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Pandemic personal consequences

And I don't blame them for that either. I'm supposed to be going to Norway at the end of next week so that's in serious jeopardy now. When I booked it 3 months ago, I considered that this could happen and made sure that everything was refundable up until the day before we left (I think we might lose the flight costs if they're not actually cancelled but was ok with that). I know it's an unpopular opinion round here but I don't think people should be condemned for doing what they're allowed to as soon as possible. The world could lock-down until Covid isn't a problem but there'd be little left afterwards.
Yeah, I am careful to stay back from the blame game. I completely get why people want to go back to having the nice things, and it's a perfectly natural tendency, though I'd like to think that a) our media would stop presenting things in terms of "saving Christmas" and "getting back to normal", and do a bit more encouraging of people to stop and think about their assumptions and desires. But that's never going to happen.
 
He's a strong healthy lad so I would imagine little to no personal risk but he does have plenty of elderly relatives. FiL is in great shape for his age but he is nearly 90. I don't know why he has refused the vax possibly just teenage stubborness rather than any crackpot notions. He does tend to listen to his aunts (and indeed pretty much anyone) rather than his parents.
There seems to be a bit of machismo among young men, as in they're young, fit and healthy, so they think it doesn't affect them. Except there are plenty of examples of other young men who had the same train of thought who've been felled by it, or even killed by it. And, of course, as you say, it's not just about them, it's about other more vulnerable family members who they might pass it on to.
 
There seems to be a bit of machismo among young men, as in they're young, fit and healthy, so they think it doesn't affect them. Except there are plenty of examples of other young men who had the same train of thought who've been felled by it, or even killed by it. And, of course, as you say, it's not just about them, it's about other more vulnerable family members who they might pass it on to.
And this is, I think, where "mandatory" has to come in. In exactly the same way that we don't say "oh, just drive as fast as you think is safe", but put in limits which are (ahem) broadly reflective of the level of risk on a particular stretch of road, rather than leave it to individual judgement, so there are times when we have to say "the collective good is better served by depriving you of that particular choice". And it exists everywhere, at some level. I won't claim it gets it right every time, but it's a start. And, perhaps not coincidentally, quite a lot of those strictures do end up applying particularly to young men, who tend to be more predisposed to thinking in terms of what THEY want to do than in the service of that collective good.
 
Looks like this latest omicron development has added some spice to my work negotiations it was eventually going to leach down

Apparently no one will award a contract if it means paying for a Quarantine on return to the U.K plus paying my day rate for a fortnight

So I’m being asked if I will take a fortnight in a shit hotel near Heathrow on the chin if corona restrictions increase. The agency will pay for the hote isolation but not pay me for my time..

Fortunately U.K. entry hasn’t been a problem in corona times and I’m on the key worker list but it’s a bit funky that they are trying to save money on the back of it
 
You jest but this is literally what happened with my young work colleague. He's 18 still living at home. His mum is a head teacher. He got Covid from his girlfriend and spent his isolation period in the summer house in their garden because they didn't want his mum to get it. It has a TV and a radiator so wasn't quite as bad as it sounds but still :eek:
Early in the pandemic when we were all still shit scared of dying my youngest son developed a high fever out of nowhere. As I was CEV I was packed off within hours to the granny annex at my sister’s house for my protection, with a turbo trainer, acoustic guitar and about fifteen crates of Lego to sort through. Absolute bliss.
 
It's over £2k for 10 days in a quarantine hotel.
Admittedly the nearest I've been to going abroad in the past 2 years is a day trip to the Isle of Wight but I thought they had finished all this compulsory isolating in hotels shit when the the Floppy Haired one declared Freedom Day, am I wrong then?
 
Admittedly the nearest I've been to going abroad in the past 2 years is a day trip to the Isle of Wight but I thought they had finished all this compulsory isolating in hotels shit when the the Floppy Haired one declared Freedom Day, am I wrong then?

It was reintroduced at 4 am last Sunday for people returning from red-list countries in South Africa, where there's a high level of the omicron variant.
 
It was reintroduced at 4 am last Sunday for people returning from red-list countries in South Africa, where there's a high level of the omicron variant.
I did not know that. Googling the list of red list countries none of them are places I have ever been or are ever likely to go. However current plans for 2022 in the Q household go no further than a vague wish to revisit Scotland.
 
It was reintroduced at 4 am last Sunday for people returning from red-list countries in South Africa, where there's a high level of the omicron variant.
Yes, sadly BIL was visiting his dying friend in Malawi and left just before they announced the discovery of omicron in SA, and 2 days later they closed off Malawi too.
 
A small but slightly sorrowful one for me: s a result of daughter's school (sensibly) reintroducing some Covid precautions, we will now not be able to go and watch her Christmas concert :( She's my youngest and will be in high school next year, so I was really looking forward to one last primary carol concert.
 
BIL is on his way back on Amsterdam leg of flight - they have actually moved the 'hotel quarantine' deadline back from 4am this morning to 4am tomorrow IIRC, so in theory he could isolate at home. I'm not sure what he's decided to do - he may take hotel option given he has a public health job and it may be the right thing to do from a professional standpoint.

I don't think anyone was complaining about sudden changes, everyone knows they're to be expected, but we have had quarantine hotels before and I'm just suprised there's no drop down option for 'The status of the country I was in changed after I travelled' when having to take quarantine hotel space at least?

All sympathies to your BIL, but if the status changes while they're there it's because something has changed, so they're as much of an extra risk as if they'd left after it was a red list country. It won't feel fair from the traveller's POV, but the risk of bringing covid in doesn't actually change just because you've been there longer.
 
My weird aunt and uncle are visiting the UK tomorrow from West Bengal to go to their daughter’s wedding next weekend. I’ve escaped for the weekend so I might only see them briefly thankfully. They have not bothered testing and went straight to my aunt’s sister and they’re staying in my bed for two nights, but at least this is before the wedding.
I hope they don’t expect hugs when I see them briefly on Sunday evening/Monday morning. Want to burn my bed n all.
 
I've had to break up with someone I liked a lot, broadly because they have turned out to be an antivaxxer, or in their own words 'vaccine hesitant '.

The breaking point for me was realising that if we stayed together I would end up having to defend their choice to friends and family (or risk accusations of 'not being supportive' etc) and I just couldn't put myself in that position.

I could see massive headaches on the horizon around it, particularly because of my job, and frankly not worth the time and emotional investment (I didn't say that to the individual!)

Still, I was really enjoying myself and it's a proper shame because we had so much else in common. At my age I may not find that kind of connection again. I'm a bit sad, though it was all a huge surprise to begin with. Oh well.
 
Was anything mandated wrt masks. Because this weekend it was literally cheek to Jowl without a mask in sight in all the pubs and clubs in town
 
Same here for my youngest. It's her birthday party on Sunday too. She'll be gutted if she has to miss that.

Yeah, BB2 was due at a birthday party yesterday, the girl who's do it was has Covid, I dropped a pressie round yesterday, big sign on the door stating they are isolating and to leave stuff on the doorstep. Actually hit me quite hard, as in a wave of oomph depression flooding over me, and now this shit. Blurgh.
 
Coming to end of first day of 3-day isolation before for minor hospital procedure on Thurs. Did PCR this morning and am trying to keep to front room and spare bedroom as much as possible. Grateful we have the space for that, and also that they had a slot this week as any of the next few weeks those 3 days (well, 4 really when you count procedure) would have fucked plans up. Assuming those happen.
 
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