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I have just about had enough of these contradictory covid19 regulations.

(334 Posts)
GillT57 Wed 23-Jun-21 13:45:40

Ok, so I am a law abiding person, I stayed at home, had my shopping delivered, no visitors, masks, hand washing, social distancing, both vaccinations etc., But, now I sit and watch thousands of football fans and Royal Ascot to name just two, at the same time as some bleating windbag of a politician is explaining why we shouldn't dance at a wedding ( other then the bride and groom), can only have limited guests in the church.....I am absolutely sick to the back teeth of the hypocrisy of it. I am going to a wedding in a mid July and the parents ( good friends) are worried sick about managing it all, how many can go into the Church, I told them to just stick a couple of horses in the gardens and we can say it is a race meet ( we will be wearing frocks and hats!), or get a football game going with some of the guests and we can be the spectators? Am I the only one irritated beyond measure?

Saetana Sat 26-Jun-21 02:03:54

MayBe70 Its not totally pertinent that we have a huge numbers of cases of Delta varient in comparison to other countries - there are two reasons for this. One: we are now testing far more people daily than almost every other country - more testing equals more results and, Two: Our genome sequencing is the best in the world - the UK alone provides around 50% of the genome sequencing data that is passed onto the World Health Organisation. In essence, we do not really have loads of cases in comparison to other countries - its just we are testing more people and hence discovering more cases. The so-called Kent varient likely did not mutate in the UK - we were just the first ones to spot it. Hence the WHO change to labelling variants according to the Greek alphabet - rather than to specific countries.

MawBe Sat 26-Jun-21 07:09:41

Kali2

People arriving from nearby European countries have to have PCR test before travelling, then strict quarantine with daily checks from Track and Trace, do day 2 PCR test, then day 8 PCR test again, and have to pay extra on top to do early release PCR test on day 5. Cost about £450 per person.

And yeat many British people expect to be able to go to EU and other holiday places without tests either way or quarantine !!!! and yet the Delta varian is much more prevalent in the UK?

Talk about 'exceptionalism'!

Is it more prevalent - or do we have better testing and sequencing?
And do we in the U.K. “ expect” to travel without tests - bearing in mind our vaccination rate is higher than most other European countries?
But perhaps you do have influence in high places as Angela Merkel is leading a push to block the British tourists who usually spend lots of cash during their week in the sun, calling for an EU-wide quarantine on arrivals from over the Channel due to the danger of the Indian coronavirus variant.
She has won the backing of her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to exclude visitors from the U.K. , even as EU nations try to open up within their common borders.
Somebody seems to be agreeing with you Kali2

BlueBelle Sat 26-Jun-21 07:20:15

Well we have a beach event today, very limited, but I m off to it and I shall grab every good looking man and kiss them with my hand firmly on their bum

MawBe Sat 26-Jun-21 07:48:14

BlueBelle

Well we have a beach event today, very limited, but I m off to it and I shall grab every good looking man and kiss them with my hand firmly on their bum

Go girl! ??
I look forward to tomorrow’s tabloids! ????

Kali2 Sat 26-Jun-21 09:30:36

MawBe

^And yeat many British people expect to be able to go to EU and other holiday places without tests either way or quarantine !!!! and yet the Delta varian is much more prevalent in the UK?^

Do they?

This is what we hear from people around us, the Press and TV, and travel agents, airlines, etc, every day. And this is what is happening with many holiday destinations in the Med now. I so hope they will not regret this bitterly as the Delta variant begins to spread there too.

Merystreep- what do you mean by follow the procedures- did they have to quarantine and have 3 PCR tests, and another extra for early release on day 5 (and still have PCR test on day 8 whatever).

Kali2 Sat 26-Jun-21 09:31:29

The procedure of PCR tests (a minimum of 3) and quarantine- applies to those who are doubly vaccinated too, btw.

MerylStreep Sat 26-Jun-21 19:02:01

Kali2
what do you mean by follow the procedures
Well, stating the bleeding obvious, following the procedures laid down by the uk and the Spanish governments.
It’s that clear enough.

MawBe Sat 26-Jun-21 20:00:01

This is what we hear from people around us, the Press and TV, and travel agents, airlines, etc, every day.

Do you have people around you in a different place to the rest of us Kali2 ?
Because frankly that is NOT what I am hearing, most of the people around me have reconciled them selves to a U.K. or Autumn holiday this year, they are still more preoccupied with the hope of hospitality, theatres, cinemas, music venues, restaurants and pubs being able to open as normal whenever that day is likely to be. about a whole host of domestic matters- children not being sent home to self isolate, graduations being able to take place, weddings and funerals etc rather than what you are suggesting.
Unless of course around you is not the same place as around the rest of us confusedconfused

Kali2 Sat 26-Jun-21 20:10:23

oh it is very much the same- same Press, same news, same people from travel industry and aviation.

Merylstreep, not bleeding obvious at all- those coming from Europe into UK mostly have to do PCR tests before, AND quarantine, and have pre paid, pre booked PCR tests on day 2 and day 8. Those going to Spain from UK can just go, no quarantine there or testing there, and none when they come back. So bleeding obvious it is not!

MawBe Sat 26-Jun-21 20:35:29

Are we talking about the same Spain?
SPAIN IS ON THE AMBER LIST
Mainland Spain is still on the amber list. According to the government’s website, this means that people should not be travelling there for leisure purposes right now. However, since travel for holidays has not been illegal from Monday 17 May, English residents are legally allowed to go to an amber country, so long as they follow the rules for testing and isolating. This means taking one pre-departure test and confirming a negative result; quarantine at home for 10 days upon return to England; plus completing a passenger locator form with details of where you will quarantine and the booking reference number for the tests you must pre-book and take upon your return – PCR tests will be required on days two and eight of quarantine (reduced to day five by paying for the cost of an extra test on that day, if it's negative – though this option is not available in Northern Ireland).

So where do you get this from Kali2 ?
MerylStreep , not bleeding obvious at all- those coming from Europe into UK mostly have to do PCR tests before, AND quarantine, and have pre paid, pre booked PCR tests on day 2 and day 8. Those going to Spain from UK can just go, no quarantine there or testing there, and none when they come back. So bleeding obvious it is not!

MawBe Sat 26-Jun-21 20:40:48

And yeat many British people expect to be able to go to EU and other holiday places without tests either way or quarantine !!!! and yet the Delta varian is much more prevalent in the UK?

Talk about 'exceptionalism'!

This could not possibly be another attempt to say how inferior U.K. citizens are compared to their European counterparts could it? ????

Kali2 Sat 26-Jun-21 20:45:08

Talking about parts of Spain and islands.

FACT is, most people coming from Europe have to go through stringent testing, before and after, and strict quarantine. Quite rightly so. And that with the Delta variant rising fast in UK- UK residents should have to do the same.

Oh come on- or come off it, rather. Stop spitting feathers and venom and making those vaguely veiled personal comments and attacks.

Chewbacca Sat 26-Jun-21 20:55:13

kali2 I've not commented thus far but your last post is completely out of order. MawBe has made several posts, all pertaining to the topic of the thread and, like you, has put her point of view across robustly. She has NOT, however, made any "thinly veiled personal comments" and she most certainly has NOT "attacked" anyone, including you. Your accusation is unacceptable considering that several other posters have also taken issue with, and questioned, some of the statements that you've made. But deliberately picking out just one of those posters looks suspiciously like a personal attack.

Kali2 Sat 26-Jun-21 21:13:12

The point Merystreep, is that countries with much lower rates of Delta Variant and Covid- have to have several PCR tests and have to quarantine when coming to UK, whereas UK citizens visiting many countries, including parts of Spain, do not. At a time when the UK has much higher rates of Delta variant cases.

Quite simple, really.

Callistemon Sat 26-Jun-21 21:21:54

BlueBelle

Well we have a beach event today, very limited, but I m off to it and I shall grab every good looking man and kiss them with my hand firmly on their bum

Photos please, Bluebelle!

Callistemon Sat 26-Jun-21 22:43:55

Oh come on- or come off it, rather. Stop spitting feathers and venom and making those vaguely veiled personal comments and attacks.
I've had another read of posts and could find no feathers, venom or any personal comments or attacks whatsoever Kali2
confused

Your posts may be strongly worded but may not be totally accurate and there is nothing wrong with anyone making strong rebuttals.
And yeat many British people expect to be able to go to EU and other holiday places without tests either way or quarantine !!!! and yet the Delta varian is much more prevalent in the UK?

Not true at all; perhaps some may hope they can travel to safe countries but most have decided that holidays at home are best, especially since Europeans are able to travel around the EU.

Talk about 'exceptionalism'!
I'm not sure what you mean by that; it seems a strange thing to say about fellow Britons.

Callistemon Sat 26-Jun-21 22:54:06

oh it is very much the same- same Press, same news, same people from travel industry and aviation.

But how much is true? We are told constantly not to believe everything we read in the press, people from the travel and aviation industry are, of course, very worried indeed at the prospect of yet another dire year of sales and worried about their businesses, so are bound to try to put a positive spin on travelling overseas.

It doesn't mean that people will ignore advice or rules and go.
I know no-one who is going overseas this year but I do know several who are postponing their holidays abroad..

Callistemon Sat 26-Jun-21 23:00:31

Not forgetting that many usual holiday destinations are also desperate for normal service to be resumed asap - their livelihoods are at stake.

growstuff Sat 26-Jun-21 23:39:38

Saetana

MayBe70 Its not totally pertinent that we have a huge numbers of cases of Delta varient in comparison to other countries - there are two reasons for this. One: we are now testing far more people daily than almost every other country - more testing equals more results and, Two: Our genome sequencing is the best in the world - the UK alone provides around 50% of the genome sequencing data that is passed onto the World Health Organisation. In essence, we do not really have loads of cases in comparison to other countries - its just we are testing more people and hence discovering more cases. The so-called Kent varient likely did not mutate in the UK - we were just the first ones to spot it. Hence the WHO change to labelling variants according to the Greek alphabet - rather than to specific countries.

Wrong! The UK does have a very high prevalence compared with other countries. It's not just down to sequencing and testing. I have been told that by somebody working at the front line of testing, so if anybody has any evidence that he's wrong, maybe they could provide a link.

I expect others have seen this graph:

MawBe Sun 27-Jun-21 03:25:39

Goodness - am I supposed to be spitting feathers ? because I don’t think so! grin
As I said upthread, and like Callistemon, nobody I know is even contemplating a holiday abroad this summer and they’re not spitting feathers either. But we are all very aware of the gravity of the situation.
While it would be nice to see the ?? a bit more at our age “sun, sea and Sangria” are not what they were.
(Now if there were any more of BlueBelle’s beach events with nice young men - where is she anyway, is she still snogging for Britain? ) gringrin

MawBe Sun 27-Jun-21 05:12:07

These are the sort of “contradictory Covid rules” which I think most of us in the U.K. despair at, not holidays abroad.
From this morning’s DT
the UK has decided to release foreign VIPs from the burden of travel quarantine, for example, so that they can attend the Euro 2020 semi-finals and finals. While they whizz through customs, travel is restricted for the rest of the population, many firms are unable to fully reopen (if at all), and parents are banned from sports or prize-giving days. Countless other injustices fester within the details of the rules.

Kali2 Sun 27-Jun-21 09:58:52

You friends and relatives may not be representatives of the way many feel about going on holiday. Mine are the same, very happy to stay home this Summer, and stay safe.

Reading many sites, popular Press discussion sites, etc, etc- it is clear many just want to go - and are totally dismissing the need for continued limitations. I was personally quite shocked reading comments on one of our local Press site yesterday.

Thank you Growstuff, anyone who denies that the UK has much higher incidence of the Delta variant, or that it is due to more testing, etc- is just delusional. It is totally right that other countries want to limit travel from UK, or at least insist JUST AS THE UK DOES for incomers, including those from countries where the incidence is much lower, on PCR testing before and twice during quarantine.

Callistemon Sun 27-Jun-21 10:20:34

MawBe

These are the sort of “contradictory Covid rules” which I think most of us in the U.K. despair at, not holidays abroad.
From this morning’s DT
the UK has decided to release foreign VIPs from the burden of travel quarantine, for example, so that they can attend the Euro 2020 semi-finals and finals. While they whizz through customs, travel is restricted for the rest of the population, many firms are unable to fully reopen (if at all), and parents are banned from sports or prize-giving days. Countless other injustices fester within the details of the rules.

Yes, this is exactly why people are wondering exactly what is going on and why these rules have been put in place which apply to the majority but not the chosen few.

Yet again, school Sports Day has been cancelled - at a very small school, in a large field where self-distancing of parents and grandparents is perfectly possible, yet large sporting events can take place and sporting VIPs do not have to undergo the same quarantine restrictions as others.

Is it not right to question this?
The rules should apply to all.

This is exactly why people may ask - "If it's ok for them, why not for me"?

Callistemon Sun 27-Jun-21 10:21:35

Rather too many exactlies in above post!

But it is exactly right.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 27-Jun-21 10:24:50

Totally agree with MawBe and Calistemon regarding contradictory rules/guidelines/practices.

I have adhered to the rules all along, but I am definitely gradually moving over to the #I’mdone camp.