Hi there,
I live in England and technically am supposed to be shielding. I do the best I can but to be honest what I am doing is much more like socially isolating.
Clearly what the government advice is for me is to reduce my risk of infection as if I caught the virus they consequences for me might be more significant than for the majority of the population. I also recognise that this would have a resource implication for the NHS and understand this completely
I am less clear on why other decisions are being made and how they intend to enforce them. It is planned that you can meet another family outside or even indoors but you must still maintain a 1 meter social distance. At the same time you are allowed to go to a pub or restaurant and presumably if you happened to be sitting close to several of your friends from different families providing you maintain the 1 meter distance this would be OK.
Presumably pubs are mainly opening due to the economic pressure which they can place on the government as schools with the lower risk under 18 year olds are still restricted to 2 meters and not able to open fully.
Hairdressers will be able to open (I'm not quite sure how the screens are supposed to work in hairdressing) but nail bars (where I can easily see how a bank teller type screen where someone can put their hand through would work) are not. I presume the authorities think that it is more important to get your hair cut than looking after your nails.
I still have a holiday booked to go to Croatia late in the summer. Croatia had one of the lowest rates of infection and deaths but whilst I should be able to go there OK, at the moment I would be expected to quarantine for two weeks on my return. Not an issue for me personally but two of the party work and there is no way that they could arrange another two weeks off work. For various reasons we do not have cancellation insurance. I doubt that the holiday firm would consider having to quarantine after our return as comprising government advice preventing us from taking our holiday so in about three weeks we will probably have to take the decision to cancel our holiday losing our deposit. I struggle to understand why we will have to quarantine when returning from somewhere which has lower rates than we do which appears to me to be large parts of Europe.
The government says it has followed scientific advice but I do not believe that this has always been the case as I recognise that there is some need to keep essential services and even to keep the economy going to safeguard jobs in the long term. However, I also feel that the government has acted too little and too late at several points during this out break. Today the BMA has written to the saying that they are concerned regarding the lifting of restrictions and that the science is not actually being followed.
I cannot understand the logic behind some of these decisions. If people are not safe when they return from abroad why allow them to travel abroad in the first place? If people can meet in pubs where alcohol is involved and people are likely to forget social distancing (as has already been demonstrated by some pubs breaching lock down rules to remain open) why can't more people meet in other places such as homes where it is less likely that alcohol will be an issue. So far as I can see religious services are still not allowed. I can understand this for services such as holy communion where the participants are closer than 1 meter but for most Christian services social distancing could be maintained even if limiting the numbers permitted to enter at any one time. I'm afraid my knowledge of other religions does not enable me to say how possible that would be for them. I am not religious but know that for people who are, this is a very significant aspect of their life.
I regard myself as reasonably intelligent but struggle to understand what the authorities are doing and why?
Anybody else?
Gragon xx
Hi Gragon
I agree that there's a lot that's confusing at the moment around what we can and cannot do. However, one thing that I do know is that, at the time of typing this, the current FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) advice for travel to Croatia is:
"The Foreign & Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. This advice is being kept under constant review."
So I assume, that as a holiday is not essential travel, they are still advising us all not to travel abroad. My advice would be to speak to your travel agent to see where you stand as I believe that no travel insurance is valid if you're travelling against FCO advise.
My husband was due to go on a golf break in Portugal in April. The hotel was, at that time, still open but because the FCO advice was not to travel he and his friends got a refund of their airfares, etc.
Another friend has a cruise booked for November and they are due to pay the full balance shortly. They have been advised to pay the balance because if they don't they will be deemed to have broken the contract and they won't get their deposit back if the cruise is subsequently cancelled nearer the time.
Let us know what your travel agent says as it'll be useful to know.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Ah, I see your predicament. You're saying that if the FCO lifts it's advise on not travelling but the government doesn't lift it's quarantine rule then you won't be able to go because others in your group won't be able to take an extra 2 weeks off work to fulfil the quarantine criteria.
I'd hope that the FCO telling us that we can now travel and the government lifting it's quarantine rules might coincide but that's possibly too much to hope for, lol.
I hope everything works out for you and you can all go on a much needed holiday
xx
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi ownedbystaffies
Can l join you in aaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhing!!!!!!!!!
I've been regularly attending a large hospital in the midlands since the end of February 20. l live in the sticks and l suppose my version of shielding is being very careful, going outside for exercise and fresh air, seeing people at more than 2 meters distance, as l have had a major op and am now on chemo.
Very recently people aren't actually allowed into the hospital without a face mask on for the first time, as from tomorrow people can go to the pub, but kids can't go to school. So what is safe? Nothing is clear, is it?
When the other half says sheilding stops on 1st of august l say No the support ends then, because all of a sudden it won't be safe for the likes of me to change our behaviour and rush off to the beach or the pub.
My aaarrgghhing relates to how this whole this whole sorry thing has been handled by this inept goverment. As l watched the news in horror as to what was happening earlier in the year in Europe l thought thank god we live on an island. How naive was that?
On a personal level l'm aaaarrrggghhhing, worrying that the other half won't be able to resist going to the pub and once he starts socialising again, will l have to isolate from him? Am l over reacting? Like l said nothing is clear.
well Gragon, looks like you might not have to quarantine if you go to Croatia, but then it is a matter of checking out what they think about UK nationals going there. Couldnt blame them if they decide we are too risky. And Mr Stanley Johnson went to Greece via Bulgaria apparently. One law for the plebs and another for the important people. Cynical moi?
LouEbelle you are welcome to join me in a scream anytime. It is a nightmare of incompetence, recklessness and stupidity as far as i can see. As Nicola Sturgeon said - shambolic.
Hope your partner can resist the urge for pubs. Hopefully he wont, like doubtless some will, be in wetherspoons at 6am tomorrow. Let the good times roll.
