Do you disapprove of people who are planning an overseas holiday this summer?

[MickiQ]

Just got my negative test done ready for return to UK. The best bit is that the UK Gov requires this test to be in either English or french or Spanish. Nothing else is acceptable. What a joke of a country.

That's weird, If they were going to insist on official languages that's one thing but the official languages of the UK are English and Welsh (which it would seem isn't acceptable) if they're willing to take it in non-official languages then more people speak Mandarin and Hindi than Spanish and more people speak Arabic and Bengali than speak French which is down in 7th place.
I suspect some lawyer (probably a Welsh one) is going to make his/her name over this shortly.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That's weird, If they were going to insist on official languages that's one thing but the official languages of the UK are English and Welsh (which it would seem isn't acceptable) if they're willing to take it in non-official languages then more people speak Mandarin and Hindi than Spanish and more people speak Arabic and Bengali than speak French which is down in 7th place.
I suspect some lawyer (probably a Welsh one) is going to make his/her name over this shortly.

Where the fuck would you get a PCR test certificate in Welsh outside of Wales

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

On a more serious point, the passenger locator form is for England. Wales and Scotland have their own, so I suppose they accept Welsh and Gaelic if you could find a place that could rustle one up.

 

[2hats]

And Switzerland allows people to enter test free if they have had a Sinovac jab, the one that doesn't work, so it ain't all sunlit uplands over there.

80+% efficacy to symptomatic COVID-19 (mix of alpha and beta) and zero deaths reported recently for Sinovac CoronaVac. Perhaps less efficacy to gamma and lambda in much older cohorts.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

80+% efficacy to symptomatic COVID-19 (mix of alpha and beta) and zero deaths reported recently for Sinovac CoronaVac. Perhaps less efficacy to gamma and lambda in much older cohorts.

Chile.

 

[MickiQ]

Where the fuck would you get a PCR test certificate in Welsh outside of Wales

I'd imagine you would struggle to get one even in Wales to be honest but Welsh is still an official language but as I say I expect some lawyer to make his name out of this

 

[2hats]

Chile.

Versus more recent separate studies in Brazil, Uruguay and Turkey which point to 70-80+%. The Chilean results are inferred and only to all infection. They also still haven't been published in the open literature yet.

 

[bimble]

Versus more recent separate studies in Brazil, Uruguay and Turkey which point to 70-80+%. The Chilean results are inferred and only to all infection. They also still haven't been published in the open literature yet.

So you’re saying the Sinovac is better than our very own Oxford one?

 

[bimble]

What is really messed up here in swissland is that their vaccine refusal rate is similar to Texas. Weird country.

 

[nagapie]

What is really messed up here in swissland is that their vaccine refusal rate is similar to Texas. Weird country.

Shit country tbf.

 

[bimble]

Shit country tbf.

Good cheese tho.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Good cheese tho.

Fucking great for shoplifting.

 

[scifisam]

What is really messed up here in swissland is that their vaccine refusal rate is similar to Texas. Weird country.

Everything I've ever heard about Switzerland makes the word weird seem like an understatement. Not bad, necessarily, except in this case, but very much the odd kid in the class who brought a briefcase to school.

 

[clicker]

Good cheese tho.

And chocolate.

 

[planetgeli]

I'd imagine you would struggle to get one even in Wales to be honest

 

[MickiQ]

View attachment 281002

Love it

 

[nagapie]

Good cheese tho.

Everywhere has good cheese.

 

[The39thStep]

Now they’ve dropped the quarantine for double vaxed people from the EU I’ll try and nip back October but my test result presumably before the flight will be in Portuguese .

 

[_Russ_]

Yes I do disapprove, Im not certain its a reasonable standpoint but its how I feel
OK there are exceptions that I accept as very valid reasons, but as far as the "omg I havnt been on holiday for 18 months my mental health is suffering" lot, nah grow a set.

 

[Edie]

My lad went to Menorca last week, back last weekend. Tomorrow he’s off to Mykonos on an all inclusive pretty much for free after a mate dropped out. He’s 18 and starting a full time apprenticeship in September so this is his last summer of freedom. He’s been doing zero hour delivery driving to pay for it. Can’t say I approve, although honestly? I’m glad for him at the same time. It’s been a miserable 18 months for him including losing his best mate Piotr in a car crash at Christmas and a bunch of his mates being caught up in a stabbing incident. I am mega nagging him about getting the jab tho and I’ve won, he’s getting it done on his return.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

The way I feel at the moment the title would more accurately reflect my feelings if it said “Do you approve of people?”

I've been wanting to say yes to this question since this post

 

[skyscraper101]

I'm a bit confused and trying to work out what the feasibility of a weekend in Berlin is like right now. I'm double vaccinated so no quarantine needed on arrival.

As far as I can tell I can enter Germany (Amber) without a covid test, just my full vaccine record. But on return I need to show a negative test result taken within 72 hours before boarding the flight - but this can be a standard lateral flow though right? Not (the more expensive) PCR? Right?

And according to the government advice I need to have 'booked' a day 2 and day 8 release test before leaving?

So do I need to show three things before boaring the plane back to the UK? The 72 hour negative test, the day 2, and day 8 bookings?

Any experts? Bahnhof Strasse ?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I'm a bit confused and trying to work out what the feasibility of a weekend in Berlin is like rig

ht now. I'm double vaccinated so no quarantine needed on arrival.

As far as I can tell I can enter Germany (Amber) without a covid test, just my full vaccine record. But on return I need to show a negative test result taken within 72 hours before boarding the flight - but this can be a standard lateral flow though right? Not (the more expensive) PCR? Right?

And according to the government advice I need to have 'booked' a day 2 and day 8 release test before leaving?

So do I need to show three things before boaring the plane back to the UK? The 72 hour negative test, the day 2, and day 8 bookings?

Any experts? Bahnhof Strasse ?

Entry to Germany with just the NHS app showing you are double jabbed plus this form: Digitale Einreiseanmeldung


Return to UK is PCR test (lateral flow/Antigen is acceptable, but could be rejected and I really do not recommend it).

UK passenger locator form and then a PCR test on day two after you arrive in the UK (arrival day is day zero).



Personally for a leisure break I wouldn't bother right now. A two week holiday yeah, a 2 day business trip where you may earn a couple of grand, yeah, otherwise not worth the hassle.

 

[skyscraper101]

Entry to Germany with just the NHS Covid app showing you are double jabbed plus this form: Digitale Einreiseanmeldung


Return to UK is PCR test (lateral flow/Antigen is acceptable, but could be rejected and I really do not recommend it).

UK passenger locator form and then a PCR test on day two after you arrive in the UK (arrival day is day zero).



Personally for a leisure break I wouldn't bother right now. A two week holiday yeah, a 2 day business trip where you may earn a couple of grand, yeah, otherwise not worth the hassle.

But do you need to show the Day 2, and Day 8 bookings before boarding a flight back?

(lateral flow/Antigen is acceptable, but could be rejected and I really do not recommend it).
Is there any clear guidance that says this? I can't find anything.

 

[Cloo]

I just don't really get why you'd do it when there's so much uncertainty and airports are just going to be total nightmares. I'm a bit annoyed now we didn't get away last summer (my parents have a place in my mum's homeland Slovakia, so we have an easy holiday option), as we thought it might be easier/safer this year * hollow laugh *

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

You don't need day 8 test. Day 2 needs to be prebooked and the details uploaded to the passenger locator form prior to travel.

Re Antigen/lateral flow tests:

The test must meet performance standards of ≥97% specificity, ≥80% sensitivity at viral loads above 100,000 copies/ml.

This could include tests such as:

• a nucleic acid test, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or derivative technologies, including loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests
• an antigen test, such as a test from a lateral flow device

There's too much that can go wrong, a PCR test can't go wrong. (fwiw BB1 used an Antigen test to get to Greece, but a PCR test is gold standard so that is what I would recommend).

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I just don't really get why you'd do it when there's so much uncertainty and airports are just going to be total nightmares.

We flew Heathrow to Heraklion on Saturday; having heard that there may be queues we changed the car pick up from 0630 to 0600 for an 0855 flight. We pulled up at T5 at 0640, there was a queue for club class/silver exec club check in, normally ~20 minutes at that time of day, this time less than 5 minutes. Check in was over for four people with baggage in under five minutes, security was through in under 10 minutes in spite of me being pulled for special screening as per, by 0700 we were in the lounge glugging champagne. At no point did we get crowded with others or feel unsafe in any way. The queue to board the aircraft was nicely distanced, on the flight everyone wore masks except whilst eating or drinking (which was most of the time tbf) but onboard the filtration system is pretty good. Pinch point was immigration at Heraklion, distancing was not so good, but that was very quick, <5 minutes. Baggage reclaim was distanced, no queue at car hire desk. Was a lot less hassle than I was expecting.

We have a domestic Greek flight next week, see how that goes...

 

[nottsgirl]

I’ve got a week in France booked but I have already postponed it. Hopefully I can postpone it multiple times until things are pretty much zero hassle.

 

[bimble]

So i won't need to quarantine upon return.
And the only reason for that is that i got my vaccinations in Great Britian. That makes sense.

 

[nagapie]

I’ve got a week in France booked but I have already postponed it. Hopefully I can postpone it multiple times until things are pretty much zero hassle.

Will we ever go back to zero hassle? This is my worry.
How will I ever travel with my two children to see my family again if it's all masks, quarantine and expensive testing required?