Things must be pretty bleak around Marbella and the Costa del Sol.  Must be similar to Phuket with many closed restaurants and hotels.

31 minutes ago, OswaldBastable said:

England was a total nightmare, you couldn't go out, then you could, then you couldn't.

The weather was awful, and even if you could go out everywhere was shut.

I can't see much surviving, everyone is just accumulating debt, all the rent/mortgage/loans will need to be paid in the end.

 

Thailand was about the only place I could find to escape after a year of that  nonsense.

And even that wasn't easy, and was expensive (about 3,000 pounds all in), but at least I have 3 months where hopefully I will be able to live a life again. If they ever let me out  of this hotel.

Never been to Asia before, looking forward to bars, beaches and whatever else there is to see and do.

 

Wow... if you'd only waited a week or so, you could have gotten Cyprus without any quarantine.

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

 

Wow... if you'd only waited a week or so, you could have gotten Cyprus without any quarantine.

I have a suspicion sun, sea and sand might not be the top of his agenda.

Belgium has had a ban on "non-essential travel" in place since end of January. However they will not stop you if you have no residence in Belgium or if you can show your trip is essential. I've seen guys boarding who just "had a girlfriend" in TH. Enforcement is sketchy at Brussels airport (only less than 15 flights a day left anyway, the Belgian gvt did a good job of stifling the economy). I wonder how enforcement will be in the UK.

Think this story is more scare mongering than anything to be worried about.

 

The UK has clearly marked out a road map to get out of the covid situation - this including foreign holidays - and hopefully we will be well on the way to vaccinating the population (unlike Thailand) and opening up fully by May / June. 

 

With say vaccine passports international travel should be possible by the summer. An international travel ban on holidays during this interval should not be an issue to most.

 

I've been away from the wife for a year now, and want to get back without hoops - but we can both wait until October, it's near now than last March. 

 

My biggest fear is travel to Thailand this year being a non-starter due to THAILAND's vaccine inadequate roll-out

This was posted on the Pattaya Mail site a couple days ago.

Had to laugh at one part of the article:
"Passengers are being advised not to take to the airport golf bags, jet skis, tennis equipment fishing rods or similar give-away evidence of the intention to have a pleasurable time abroad."

I'm curious how many people show up at the airport with their jet skis and try to have them checked-in as luggage. ????

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/all-british-tourists-now-banned-from-vacations-in-thailand-or-anywhere-else-345899?fbclid=IwAR1ODM0EQtuDEwKYbSnLiifInawMV8Vm1IgAgbSRJgvbjXX4HkWW6f02HNQ

Just now, Kerryd said:

I'm curious how many people show up at the airport with their jet skis and try to have them checked-in as luggage.

They don't silly, its cabin baggage. 

This has been the case in the UK (or England at least, I don't keep up with what's happening in the devolved UK governments) since the lockdown started. It seems like some people were taking liberties with it and had an "essential" holiday though. All they've done is tighten the control rather than the restrictions themselves. Or locking the stable door after the horse has bolted, as Boris is so fond of doing.

 

That said, if all goes to plan with the vaccination roll out the travel ban is due to be reported on by the 12th April and the ban lifted by 17th May. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary

 

EDIT: Seems like the 17th May has been quietly removed from the roadmap, perhaps pending the results of the 12th April review. Original roadmap with the 17th May (at the earliest) date for lifting of travel restrictions can be seen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518

 

2 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

They don't silly, its cabin baggage. 

I joked in a FB group about someone showing up with a jet ski and claiming it was their "emotional support jet ski" which exempts it from having to go as checked baggage and exempts it from the weight restriction as well.

1 minute ago, Kerryd said:

I joked in a FB group about someone showing up with a jet ski and claiming it was their "emotional support jet ski" which exempts it from having to go as checked baggage and exempts it from the weight restriction as well.

did it work? 

This is fascism in its purest form, thank god I am not stuck in that <deleted> hole! 

If only they were as diligent with arrivals. 

25 minutes ago, dddave said:

Things must be pretty bleak around Marbella and the Costa del Sol.  Must be similar to Phuket with many closed restaurants and hotels.

I believe they'd rather be healthy..

2 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I see one big flaw in their area quarantine proposal. The main reason they keep you in quarantine after testing negative on the third day is because of cases that occurred in which people tested negative at first and then positive later on (10th, 11th day). That means that people passing the first test can still be positive later. 

 

Now, it seems people will be allowed to mingle with others within the hotel limits. What if someone that passed the first test but is still actually a carrier gets in contact with someone on their 13th or 14 day of quarantine and give it to them? This person may end up going free the next day and spread it later on.

 

The incubation period is what many people aren't clued up on.

I see this as a boon to medical tourism in Thailand. 

1 minute ago, Keesters said:

If only they were as diligent with arrivals. 

you think this is being diligent now? it's about 8 months too late..

2 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I see one big flaw in their area quarantine proposal. The main reason they keep you in quarantine after testing negative on the third day is because of cases that occurred in which people tested negative at first and then positive later on (10th, 11th day). That means that people passing the first test can still be positive later. 

 

Now, it seems people will be allowed to mingle with others within the hotel limits. What if someone that passed the first test but is still actually a carrier gets in contact with someone on their 13th or 14 day of quarantine and give it to them? This person may end up going free the next day and spread it later on.

you tink too mutt

3 hours ago, overherebc said:

Back to the drawing board then??

 

Yeah, some are just born with their feet facing backwards .... 

Australians have had no chance to return to Thailand for at least 8 months now

I'm not sure about the rest of Europe but people in the UK usually only take 1 or 2 week breaks. Expecting people to come all the way over here to spend the majority of your holiday confined to one place seems a bit of a long shot.

Did East Germany Stasi moved to UK or what happened. This is no worse than Hong Kong pandemic 1968. Few even know/remember about that one. Up to 2 million deaths globally over period of two years but masks at buses at best back then. No lockdowns, no quarantines, no travel restrictions.

 

This is madness. The median age of victims has been 80+ years and 90 percent over 70 years old, 95+ percent over 60 and most with chronic conditions. Basically, the end of life care patients.

I guess that TAT will have to revise down their arrival numbers for 2021.

In their projection of arrivals, 6 Million were Brits. ⛔

Australia has been closed to non essential international travel for 12 months already. It's the main reason things are almost back to normal there. I went to visit a friend at the biggest hospital on the Gold Coast a couple of days ago and did not see any masks at all. That includes the doctors and nurses. Any business not related to international travel is booming at the moment. This has worked in New Zealand as well.

Wait.....!!!

The point of quarantine is to isolate you from other people except your family  so you don't transmit to others

So now you can roam around the hotel spreading it!?!??!  

Absolutely insane

 

And are these quarantine hotels only for quarantine guests or for anyone?

2 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I see one big flaw in their area quarantine proposal. The main reason they keep you in quarantine after testing negative on the third day is because of cases that occurred in which people tested negative at first and then positive later on (10th, 11th day). That means that people passing the first test can still be positive later. 

 

Now, it seems people will be allowed to mingle with others within the hotel limits. What if someone that passed the first test but is still actually a carrier gets in contact with someone on their 13th or 14 day of quarantine and give it to them? This person may end up going free the next day and spread it later on.

Probability 101. Testing negative on the first day might mean x% chance you might turn out positive down the road. Testing negative on both day 1 and day 3 and the chance drops to y%, where y << x, which is deemed an acceptable risk.

 

I don't have the numbers obviously but there's data around if you look and I bet that's on what they based their decision.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Effective from today (8 March), anyone travelling internationally from England will need to present a form stating their trip is permitted under the UK's current national lockdown rules.

Is this news from March last year?

Oh no of course not ! Last year Boris <deleted> everything up and let everybody fly anywhere (let's get everyone infected!).

And now when they finally getting on top of it, after almost 1 year, they come with a travel ban.

Hilarious ! Even Basil Fawlty couldn't come up with this...

Plenty of mature students & ex-pats going to be returning home for weddings & funerals then.

To understand this better, John who has tested negative and is currently on day 12 in his roam free ASQ resort,  meets Jim who has tested negative and is on day 4 of his ASQ. The two get on well together and join a bunch of other people in the resort.

 

John leaves the resort 2 days later and heads for the bars, meanwhile Jim, who previously tested negative on day 3, now tests positive on day 5.

 

Johns begin to feel unwell after a few days careering around the entertainment zones and coming into close contact with 100's of other people. John has Covid caught from Jim in his ASQ roam free resort and just before he leaves the ASQ. 

 

Quarantine, should mean quarantine .... you can't be half pregnant.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Last week, the Thai government unveiled its so-called ‘area quarantine’ plan which it hopes will attract more foreign tourists to Thailand.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

regardless of the plans the Thai government has for area quarantine, it is unlikely to include British tourists any time soon.

 

This is because British government has banned its citizens from travelling overseas on holiday

 

If I was the Brit' minister for holidays I'd let all the seaside resorts like Margate , Eastbourne , etc , open their own Soi/6's .. and if Thailand kicks off about it I'd say

" prostitution ? what prostitution .. you must be mistaken " ..  

2 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

I have Finland passport and i can always exit and come back in here! That is my constitutional right!

Is that wise in this covid situation? Maybe not but its my right anyway and that is how that should be!

 

Sorry buddy, it is not your right, it is only a privilege granted to you and may be taken away.