159d

Well be glad your not an animal. They were quarantined for Rabies. Otherwise you might run round and bite somebody.

Barbara Stevens ● 2159d

It's a short term and very sensible measure. In time, a passenger from any country with a successful public hygiene regime which has effectively suppressed CV-19 infection could be let through without this step. Likewise, if the UK managed to do this, travellers from here would be able to go to other countries without quarantine.It looks like it will be many a month though before the USA is a clean source of passengers.

Michael Winstanley ● 2159d

I think your wish is set to be granted Richard.  People in my business travel a lot but all are generally 2-5 day trips including a lot of conferences, and I think that is likely true across many industries.  I can’t see international business travel taking off for a year or quite possibly two in any serious way.  Assuming many countries have the quarantine requirement 95% of business travel will cease for the duration, and as for holidays, I can’t imagine anyone is seriously expecting to go abroad for holidays this year, and even next year I would imagine numbers would be done a lot.Video conferencing will replace in part, but I also think especially with the conferences, many companies will realise that they can get by without many of them so fewer will come back.Some people won’t fly due to concerns of catching something on the plane, but the quarantine requirement will finish the rest off.Given that business class provides the highest profits the whole airline landscape is likely to be unrecognisable In a couple of years, as the cost and inconvenience of international travel increases, the demand will likely be permanently lower, perhaps back to the same levels as when you were young ;-)

Mike Warman ● 2159d

Up until now, checking people coming off flights wasn't thought to be worth bothering with, bearing in mind the small extra danger they contributed to the scheme of things, yet we've been banning liquids and searching shoes for over ten years when the likelihood of further terrorist attacks involving these items must be negligible.  It was heartening to note that some asylum seekers who've made it across the Channel in the past few days have been tested and quarantined, so that should make us feel safer!

Peter Evans ● 2159d

Good point Simon. I often joke that I like to visit suppliers to check they're not someone's shed in a back garden. (I'm talking about companies that process personal data not the ones that service the potted plants and window boxes.) It's surprising the places people keep their data servers ... better say no more than that.   

Michael Ixer ● 2159d

Exactly! I'm hoping that people will realise how wasteful and, indeed, unnecessary so much business travel is.

Richard Carter ● 2159d

Agree. However if you need to do due diligence it's not possible.

Simon Knight ● 2159d

Simon it's just an announcement it is not meant to work.After 10 years of May we still do not count people in and out of the UK. We are hardly going to enforce quarantine now.

Ed Robinson ● 2159d

Or use zoom and have your meetings on line. Saving time money and air pollution

Andy Pike ● 2159d

I can't quite see how this would work. Presumably, and correct me if I'm wrong, two weeks quarantine means any trips to the UK would have to be for a minimum of two weeks. Then add on the time required for the purpose of your stay.So what should be a 2 day business trip becomes 16 days? Eh?

Simon Knight ● 2159d

It really is hard to believe that they are only starting this now!  My niece went back to Melbourne and was put into quarantine for two weeks.  Hotel and all meals paid buy the Australian government.

Pamela Waller ● 2159d

I believe residents returning to Hong Kong have to go into quarantine and have been doing so for some while. They have to accept an electronic tracker to make sure they conform.Hopefully if Boris decides to do something similar he will not ask Baroness Dido Harding to be in charge. https://www.indy100.com/article/nhs-testing-programme-talktalk-dido-harding-matt-hancock-9505216Nick

Nicholas Evans ● 2159d

The problem may arise the other way round. Brits may have to go into quarantine when visiting any foreign country. After all Europe has been a hotspot of this virus and we have the highest death toll of all of them. That two week trip to the Costa Brava could end up as two weeks in an airport isolation unit. And forget flying further afield. Some Asian countries are seeing active hostility towards western visitors.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2159d

I guess we wait until Sunday evening when the devil comes out with the details :-)

Michael Ixer ● 2159d

Maybe it's too extreme to lock frequent flyers behind stable doors, but some dedicated quarantine facilities at the airport might be better than trusting them to stay for 14 days at wherever they say they're going, which I doubt anyone will ever check. Meanwhile they'll still be travelling freely from the airport to get there.  And where do all these potentially virulent travellers stay? Most hotels are closed and no friends or family should accept them.

Peter Evans ● 2159d

The devil is in the detail.They will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.After they arrive home by public transport of course.

Ed Robinson ● 2159d