Covid restrictions abroad: updates & observations

[philosopher]

Some observations from Central Europe:

Krakow, Poland, pretty much no one was wearing masks, a few social distancing signs remained, though I suspect these were redundant.

Prague, hardly any of the locals were wearing masks, however quite a few tourists were still wearing masks. Italian tourists seemed most keen on wearing them, which I suspect is due to the still somewhat strict mask laws in Italy.

Vienna, on the Vienna U bahn and trams about 90% were wearing masks, compliance seemed lower after the evening rush hour. In shops, however very few were wearing them. In a lot of places the wearing of masks was still advised. In these places perhaps a third were wearing them. On the intercity train from Prague and to Budapest few people were wearing masks, even when the train was in Austria. Austria also still had quite a few hand sanitiser dispensers around.

Budapest, like in Krakow, I observed pretty much no wearing them. However a few social distancing signs remained.

 

[ainsworth74]

As with many things that have happened in the last few years, doesn't this feel like something the legislature should have some say about?

Perhaps, though at least the principle of a country requiring a certain type of vaccination for entry is fairly well established unlike many other interventions that cropped up over the last two years! Then again I'm not sure I'd trust the US Congress to legislate sensibly as far as I could thrown them. A Republican backed bill would probably ban anyone who has had a vaccination as being a dangerous Communist or something equally insane for instance.

 

[MikeWM]

Perhaps, though at least the principle of a country requiring a certain type of vaccination for entry is fairly well established unlike many other interventions that cropped up over the last two years!

True, although in the past such requirements have been

(a) for serious, long-term diseases,
(b) which are a serious risk to the *individual* seeking entry, usually as they are entering a place where such disease is endemic and usually not in their usual country of residence, and
(c) where the vaccine is effective at preventing infection and onward transmission.

None of those three apply in this case, never mind all of them!

This is for visitors/tourists, at least. There may have been more requirements for long-term residents (eg. a US green card has required various vaccinations for many years) but that's a bit different.

Then again I'm not sure I'd trust the US Congress to legislate sensibly as far as I could thrown them. A Republican backed bill would probably ban anyone who has had a vaccination as being a dangerous Communist or something equally insane for instance.

Well, yes, I don't trust legislatures or executives much at the moment, but nevertheless I do think things should be done by the 'correct' government branch, even if the results are equally poor.

 

[Cdd89]

This is for visitors/tourists, at least. There may have been more requirements for long-term residents (eg. a US green card has required various vaccinations for many years) but that's a bit different.

Do you happen to know if the testing requirement been eliminated for unvaccinated US citizens as well?

I couldn't easily find the answer online. (Though admittedly I didn't look terribly hard!).

 

[nedchester]

Do you happen to know if the testing requirement been eliminated for unvaccinated US citizens as well?

I couldn't easily find the answer online. (Though admittedly I didn't look terribly hard!).

I think if you are unvaccinated you are still barred from travel to the US.

 

[Watershed]

I think if you are unvaccinated you are still barred from travel to the US.

Air travel to the US. Because, of course, the virus doesn't spread when you arrive by ship, rail or road!

 

[Freightmaster]

Air travel to the US. Because, of course, the virus doesn't spread when you arrive by ship, rail or road!

As far as I am aware, you won't be allowed anywhere near a cruise ship if you are unvaccinated...




MARK

 

[Watershed]

As far as I am aware, you won't be allowed anywhere near a cruise ship if you are unvaccinated...




MARK

Are there not some 'ordinary' ships that cross between Canada and the US?

 

[MikeWM]

Do you happen to know if the testing requirement been eliminated for unvaccinated US citizens as well?

I couldn't easily find the answer online. (Though admittedly I didn't look terribly hard!).

Not sure, sorry, and currently on a train so not easy to check

It all sounds rather unconstitutional, so I'd be somewhat surprised if they kept it in place for too long though.

 

[Ediswan]

Are there not some 'ordinary' ships that cross between Canada and the US?

You do that in a private pleasure boat if you can tick all the boxes.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Are there not some 'ordinary' ships that cross between Canada and the US?

There's the exceptional "International" tourist boat which runs on Waterton Lake across the border in the summer, in Waterton/Glacier National Park (AB/MT).
It's used to gain access to hiking routes in Glacier NP, but it can't be used as a through route.

There's also a normal ferry from Victoria BC to Port Angeles WA.
Foreigners must be vaccinated, as for other border crossings.

 

[nw1]

There's the exceptional "International" tourist boat which runs on Waterton Lake across the border in the summer, in Waterton/Glacier National Park (AB/MT).
It's used to gain access to hiking routes in Glacier NP, but it can't be used as a through route.

Presumably use of this boat would be subject to border checks. If not, I can see that, for skilled mountaineers comfortable in alpine terrain, it could potentially be used as a loophole to enter the US without being subject to the usual "all foreigners are subversives and potential terrorists" treatment at US borders...

(Joke comment by the way, just to be clear - but based on bitter personal experience at the land crossing between Vancouver and Seattle on the Greyhound in 2004.)

 

[rg177]

Have noticed that in Bucharest and Budapest that masks have predominantly been worn by tourists and the odd elderly local.

A lot of signage is still up around Romania, mind you. The supermarket I went into in Arad was plastered with various 2m distancing and mask related gubbins but of course, all were ignored by everyone.

 

[yorkie]

Does anyone have any news on when Spain will stop picking on public transport? It appears to be the only setting where masks are required.

If it's still in place for my visit at the end of this month, I will be sipping plenty of water during my trips , but it would be better not to go through that charade.

 

[P Binnersley]

Looking at the Spanish press there doesn't look to be any change coming soon.

 

[westv]

I noticed that Spain has now dropped all entry requirements for European travellers - but not those from the UK! I know for most of us it's only proof of vaccination but it's still annoying.

 

[317666]

I've just returned from two weeks in Switzerland, and bar the very occasional sign or sticker that's been overlooked and about 1% of people wearing masks, it was pure 2019 normality. Marvellous!

 

[nw1]

I noticed that Spain has now dropped all entry requirements for European travellers - but not those from the UK! I know for most of us it's only proof of vaccination but it's still annoying.

I've said this before but this discrimination based on country of origin is exactly the same xenophobic mindset as that of Farage and other hard Brexiters. I wonder if the politicians concerned actually realise the similarity in their attitudes to people they doubtless claim to despise.

Still, freedom of movement is so 1990s, I guess. We're now in the 2020s and hard borders are cool.

 

[RailExplorer]

Has anyone got any up to date info on what to expect in Italy?

I'm off there next week and I really don't want to buy FFP2 masks (it just feels really odd to now be spending money on a mask after only wearing about 4 across the last 2 years in total). I've got a stack of blue ones from work but worried it's not good enough for (a) the flight from London to Italy on WizzAir and (b) on local trains in the Puglia region.

I'm not flying back, but catching a ferry to Montenegro so perhaps that's also a sticking point.

So basically, do I really need to give some scam of a company on Amazon about £8 of my money for a tiny handful of FFP2 masks???

Thanks!

 

[ainsworth74]

I noticed that Spain has now dropped all entry requirements for European travellers - but not those from the UK!

Well as we're not EU/EEA we're therefore subject to a different regime. This was the point of Brexit after all...

 

[westv]

Well as we're not EU/EEA we're therefore subject to a different regime. This was the point of Brexit after all...

I voted against the damn thing so I can complain.

 

[rg177]

Has anyone got any up to date info on what to expect in Italy?

I'm off there next week and I really don't want to buy FFP2 masks (it just feels really odd to now be spending money on a mask after only wearing about 4 across the last 2 years in total). I've got a stack of blue ones from work but worried it's not good enough for (a) the flight from London to Italy on WizzAir and (b) on local trains in the Puglia region.

I'm not flying back, but catching a ferry to Montenegro so perhaps that's also a sticking point.

So basically, do I really need to give some scam of a company on Amazon about £8 of my money for a tiny handful of FFP2 masks???

Thanks!

I was in Puglia last week and I'd say that a good 20% or so of people were wearing blue masks and if was no problem at all.

When I flew Wizz the only announcement was that a mask was required, with maybe half of people actually wearing an FFP2.

There were announcements on local trains talking about needing an FFP2 but staff were only bothered about those who were entirely maskless.

Of course, the rules lapse on Wednesday so depending on whether they're extended or not you might not need a mask at all.

 

[ainsworth74]

I voted against the damn thing so I can complain.

Indeed, it's the one thing we've got going for us is that none of this is our fault, we voted the other way!

 

[westv]

Indeed, it's the one thing we've got going for us is that none of this is our fault, we voted the other way!

I can't speak for anybody else but I did 100% vote remain.

 

[nw1]

Well as we're not EU/EEA we're therefore subject to a different regime. This was the point of Brexit after all...

Though (as I said above) whether you are in the EU or not should logically make no difference whatsoever to Covid entry requirements specifically. Unless, of course, EU countries have much lower case rates than anywhere else. AFAIK, that is not so.

I also voted remain as should be apparent from my last post - but this kind of discrimination is very "Brexity", so to speak.

 

[RailExplorer]

I was in Puglia last week and I'd say that a good 20% or so of people were wearing blue masks and if was no problem at all.

When I flew Wizz the only announcement was that a mask was required, with maybe half of people actually wearing an FFP2.

There were announcements on local trains talking about needing an FFP2 but staff were only bothered about those who were entirely maskless.

Of course, the rules lapse on Wednesday so depending on whether they're extended or not you might not need a mask at all.

Really appreciate your reply. I fly Friday and I'm aware the rules lapse Wednesday (which I'm really hoping they do actually lapse rather than be extended). Thank you.

 

[danm14]

I'm really getting concerned about a possible reinstatement of restrictions in the Republic of Ireland.

About a week ago, various newspapers (including two that were repeatedly used to leak incoming restrictions a few days before they were officially announced), reported that Ireland's plan to deal with potential fuel shortages later this year is a reinstatement of Covid restrictions (mandatory working from home, banning non-essential domestic and foreign travel, etc.)

Two or three days ago, the Health Minister said that he couldn't rule out a reinstatement of restrictions over autumn/winter or to deal with the current uptick in cases, but that nothing had been decided yet.

The HSE (health service) have now released an online advertising campaign recommending the wearing of face coverings in places where there is currently no public health advice to wear them, such as shops and while waiting for your food in a cafe/restaurant (they are only recommended on public transport and medical facilities) to protect vulnerable people against "Covid-19 and other viruses" - we don't know who's vulnerable by looking at them, so we should assume everyone is.

 

[gabrielhj07]

and other viruses

Excuses excuses

 

[nw1]

I'm really getting concerned about a possible reinstatement of restrictions in the Republic of Ireland.

About a week ago, various newspapers (including two that were repeatedly used to leak incoming restrictions a few days before they were officially announced), reported that Ireland's plan to deal with potential fuel shortages later this year is a reinstatement of Covid restrictions (mandatory working from home, banning non-essential domestic and foreign travel, etc.)

Introducing Covid-style restrictions to deal with fuel shortages? Are they serious? A truly extremist, authoritarian approach if so.

While there was a three-day week (in the UK), they didn't try to take extreme measures such as banning travel during the 1970s fuel crisis, AFAIK. Is this now their solution to every problem?

 

[Eyersey468]

Introducing Covid-style restrictions to deal with fuel shortages? Are they serious? A truly extremist, authoritarian approach if so.

While there was a three-day week (in the UK), they didn't try to take extreme measures such as banning travel during the 1970s fuel crisis, AFAIK. Is this now their solution to every problem?

It would appear that some people's solution 5o everything is to impose restrictions. While I could understand imposing fuel rationing in the event the shortages got really severe imposing Covid style restrictions seems over the top to me