Travel to the UK, more tests!

[DaveW]

My son was due to fly over to France on the 21st, but made a quick rebooking for tomorrow morning, just waiting for his AntiGen test results - fingers crossed. It’s fine for him because he was having to work remotely anyway.

[hughnique]

Well our Christmas is going to be a miserable affair, all guests are stopped from coming out from the UK, Covid free doesn't seem to matter, what is meant by exceptional circumstances is open to interpretation. Perhaps if he goes and hires a lorry then the threat of infection disappears, strange coincidence this has all come about a week before Christmas, be interesting to see when it will be lifted.

[exile]

Be sure it is nothing to do with Christmas. French hospitality business is going to take a big hit with no couples having a romantic Christmas in Paris. Empty beds in Disney Paris and no Brits on the piste (or is that P1ssed)

[Pathca]

My plans may have to change radically,
I am quite sure it isn’t to do with Christmas as it is the worst time for it to happen

[hughnique]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but is the rest of the EU banned from travelling to France, or is that still OK?

[Pathca]

Have the rest of the EU said they are suffering from a highly transmissible variant?

[hughnique]

I suspect they have it whether they are being open about it who knows.

[elsie]

Given the rate of increase of the omicron variant the chances of catching even a mild infection despite a booster jab seem to be quite high. So the difficulty of getting a negative pre-departure test to return home could become a problem
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/ ... or-90-days

[niemeyjt]

Is travel from Ireland banned also?

Not suggesting Hugh's family might travel that route.

Have the rest of the EU said they are suffering from a highly transmissible variant?

As UK does something like 10x the sequencing of infected people compared to France, there must be a question mark over whether Omicron already has a hold in France and France just doesn't know.

[rabbit]

I understand and agree with France wanting to slow the spread, but stopping vaccinated and tested Brits will have little impact compared with untested French who will travel extensively in the next 2 weeks and open borders with the rest of the EU. There is nothing to stop a Brit travelling via Belgium or any other country. I doubt if there is anything that makes triple vaccinated and tested Brits more likely to spread infection than double vaccinated untested French. The govt should insist that French are boostered or have an antigen test before meeting with families