Air Bridges, to and from UK

[Trillian]

The UK press is reporting a series of low risk flight destinations that UK citizens can use for holidays that will avoid quarantine, these come in three tranches:

 

Tranches I - short haul France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany

 

Tranche II - Denmark, Norway, Finland, Holland, 'low-risk' Caribbean islands, La Reunion

 

Tranche III - much later in the year, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong

 

Despite its low case numbers, Thailand doesn't make the list(s)

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/24/exclusive-destinations-first-set-air-bridges-uk-revealed/

[blackcab]

9 minutes ago, Trillian said:

Despite its low case numbers, Thailand doesn't make the list(s)

 

That's not surprising. These are bilateral agreements that both countries have to agree to.

 

Thailand hasn't even agreed to open its land borders yet to countries such as Laos.

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, Trillian said:

Despite its low case numbers, Thailand doesn't make the list(s)

The real world doesn't believe Thailand's numbers ...... can't say I blame them.

[tribalfusion001]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The real world doesn't believe Thailand's numbers ...... can't say I blame them.

Yep agreewith that.

[tribalfusion001]

Already planning trips to Spain in July and Germany in August. Some good deals around with flights and not welcome in Thailand boo.

[rupert the bear]

strange that spore vietnam and hk are mentioned as they are locked up real tight right now,thailand is too,in fact just about all of asia,only a few super immortals with super immunity in their blood are allowed to travel.eg japanese businessmen!so whats going on in the back rooms.when can we get out and return,in the region ,to places like hk spore vietnam s korea and taiwan,all low risk.

[Trillian]

13 minutes ago, rupert the bear said:

strange that spore vietnam and hk are mentioned as they are locked up real tight right now,thailand is too,in fact just about all of asia,only a few super immortals with super immunity in their blood are allowed to travel.eg japanese businessmen!so whats going on in the back rooms.when can we get out and return,in the region ,to places like hk spore vietnam s korea and taiwan,all low risk.

As said in Post 2 these are bi-lateral agreements where both countries must agree. It looks like Singapore, Vietnam and HK have been asked and have agreed to reciprocate albeit those countries are not yet open. For us to get out (and back) both Thailand and the destination countries will have to agree and Thailand will have to open up....some months yet I think.

[Guderian]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The real world doesn't believe Thailand's numbers ...... can't say I blame them.

But you believe Vietnam's numbers, which are much better than Thailand's?

[Fairynuff]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The real world doesn't believe Thailand's numbers ...... can't say I blame them.

But you believe the numbers of the UK and US? They’re what you call the real world?

the GBP yesterday assessed as being on a par with emerging currencies, basically makes the UK the worlds first UNdeveloping country????

[Pilotman]

I read 'air bridges' and thought momentarily that it was regarding air bridges connecting aircraft to terminal in an airport.  Silly me, but then I remembered the long walks in T2 and T5 at LHR to get from aircraft to arrivals, when it feels like you are walking all the way from Thailand to London. 

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

But you believe Vietnam's numbers, which are much better than Thailand's?

Yes I do,

 

And, if you had looked and read of Vietnam's previous responses and readiness regarding virus outbreaks, and their ability to enforce rapid lock downs, as well as the speed they moved at to contain corona virus at the outset, you might too.

 

Vietnam has a good name for its foresight in these types of situations.

[Trillian]

I agree Vietnam is very capable in this area, they tell everyone what to do rather than hold a vote and a series of debates. But that doesn't mean that Thailand didn't also do just as well, in a slightly different way.

[5633572526]

7 hours ago, rupert the bear said:

strange that spore vietnam and hk are mentioned as they are locked up real tight right now,thailand is too,in fact just about all of asia,only a few super immortals with super immunity in their blood are allowed to travel.eg japanese businessmen!so whats going on in the back rooms.when can we get out and return,in the region ,to places like hk spore vietnam s korea and taiwan,all low risk.

You can get out you just can’t come back. TIT

[Letseng]

This is wishful thinking on  BoJo's part. Many European countries don't allow Brits.

UK herself should first become low risk before they start picking and choosing countries.

[Max69xl]

On 6/25/2020 at 3:20 PM, blackcab said:

 

That's not surprising. These are bilateral agreements that both countries have to agree to.

 

Thailand hasn't even agreed to open its land borders yet to countries such as Laos.

Do you think a bilateral agreement will help if one country is a high risk country?

Thailand hasn't open any border and it's not because of logic and numbers. 

 

[bkk_mike]

11 minutes ago, Letseng said:

This is wishful thinking on  BoJo's part. Many European countries don't allow Brits.

UK herself should first become low risk before they start picking and choosing countries.

Greece allows Brits. We're just not in the low risk category where we don't have to quarantine...

Instead, tested on arrival and stuck in quarantine for a week if the test is negative, but two weeks if the test is positive.

The only "gain" is not being required to self-isolate when you return to the UK. (Which isn't a big issue for those who can work from home anyway).

And anyone suggesting Greece is going overboard should look at the difference between the number of deaths in Greece and in the UK.

[Trillian]

1 minute ago, Max69xl said:

Do you think a bilateral agreement will help if one country is a high risk country?

Thailand hasn't open any border and it's not because of logic and numbers. 

 

In your example it would seem unlikely there would be an agreement, as evidenced by the fact Thailand is not on the UK list. Even if it were proposed on the list do you really think Thailand would accept the agreement, I think they would have to be mad to do so.

[mrfill]

"A larger second set of countries is expected to be unveiled next week, including other EU nations such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and Holland "

 

Firstly, Norway is certainly NOT an EU nation. It has never been a member of the EU.

Secondly, Holland is not a country but an area of a country called The Netherlands (rather like England is not a country but an area of the UK.

 

Typical sloppy reporting from the Tories favourite mouthpiece - The Daily Torygraph. Just chucking out a few random thoughts and wishes from the group of five mentioned, who all have a history of making overblown dubious statements. Up to 5 days ago Portugal was on the wish list but is now off as they claim there has been a spike in cases, so changes of mind can be very rapid. People with holidays could fly off thinking they avoid quarantine on return only to find that because of spikes, the rules have changed and its 14 days.  

[Henryford]

Has someone told the virus that "air bridges" are safe?

[Trillian]

Isn't this about reducing the probability of transmission and the risks? What worries me is the devious types who will travel to one of the safe countries in order to make the journey thus skirting any local isolation. There have been several cases reported in the press where travellers have hidden their illness by taking a large dose of meds to reduce their fever and then reported themselves as sick upon arrival at their destination, that in itself is pretty sick as far as I'm concerned.

[Upsticks]

I am just wondering if the posters who are so doubting the validity of the government Covid figures....if you have been in the country the past few months?Of course I don’t think that the numbers here are spot on(whose are) but I don’t think they are that far out either. I have lived here for 25 years and feel lucky to have a wide circle of western and Thai friends.Myself and everyone that I know “knows no one” who has had Covid symptoms.The local and private hospitals have seemed quieter than normal,the temple crematoriums are not bellowing out black smoke 24/7, and as far as I know Lumpini Park hasn’t been turned into a makeshift morgue.Generally not a hugh fan of the current regime.... but on this one I think credit “where credit due”.

We have been lucky to miss the Covid health bullet....the financial one of is of course another matter.

[Trillian]

3 minutes ago, Upsticks said:

I am just wondering if the posters who are so doubting the validity of the government Covid figures....if you have been in the country the past few months?Of course I don’t think that the numbers here are spot on(whose are) but I don’t think they are that far out either. I have lived here for 25 years and feel lucky to have a wide circle of western and Thai friends.Myself and everyone that I know “knows no one” who has had Covid symptoms.The local and private hospitals have seemed quieter than normal,the temple crematoriums are not bellowing out black smoke 24/7, and as far as I know Lumpini Park hasn’t been turned into a makeshift morgue.Generally not a hugh fan of the current regime.... but on this one I think credit “where credit due”.

We have been lucky to miss the Covid health bullet....the financial one of is of course another matter.

Very well said, that's the same  thing that we and all the people we know see also.

[stouricks]

42 minutes ago, mrfill said:

Secondly, Holland is not a country but an area of a country called The Netherlands (rather like England is not a country but an area of the UK.

Never knew that. Was taught that England, Scotland and Wales were separate COUNTRIES.

[mrfill]

7 minutes ago, stouricks said:

What did you do during geography lessons at school?   PML

Unless you can give us evidence to support your statement.

1. The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States was a treaty signed at Montevideo, Uruguay, on December 26 1933.

The convention set out the definition, rights and duties of statehood. Most well-known is Article 1, which set out four criteria for statehood, as quoted below.

The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications:

(a) a permanent population;

(b) a defined territory;

(c) government; and

(d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.

Article 3 of the Convention also declares that statehood is independent of recognition by other states, so a country can exist even if other countries don't recognize it.

 

There is no English Government, only a UK one (although Scotland has its own and Wales and Northern Ireland have Assemblies). England is part of the United Kingdom, not a separate country.

[from the home of CC]

these bridges will be blown up by the beginning of August, no one will allow a country to visit that doesn't have disease control and imo the UK government has been pressured into committing long lasting mistakes..

[dluek]

Not surprised to see a UK rag make it sound like air bridges will open whenever the Brits CHOOSE which countries they want on it. Typical superiority complex.

Reality check: Countries like Thailand and Vietnam won't be allowing Brit or American or probably even European tourists in until the Thais and Vietnamese have deemed those countries to be at a low enough risk. That is obviously not the case right now. 

[blackcab]

An incorrectly attributed quote has been removed.

[rickudon]

Having seen the totally non-social distanced crowds on Bournemouth's beaches this week, plus the illegal street parties around the UK, i reckon the chances of the second wave hitting those revellers is quite high. Only a desperate country would agree to one with the UK in July.

[sandyf]

On 6/26/2020 at 7:29 AM, Trillian said:

As said in Post 2 these are bi-lateral agreements where both countries must agree. It looks like Singapore, Vietnam and HK have been asked and have agreed to reciprocate albeit those countries are not yet open. For us to get out (and back) both Thailand and the destination countries will have to agree and Thailand will have to open up....some months yet I think.

Looks like "air bridges" have been kicked into touch and a different approach to be taken in the UK. Entry to Thailand will be determined by the Thais.

 

The government has moved away from talk of “air bridge” deals with individual countries. Instead, the Joint Biosecurity Centre – which was set up to coordinate the government’s response to the pandemic – is categorising countries with a “traffic light” system.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/travel-quarantine-coronavirus-flights-holidays-foreign-office-end-when-a9588611.html

[Trillian]

Be still my beating heart, Thailand makes the first cut in the new traffic light system, it gets a green along with Vietnam....Singapore gets Amber and the US gets Red!

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html