Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Covid dilemma - what would you do?

Chairman Meow

Chairman Meow

Perth, WA
Ok I have a serious dilemma here, and would welcome some opinions. We live in Western Australia which up until now has been pretty much covid free as the Western Australian border has been shut since March 2020. We started getting some Omicron cases a few weeks ago, and the rise is now exponential, we have gone from daily cases in single figures a couple of weeks ago, and today we had 2400, modelling says we will peak in a few weeks at 10,000 cases a day. The border re-opened today, so that will bring more cases. Its ok though, we have very high vaccination rates, over 95% double vaxxed and 60% triple, we are all triple vaxxed..

My problem is this. My husband's little brother was diagnosed with MND in early 2020, and is now pretty ill, in and out of respite care, and probably only has a few months left. My husband would like to go back to Ireland to say goodbye, and now he can. But I am very nervous, our premier has said he will not hesitate to shut the border if another variant emerges. Also, there is a chance one of us will get covid ( we have no natural immunity here, it is spreading fast). We can afford for my husband to make a quick trip, but cant afford for him to get stuck. And now there is the whole Ukraine shit as well. I obviously won't stop him going, but he wants my advice. Oh, and on top of that his passport runs out in May, although we have been advised that is not a problem if he travels in April (March seats are already mostly sold out unless Business class which we can't afford.}

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, but I just keep changing my mind about what to do! I know there are some sensible heads on here so would welcome any opinions. FWIW my brother in law is only 40 with a couple of little kids so its a horrible situation all round.
 
Cloo said:
I'd let him go - I think even Australia might be past shutting borders for extended periods now, as everyone has realised that once that cat's out of the bag, there's not a great deal of point in border shutdowns.
Click to expand...
Australia might be, but the Western Australian Premier said today he would not hesitate to close the state border again if there is another variant. We can't afford for him to get locked out. This is the thing that worries me most
 
All you people saying go, we could lose everything if he got stuck. That's what I'm worried about. Of course I want him to see his brother again, but we have a mortgage to pay too.
 
Winot said:
Sorry about your BIL.

What does he do for a living? Is there a backup plan eg could he work in Australia but out of state?
Click to expand...
We couldn't afford to run two households unfortunately. He's a delivery driver, so while he could get a job it wouldn't earn enough to rent elsewhere and pay the mortgage. too I work too but couldn't cover all expenses on my own. Our son is at uni so only earns enough for himslelf. And thanks, its a shitty situation.
 
Sorry about the awful situation - I would book the flight for April but be prepared to cancel if the situation escalates, though I think at this stage it is unlikely to that strict border controls will be reimposed in a hurry, especially not for residents.
 
If McGowan does shut the border, could your husband stay with family or friends rent free in Ireland for the duration, whilst working and paying for your mortgage in WA? And in the meantime, get a new passport quickly, it took mine ten days to arrive last time and that wasn't expressed.

I know so many people with covid now, it doesn't seem like such a big deal. But it did at the back of Dec when the Qld border reopened. And from the messaging coming out of my head office in Perth.. it all feels slightly reactionary because you've been closed for two years.

Or another thought, if he gets stuck take in a lodger or student to make up the mortgage money, whilst he waits it out working in Ireland.

Or... With the way house prices have gone up so much, if you have equity maybe the bank will put your repayments on hold for a while.
 
Last edited:
Borders won't be shut for immediately no reason, there will have been talk beforehand of a possible dangerous new variant. That's when a decision can be made on whether to return on the next flight or not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LDC
go. Ifs and buts. If the other stuff happens worry about it then. Right now this is the situation and he wants needs, to be there, obviously. So yeah, I would go.
 
Chairman Meow said:
All you people saying go, we could lose everything if he got stuck. That's what I'm worried about. Of course I want him to see his brother again, but we have a mortgage to pay too.
Click to expand...
I can absolutely understand that anxiety, I’d feel the same. It doesn’t mean I think he shouldn’t go but I do think it needs more thought about the potential implications. The chances are it will be fine but I am a planner and I’d want to know what our contingency is.

I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘just go and deal with the fallout later’ when you have bills and a mortgage etc
It’s so so important for your husband to see his brother and his family and it’s a heartbreaking situation but that doesn’t make everything else stop.

Booking the flight then seeing what the situation is just before is a good idea.
Can any family help out financially if needed?
What can you guys do now to plan ahead for an extended time away?

I’m so sorry you’re all having to deal with this.
 
Chairman Meow keep the
faith in your ability to cope & roll with the punches regardless of what life may throw at you. Whatever happens with the border I'm sure you'll both muddle through, and it's not going to be permanent.

Or if he decides against going, ensure he does all he can with his brother from here. FaceTime every day, have zoom parties, whatever it takes to make those memories and feel okay about his choice
 
Sorry you're in this horrible situation.

The rules probably won't change, and, if they did, it's unlikey to happen overnight. Which means the chances of him being locked out of the state are slim. And, even if that did happen, I don't imagine for a moment that the mortgage company would be interested in repossesing for a few months missed paymets; it wouldn't be worth their time and effort, and would be a PR disaster in all the circumstances. So, the situation you fear is very, very unlikley to occur, and, even if it did, you could probably get round it with a loan, or even a whip-round from Urban!

The upshot is, if it was me, I'd definitley take that very small risk to see a dying sibling for the last time.

But all the best for whatever you decide.
 
Thora said:
Wouldn’t be a question for me if it was my brother. Let him go and work out what to do if and when problems arise.
Click to expand...
Yep, this.

Regarding what's likely in WA over the medium term, what is most likely is that omicron will spread very rapidly, as it has done everywhere else, and they'll have to rethink their ideas about isolation. Beyond that, with new variants, etc, who knows? Not worth worrying about imho.
 
Some excellent food for thought here. I do understand the 'Just go' posters, I really do. But the border here was shut for two years. I don't think that will happen again, but even if it shut again for a few months it would be a financial disaster for us. My husband's family would house and feed him if he got stuck in Ireland, but they wouldn't be able to pay our bills. Even if he got work there it wouldn't be enough as his wages here are more than double what he could earn there. We only bought our house in Feb 2020 and just remortgaged to get a better deal, so while we do have some equity, I'm not sure if we could take a mortgage holiday yet (although I agree it would be a bad look for any bank to say no in the circumstances).

We do have a very helpful travel agent here who specializes in helping people to get back in special circumstances ( she helped get my husband fly back when his dad died). He is going to speak to her and see what she recommends, and also pay to rush his passport so at least it will be valid should he get stuck ($500!). If our Covid numbers keep going up though, I will still be really worried if he decides to go, I know in the UK you are all pretty used to Covid by now, but that isn't how it is here, and can't help but worry!
 
I would not influence him one way or the other.
It really is his decision.

Having said that.. April is likely to have a lot less covid in Ireland. Currently omicron is officially 3800 a day. Majority of people are fully vacc plus boosted 91%. April seems a good option and he will be back before passport runs out.

Let him decide. And dont worry.
 
I'm not looking for judgement either way, and its obviously entirely his decision. He has asked for my opinion though. And I'm more worried about him getting Covid here before he goes I think, as it really is starting to sweep through here as no-one has had it here before. Last week I didn't know of a single person who had had Covid here, now I know five. So that making me pretty anxious in general, not just about this situation,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Will you be getting a private covid vaccination?
2 3
Replies
69
Views
2K
MrCurry
MrCurry
l'Otters
Do we want a thread for people who haven’t had covid?
2 3 4
Replies
98
Views
3K
gentlegreen
gentlegreen
On Fire
Covid: FBI chief Christopher Wray says China lab leak 'most likely'
Replies
9
Views
511
elbows
elbows
bimble
Tell me about getting your sense of smell back after covid ?
Replies
20
Views
752
Riklet
Riklet
WhyLikeThis
Covid now inducing mad cow disease?
Replies
7
Views
677
Epona
Epona
Back
Top Bottom