Originally Posted by KSVVZ2015 (Post 33049397)

The FT’s write up of the direction of travel describes a move from strict rules with legal backing and heavy fines to a system of encouragement and compliance. I’m trying to square that with many reports saying that foreign holidays this summer are still at risk. I’m curious if there is a middle ground that we will end up in like we were last June where non-essential cross border travel is not legally banned but the FCO advise is against all essential travel meaning that package holidays, etc. wouldn’t proceed and travel insurance will be nearly impossible to come by. That plus quarantine requirements, red list risk, and the 210 GBP testing requirement would probably put a damper on 90%+ of foreign holidays while not formally restricting freedom or requiring people who have other reasons for travel to try and pigeon hole it in “essential.” Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by KSVVZ2015 (Post 33053320)

Lol. Totally true. Honestly, we were part of the problem. We met (or shall we say "coordinated meeting by chance"?) friends with kids so they could play together in the park (SW London). Our friends may have brought champagne. We then ran into another set of friends with kids. And then they ran into not one but two more families they knew, etc. Loose distance was maintained and my mask stayed on when not consuming said champagne (but most people weren't masked). But the scene was replayed a thousand times over. The playground was JAMMED (we did make the kids stay out of it and play elsewhere). And the police walked around doing nothing. The March 29 restrictions don't really change anything in that regard. Being able to drive out to a NT site or something to walk and picnic will be nice. And honestly, that should have been allowed the entire time. Because in urban London, prohibiting people from going to the near-country to take walks actually creates more crowded conditions within the city (it wasn't an issue in January given that people were actually really afraid of the high case numbers and the weather was terrible - but with cases down 90% and better weather, people aren't hunkering down anymore).

Originally Posted by CrazyLilBlondie (Post 33053324)

This is what im hoping for. I have travel booked for the end of April and as long as it is not "illegal" we have every intention of getting on that flight, paying for our four tests, the extra insurance for travelling against advice, and quaranting on return. We will jump through hoops. The only game changer would be if we each had to pay the £1750 for a hotel quarantine on return, but other than that we are willing to travel despite restrictions.

Originally Posted by paulaf (Post 33053311)

No I won't be following the rules in a month or 2 if the cases and deaths are close to zero, but if the shops and pubs are still closed we can't do anything about that or demand them to reopen. I agree was very busy yesterday with more large groups, certainly mixed households having coffees not walking so this new change amount to nothing for most people.

Originally Posted by flashware (Post 33053343)

It doesn't really amount to nothing for most people. It's a big difference, it's meeting up legally as opposed to illegally. That to me feels like a pretty big change.

Originally Posted by paulaf (Post 33053293)

Doesn't seem to matter stunning results if we can't have our normal lives back! They must be aiming for zero Covid.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 33053347)

That's not the case, in fact if you look carefully at the material in the media, the implications that even if the R rate goes above one, and/or the numbers infected goes up, that won't necessarily stop the easing up of conditions. How so? Because the focus is on hospitalisation and deaths. In other words, once Covid stops landing people in hospital intensive care for days on end and filling up morturaries then that's good enough. And if the vaccines do this - and the preliminary result suggest it does precisely this as well as reducing transmissions too - then we can carefully open up.

A bit of patience would help here. Until 3 days ago the UK had the highest death rate in Europe, and we're still in the top quartile - 488 people dying each average day is like a jumbo jet crashing every 20 hours. The death rate is dropping fairly dramatically but this is where we need to take it carefully since none of us would want to undo the progress made out of over eagerness.

Originally Posted by flashware (Post 33053353)

Agree, it's really disheartening to read some of the last few posts on this thread about people are already breaking the rules. Surely we should be doing our bit by just being patient and following the rules. Yes, it's a rubbish situation but we're all in it together so it's not like it's just you.

Originally Posted by PxC (Post 33051909)

A friend of mine says that their local pharmacy has occasionally had spare jabs at the end of the working day (to avoid waste) and they offer them to people in the pharmacy. Is it worth popping in just before closing each day to try and bag one? If they're only going to waste anyway I don't see any moral issue.

Originally Posted by flashware (Post 33053353)

Agree, it's really disheartening to read some of the last few posts on this thread about people are already breaking the rules. Surely we should be doing our bit by just being patient and following the rules. Yes, it's a rubbish situation but we're all in it together so it's not like it's just you.

Originally Posted by flashware (Post 33053353)

Agree, it's really disheartening to read some of the last few posts on this thread about people are already breaking the rules. Surely we should be doing our bit by just being patient and following the rules. Yes, it's a rubbish situation but we're all in it together so it's not like it's just you.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 33051983)

If you volunteer at your local centre, directing the parking or collating paperwork, you would be well placed for any spare jabs, but from what I can make out many places even have a waiting list for volunteers.

Originally Posted by flashware (Post 33053353)

Agree, it's really disheartening to read some of the last few posts on this thread about people are already breaking the rules. Surely we should be doing our bit by just being patient and following the rules. Yes, it's a rubbish situation but we're all in it together so it's not like it's just you.

Originally Posted by 13901 (Post 33053379)

The issue is one of enforcement, as usual.

The scenes from the parks that Ahmetdouas and others have reported from this past weekend have been going on for months in London. I've re-discovered cycling as a way to get endorphins in my body and ever since I did, even during the cold snap of last week, I noticed parks being full. Even Bushy Park (SW London, normally very quiet) was heaving on a Tuesday morning with temperature a hair above 0C. And it wasn't only the elderly or the soon-to-be-made-redundant like me working off their holiday allowance! Plenty of families around, plenty of "chance meetings". If this is forbidden, then HMG should enforce it. Much in the same way as they should enforce mask wearing on the Tube or, when it was a thing, allowing only members of the same households in pubs. Instead we have parks carpeted with people, travellers without masks or nose sticking out on the trains and a surprising amount of cohabiting couples in their 40s and 50s...

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 33053235)

So this is correct, the lockdown formally ends on 29 March, but as the hospitality sector remains restricted, therefore it's "stay at home overnight" for Phase 1. I suspect we will find that Phase 4 essentially allows UK holidays towards the middle of the year, with overseas holidays in Phase 5, in other words not yet specified in terms of time or scope.