It does get easier the more infections you have, plus the current spectrum of variants are continuing to weaken. The virus has to do this in order to survive, it doesn't want to hit any point of no return. Three is now the median level of re-infection, just under 5% of the population has stayed negative throughout (I'm one of them).

I think it is worth regular travellers going around with a spare test box, which are fairly inexpensive - if nothing else it is useful at the time if you are uncertain.

Naah, don't worry about it, they don't care, those who cared were wearing masks, and the rest are completely fine with it.


I don't know, is it petty to keep scores like that, they brought it to the party this time, you buy the next round...I am asking for myself though, as I tend to hold grudges against the person who came in sick and unmasked and superspread it in our last work retreat....

On that point, I did notice there were two people on the outbound with masks and none on the way back. But let's not get into that debate.

Wow, I didn't realise it was that low. I've also stayed negative throughout (and I used to do a weekly test to visit my mother). I assumed I'd get it when my wife did, but I managed to stay clear of it.

Well as long as that was the only thing you came back from Gib with then I think you have done rather well! All the best! :)

Weekly data:

England cases 1,577 (1,704 last Monday) - down 9.6% week on week
England deaths down 12.2% week on week
Patients admitted in England 517 (525 on the 24th)
Patients in hospital in England 4,585 (5,043 on the 26th)
Patients in ventilation beds 124 (101 on the 26th)

In the week starting 23rd April BA.5 accounted for 0% of cases, BQ.0.3%, BA2.75 5% BA.2 0.6%, CH.1.1 3.3%, XBB.1.5 43.1% and others 52.4%.

Weekly data:

England cases 1,270 (1,646 last Monday) - down 6.8% week on week
England deaths down 13.5% week on week
Patients admitted in England 456 (517 on the 1st)
Patients in hospital in England 4,207 (4,585 on the 3rd)
Patients in ventilation beds 100 (124 on the 3rd)

In the week starting 30th April BA.5 accounted for 0% of cases, BQ.1 0.5%, BA2.75 0% BA.2 0.9%, CH.1.1 4.2%, XBB.1.5 42.4% and others 52.1%.

I went to UCLH last week and I was told by a consultant that they don't advise masks anywhere anymore, since the WHO announcement that covid is no longer a PHEIC (Public health emergency of international concern). I would have expected public hospitals to at least encourage people to wear one, but apparently not!

No masking, no testing, no problem.

There are a few exceptions in healthcare where masks might usually be worn for general infection control and can locally agree some extension protocols, but as of I think the 16th May 2023 the already limited mask wearing advice (was mainly social care) is now is fully withdrawn.

The data takes us back to summer 2020, at least for the number of people in mechanical ventilation beds which may be the only directly comparable metric. Weekly data:

England cases 1,095 (1,319 last Monday) - down 18.5% week on week
England deaths down 8.3% week on week
Patients admitted in England per week 2,963 (3,223 on the 3rd)
Patients in hospital in England 3,550 (4,207 on the 10th)
Patients in ventilation beds 89 (100 on the 10th)

In the week starting 7th May BA.5 accounted for 0% of cases, BQ.1 0%, BA2.75 0% BA.2 0.7%, CH.1.1 4.7%, XBB.1.5 28.7% and others 66%.

The final day of COVID-19 testing at LHR will be Sunday 11 June. The last remaining facility, on the T3 forecourt, will close up and from Monday there will be zero testing facilities on the Heathrow estate, and not many near by either. Feels like the end of an era.

Boots and other merchants will continue to sell the self-testing kits for the time being.

And maybe with that, we could ask the mods to close this thread and confine it to the realm of bad memories?

I cannot think of anywhere you can fly to from LHR that requires a test for entry. There are still a few countries that require it in lieu of vaccination, but not with routes from LHR.

Weekly data:

England cases 1,036 (1,054 last Monday) - down 17.4% week on week
England deaths down 25.8% week on week
Patients admitted in England per week 2,268 (2,438 on the 17th)
Patients in hospital in England 3,116 (3,550 on the 17th)
Patients in ventilation beds 81 (89 on the 17th)

In the week starting 14th May BA.5 accounted for 0% of cases, BQ.1 0%, BA2.75 1.3% BA.2 0%, CH.1.1 4.4%, XBB.1.5 27.5% and others 66.9%.

In Great Britain I would say less than 0.1% of people are wearing masks these days, and those who do are mostly wearing FFP2. (Of course this is personal experience, but I have travelled around a lot of GB in the past few months.)

I've just been on a short trip to several places across Northern Ireland and I was surprised by the number of people wearing masks, including outdoors. I would say it was approaching 1% of people, but a majority of these were cloth masks and mostly worn badly, with the nose exposed, big gaps between mask and skin, etc. I found this somewhat bizarre.