Travel back to UK all Covid restrictions end on Friday

I’ll be looking forward to booking a holiday now.

My son will be happy he’s bringing his family over for the first time in 3 yrs at Easter I can’t wait.

Delighted but no doubt some will say it’s too soon, that covid is still around etc etc.

Its a good call

Friends just came back from a cruise and didn't enjoy it - masks had to be worn everywhere except in their own cabin and when eating. Then there were found to be Covid cases on board anyway (they'd had it and were triple vaxxed) and they were glad to get home.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, will announce on Monday that passenger locator forms will be axed from 4am on Friday.
Is that for visitors to the UK too?
All visitors to Australia have to provide location details for their stay anyway - it's normal at any time and it seems a sensible requirement.

I’m absolutely appalled. Cases are said to be as high as they’ve ever been and what do we do, get rid of all restrictions. The cases are likely to carry on rising, but who cares? We’ve got our freedoms back. Never mind about those who end up in hospital or even dead!

Despite all the testing our friends say they had to do I see a cruise liner which left Southampton 6 days ago has had to return because of Covid cases on board. It could be the one our friends were on which returned a week ago and they do have a swift turnaround time - did perhaps crew members
have Covid?

We can't stay locked down for ever but we do need to still be cautious. Recording location details and testing seems sensible and simple to me so why abandon them?

After only knowing 2 people who had Covid during the first couple of years, all of a sudden it would appear everyone is getting it now. Two of my children have it, their partners and one grandson. The 10 year old seems immune as most of his class has had it and now his family and it just isn't sticking to him at all.

Good friend of mine has gone down with it quite badly. She's nowhere near needing hospital, just very achey and hot.

So far I have remained free. In fact the daughter who has gone down with it and her son were here when they must have been infectious but we seem to have missed it.

It's really becoming something we might get and wise to take precautions as and when we see fit.

I'm pleased the Passenger Locator Form has been axed it was a faff to fill in especially if you didn't have access to WiFi abroad.

Mask wearing will be next. Heathrow announced that it would abandon compulsory face masks at the airport from Wednesday. British Airways and Virgin will also drop the requirements on flights to destinations where their use is no longer mandated. Air filtration on a plane is excellent when the engines are running. I read boarding and disembarking are the riskiest times - the engines are off and passengers lean across to stow or retrieve luggage from the overhead bins.

Yay, if mask wearing is to be abandoned on flights, that means I will be able to go abroad at long last!!!

I haven't been back to the UK since March 2020 (just got home before it all kicked off)

Now the numbers of cases are soaring to record-breaking heights here in Germany and as far as I can gather, in many other countries too, everyone is lifting restrictions? I can only shake my head in disbelief. As zoejory says, I hardly knew anyone who had Covid over the past 2 years but now everyone seems to be getting it.

I'm sure travel isn't as scary once you actually get out there, but, homesick as I am, I'm staying put for the time being.

My son still has to wear a mask at his day centre and provide a negative LFT.
Some places are still strict

Masks still have to worn here on all transport and in medical places. Many people are socially minded and continue to wear them in shops.