New variant has emerged in Africa, should we be worried?

Alegrias1

Sarnia

Last I heard our borders are being closed from noon today until 4am on Sunday!!! Well that will teach the variant, won't it? Don't mess with the UK. After that passengers will have to quarantine in hotels. Don't the Government learn anything? The recent inquiry into their handling of Covid slated them for being so slow in closing our borders for the first lockdown and the quarantine arrangements were not thorough enough. Close the borders to these countries until it is safe to re-open them. Javid telling us our vaccines may not be so effective against this new variant then bring in half-arsed measure to deal with it.

What are you talking about?

This, from today’s Guardian.
What new restrictions are being imposed?
South Africa will be placed under England’s red list travel restrictions from midday on Friday – affecting between 500 and 700 people who typically travel to the UK from South Africa each day via operators including British Airways and Virgin Airlines.
The ban will also cover flights from Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Scotland confirmed all arrivals from the countries must self-isolate and take two PCR tests from midday on Friday, while anyone arriving after 4am on Saturday will need to stay at a managed quarantine hotel
Recent arrivals from southern Africa will also be tracked down and offered tests in an effort to avoid the introduction of the new strain.

You beat me to it MayBeMaw I was just going to post the same ?

Where does it say our borders are closed?

Even arch pessimist Deepti Gurdaswani (sp?) says the government is acting quickly.

Alegrias1

Where does it say our borders are closed?

Even arch pessimist Deepti Gurdaswani (sp?) says the government is acting quickly.

Nowhere Alegrias1

I think the quick action shows two things.

First the government is finally responding positively to the criticism of being too slow previously.

And - more to the point it is reflecting the concern that the scientists have over the new variant and it’s potential harm.

However it is in the laboratory and we will know more in a few days time.

Everything crossed that it can be dealt with relatively easily.

Our borders aren’t closed.
If the variant virus can get into HK then I think it will get in anywhere. They are so strict over there. 3 weeks quarantine for everyone and lots of testing.

Let’s just hope that those who have returned from the six named countries will be cautious about mixing.

The HK thing - the person who tested positive did so in quarantine and is now in hospital because everybody in HK who tests positive goes to hospital. He's also, as far as I know, asymptomatic.

That may have changed overnight, of course.

Alegrias
Oh good. They are really draconian over there.

?

Thank you for clarification MayBeMaw. That’s pretty much what I understood was going to happen, from last night’s late news. I don’t think the government are acting slowly this time, I actually thought to myself, thank goodness they’re actually acting quickly this time, unlike the dilatory actions previously.

Additionally I have to say that I am afraid. I’ve said it many times before on Gransnet, but my experience of suffering from Covid last December/January, before I was able to be vaccinated, has made me very afraid. The experience of being taken to hospital in an ambulance, all the drugs I was given, being on oxygen for so long, it has made me very afraid of this virus. I know that I would be unlikely to be so ill again, having now been vaccinated, but the fear is emotional, not rational, and so these events with new variants worries me enormously, and causes me much stress.

Good to hear about what’s happened in Hong Kong, so thank you Alegrias. There’s also apparently one case in Israel, just heard that this morning, and I expect them to be equally vigilant.

Travel between the 6 south African countries where the new variant is present and the UK is being stopped, but nothing else.

Fascinating to see how a wrong story starts - and then persists and spreads.

I am cautiously optimistic. the speed with which we developed a vaccine for an illness that went from totally non-existent to pandemic in a couple of months to prototype vaccines in just over 6 months. I think if people are cautious and sensible it will be kept under control.

maddyone

Just because.

maddyone your fears are entirely understandable.

I am beyond worrying as they won’t stop some of these countries coming over here. Just look at the boat of immigrants . Who know what they are bringing over here.

Whether we worry or not, the outcome will be the same. At least this is what I try to tell myself but I've been worried from the start of this pandemic. Someone on TV said pandemics die out after 3 years. Not sure that's true. Someone else said the Black Death took a couple of hundred years. Yikes!

You're probably on the wrong thread purplepixie.

The scared of foreigners in little boats thread is here:

www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1303783-Stand-off-drowning-migrants-and-report-or-face-prosecution-sailors-warned

That’s an inappropriate comment Purplepixie, not least because there is less Covid in France than there is here, and the people on the border with the UK have been travelling to get there for months, or in some cases years.
I’m not going to worry until there is more information about the mutations’ impact on the severity of the disease. I hope that they are checking people’s original point of departure and not just stopping direct flights from the African countries until more is known though, as many will travel via somewhere else.

If any of the immigrants are coming here they will have done at least 10 days quarantine while they have been treking for months to get to France, followed by at least 10 days living outside with precious little to eat, and little or no protection from the elements. i think the chances of any of them having the new variant are very low.

Just look at the boat of immigrants . Who know what they are bringing over here.

They're tested on arrival - those that don't drown.

Yes! I am worried. I want my sons in their 6os to wear medical grade masks .

Having seen how quickly the delta variant spread I don't think we can stop this one. If it is highly transmissible it only takes a few people to start it spreading in th d

Sorry posted too soon.
in the UK.

I am quite concerned as this new variant will eventually arrive here. I also think it is worrying that the vaccination rate in some countries is so low (24% in SA) this is not just due a shortage of vaccine but also due to vaccine hesitancy. This provides the perfect environment for the virus to mutate. I just hope we still have some protection from this more transmissable variant and it is not a more serious version of Covid. Yes, worrying.