Covid restrictions abroad: updates & observations

[Butts]

When is Turkey going to go Amber ?

Still Red after the latest Government Update.

I am supposed to be going in October so getting a bit jittery now.

When is the next review ?

 

[kevin_roche]

When is the next review ?

They happen every 3 weeks. The next one will be on 16th September.

 

[Richard Scott]

They happen every 3 weeks. The next one will be on 16th September.

About time this stupid charade was ditched.

 

[Butts]

About time this stupid charade was ditched.

Or at least the ludicrous testing requirement on returning to the UK for those vaccinated returning from Green / Amber destinations.

 

[kristiang85]

I really don't understand why Turkey is Amber. They are fulfilling their reporting obligations to the global sequencing project, the have over 50% vaccinated, and cases are going down. It is such a crucial travel hub, it is stifling a lot of travel with them being red.

I would say it is completely political rather than epidemiological. I just get the feeling that the Government are using COVID as a way of controlling whether we go to countries they like or not.

 

[kevin_roche]

I've just booked a trip to Crete so will be keeping my fingers crossed for 3 weeks.

 

[kristiang85]

I've just booked a trip to Crete so will be keeping my fingers crossed for 3 weeks.

This is the painful thing - I tend to book my trips 8-10 months in advance. Yet now I don't have the confidence to book anything until 4 weeks in advance, it's horrendous.

It also makes planning leave more difficult, if others in work already have time off.

 

[adc82140]

I'm holding fire booking a day 2 PCR test on my return, in case they change the rules about that. I wouldn't be surprised if it was downgraded to LFT given the pressure from the travel industry.

 

[kevin_roche]

This is the painful thing - I tend to book my trips 8-10 months in advance. Yet now I don't have the confidence to book anything until 4 weeks in advance, it's horrendous.

It also makes planning leave more difficult, if others in work already have time off.

That has been my exact issue. I never go just by myself.

 

[island]

I really don't understand why Turkey is Amber.

It isn't.

 

[greyman42]

I really don't understand why Turkey is Amber. They are fulfilling their reporting obligations to the global sequencing project, the have over 50% vaccinated, and cases are going down. It is such a crucial travel hub, it is stifling a lot of travel with them being red.

How is Turkey a crucial travel hub?

 

[island]

Turkey does (or did pre-COVID at any rate) have a great deal of connecting flight traffic on long-haul routes; Turkish Airlines marketed it as a value proposition and had even captured a fair bit of UK-South Africa traffic, which one might have wagered was a tad circuitous.

 

[greyman42]

Turkey does (or did pre-COVID at any rate) have a great deal of connecting flight traffic on long-haul routes; Turkish Airlines marketed it as a value proposition and had even captured a fair bit of UK-South Africa traffic, which one might have wagered was a tad circuitous.

Right, i did not realise that, but as someone who has not been abroad since the late 80s i am a bit out of the loop.

 

[kristiang85]

It isn't.

Sorry, should have posted "isn't"

How is Turkey a crucial travel hub?

It really is - Turkish Airlines has the most destinations of any airline in the world, and is a hub for Europe/Asia destinations. Certainly for the kind of places I like to go, Turkish is always the best airline for it. Istanbul's geographical position means it is one of the key transit points for anybody travelling between Europe/Asia/Africa.

 

[Butts]

Right, i did not realise that, but as someone who has not been abroad since the late 80s i am a bit out of the loop.

Is that a typo ???

Deliberate decision - do you hate flying or something ?

 

[westv]

Are there any numbers for people who have failed a test on their return to the UK and had to isolate abroad?

 

[greyman42]

Is that a typo ???

Deliberate decision - do you hate flying or something ?

No i enjoyed flying, especially if i could get a window seat. I am happy spending my free time in this country and tend to stick to having plenty of days out as opposed to longer holidays.

 

[Butts]

Well I've just arrived in Dublin, used the E-Gates to Exit and there was no check on my vaccination status either in London or Dublin.

I had filled out the Irish PLF where you have to make a declaration as to your vaccination category - ie double jabbed in my case. No one checked the PLF either but to be fair I think it may have been linked to my passport.

So my NHS Scotland Vaccination Certificate (Paper Copy) was not needed and remained unseen.

Is this normal for entry to Ireland at the moment ?

Mind you no queues at Border Control or Customs so I'm happy.

 

[island]

Well I've just arrived in Dublin, used the E-Gates to Exit and there was no check on my vaccination status either in London or Dublin.

I had filled out the Irish PLF where you have to make a declaration as to your vaccination category - ie double jabbed in my case. No one checked the PLF either but to be fair I think it may have been linked to my passport.

So my NHS Scotland Vaccination Certificate (Paper Copy) was not needed and remained unseen.

Is this normal for entry to Ireland at the moment ?

Mind you no queues at Border Control or Customs so I'm happy.

I’m headed to Ireland tomorrow so I’ll report back.

 

[Butts]

I’m headed to Ireland tomorrow so I’ll report back.

I'm not sure what was happening at Dublin Airport this morning but it was absolutely rammed compared to EDI and even LHR.

It took 20 mins to get through Fast Track Security and the normal queue was horrendous.

My BA Flight to London was delayed by 40 minutes to await passengers clearing the backlog - at least they waited for them. Not sure if Ryanair or Easyjet would have.

However LHR was a breeze you don't have to go through immigration returning from Ireland just Customs out and smoking in 5 minutes.

I should add both flights were virtually full to and from Ireland.

 

[island]

Travelling Heathrow to Cork yesterday I would describe as slow but smooth.

Security was very quiet. Our passenger locator forms were checked before getting to check-in, at the gate, and upon arrival by the Gardaí (no e-gates in Cork). Vaccine passes were never checked at any point.

The airline was pushing us heavily to use an app called Verifly to check the paperwork before getting to the airport, but we didn’t do any of that as it has horrific reviews and a questionable privacy policy. The promised “express lane” for app users at the airport was not in use.

The flight was a little over half full and ran on-time.

 

[Butts]

Travelling Heathrow to Cork yesterday I would describe as slow but smooth.

Security was very quiet. Our passenger locator forms were checked before getting to check-in, at the gate, and upon arrival by the Gardaí (no e-gates in Cork). Vaccine passes were never checked at any point.

The airline was pushing us heavily to use an app called Verifly to check the paperwork before getting to the airport, but we didn’t do any of that as it has horrific reviews and a questionable privacy policy. The promised “express lane” for app users at the airport was not in use.

The flight was a little over half full and ran on-time.

That's interesting, totally different from my experience with BA - who did you fly with ?

My PLF was not checked in Edinburgh, Heathrow or Dublin.

 

[johncrossley]

I went to Dublin with Ryanair and you upload your PLF and vaccine certificate to their website. The boarding card then says something along the lines of "Covid documentation uploaded". Presumably this is why nobody checked my details. Presumably I would have been stopped at the gate if I didn't upload it. I forgot there were e-gates at Dublin so I saw a human at the passport control. He could see I had a PLF but wasn't interested in reading it properly.

 

[kevin_roche]

Has anyone flown with easyjet recently. Their website now says that they want passengers to wear an FFP2 mask, but I can't find one anywhere around here.

Do they check for that or will I be OK using a normal paper mask?

 

[3rd rail land]

Has anyone flown with easyjet recently. Their website now says that they want passengers to wear an FFP2 mask, but I can't find one anywhere around here.

Do they check for that or will I be OK using a normal paper mask?

I'd quite like to know as well as I'm flying with them in a few weeks time.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Has anyone flown with easyjet recently. Their website now says that they want passengers to wear an FFP2 mask, but I can't find one anywhere around here.

Do they check for that or will I be OK using a normal paper mask?

I needed one for Germany. Boots and other pharmacys sell them.

 

[island]

That's interesting, totally different from my experience with BA - who did you fly with ?

My PLF was not checked in Edinburgh, Heathrow or Dublin.

The only airline operating Heathrow to Cork, namely Aer Lingus.

Has anyone flown with easyjet recently. Their website now says that they want passengers to wear an FFP2 mask, but I can't find one anywhere around here.

Do they check for that or will I be OK using a normal paper mask?

easyJet accepts FFP2, surgical, or cloth masks, except on flights to/from Germany where FFP2 are required by law.

 

[3rd rail land]

The only airline operating Heathrow to Cork, namely Aer Lingus.


easyJet accepts FFP2, surgical, or cloth masks, except on flights to/from Germany where FFP2 are required by law.

I am hoping to travel to Italy on an EasyJet flight in a few weeks time and I am reading on gov.uk that medical masks have to be worn on flights to and from Italy. Is this true? How can the Italian authorities rule on what type of masks have to be worn on flights, surely any rules they make only apply when on Italian soil?

 

[D6130]

I am hoping to travel to Italy on an EasyJet flight in a few weeks time and I am reading on gov.uk that medical masks have to be worn on flights to and from Italy. Is this true? How can the Italian authorities rule on what type of masks have to be worn on flights, surely any rules they make only apply when on Italian soil?

I'm afraid they can rule on what kind of masks must be worn on flights to and from Italy and in Italian airspace - on pain of cancelling the flights. However, whether or not they will actually enforce it is entirely another matter. I know, from more than forty years experience, that what Italian law dictates and what actually happens are two very different things.

 

[yorkie]

'Medical' masks just means standard surgical masks, not FFP2/3 masks (for the differences, see this article)

I went to Germany recently and most people were wearing standard masks. My vaccination certificate and locator form were checked before departure and after arriving in Germany.

I came back into Heathrow and found very short queues and the e-gate let me through without a manual check of the forms being required, so I was able to get the HEX train 75 minutes earlier than the one I had earmarked as the latest to get my onward connection.