Coronavirus outbreak

[InFamous]

Coronavirus latest news: Cost of travel tests to be slashed

Get booking SholasBoy

The cost of travel tests from NHS Test and Trace for people who arrive from abroad into the UK is to be cut, the Health Department has said.

It is to go down from £88 to £68 for UK travellers who have come from green list countries, or those who have arrived from amber list countries and have been fully vaccinated.

The cost for people arriving from amber list countries who are not fully vaccinated is to go down from £170 to £136 for two tests.

[SholasBoy]

I think this is a step in the right direction but I don't think it's enough. They shouldn't have been able to allow these companies to profit so much on these tests, when travel companies are struggling to keep afloat. I'm still considering going on holiday in the Autumn, but I'll keep waiting to see how things develop.

[theMathematician]

Oh, that's what you meant with 'we'. Hope things still kind of end well in Cyprus!

[theMathematician]

So you don’t think saving lives was a positive?

The world will shut down again if another lethal strain develops that the current vaccines offer no protection against. At least in the UK we have no choice but to lockdown if our health service reaches full capacity - there’ll be anarchy if patients were ever turned away from hospital.

That's why the government should prepare such a scenario and thus prevent lockdowns at all costs. A lockdown is a sign of weakness from side of the state. Besides, I don't know the situation in your country, but in mine, it used to be messy when you had different rules in two communities 10 minutes apart. You had businesses proven to be riskfree but weren't allowed to open because 'They are sooo dangerous even though we can't prove that.'.
Triage never happened in Germany, even right at the peak of the 2nd wave. There's no concept for that case, I guess.

Regarding the first question: This is purely for provocation. You can't completely prevent risks in life and therefore death. Or would you say that Sweden's Covid management was a mistake?

[Artoo]

A lockdown is a sign of weakness from side of the state.

Sometimes, meaning most of the time, I genuinely don’t believe even you believe the things you say.

[Artoo]

Unless you are floating a new idea... to let the vaccinated get infected so we can have herd immunity...

But isn’t that the plan? In the UK we have been told we need to learn to live with it, and that as long as you’re vaccinated it’s business as usual.

[theMathematician]

Sometimes, meaning most of the time, I genuinely don’t believe even you believe the things you say.

Well, what do you think does a lockdown say about the government it announces?

[InFamous]

I think this is a step in the right direction but I don't think it's enough. They shouldn't have been able to allow these companies to profit so much on these tests, when travel companies are struggling to keep afloat. I'm still considering going on holiday in the Autumn, but I'll keep waiting to see how things develop.

I was bored last night so booked a flight to Paris for early sept. Was only 30 so I'll decide later to go or not.

[InFamous]

I think someone who declared that covid doesn't spread in crowded rooms really doesn't have the scope to comment on any measures the governments took to curb this tragic and dangerous disease that has swept through the world. Anyway..

[jio]

But isn’t that the plan? In the UK we have been told we need to learn to live with it, and that as long as you’re vaccinated it’s business as usual.

Well, over here vaccinated people who test positive still get 10 days of quarantine and I am pretty sure no government wishes that to its whole population so...

[jio]

Well, what do you think does a lockdown say about the government it announces?

Mathematician is right (if I understand it correctly), lockdowns have enormous negative economic consequences (and positive environmental ones but no government in the world gives a sh*t about that) so it's the least preferable option to deal with this pandemic. So when governments do choose it, it means that all other more preferable means have failed. Is that what you mean?

[jio]

Oh, that's what you meant with 'we'. Hope things still kind of end well in Cyprus!

Right now the whole island (well at least the southern half) is partying so...

[InFamous]

No, he isn't right. The only other option was to let it spread untamed through society and only a person with no sense, logic or empathy for their fellow man and the vulnerable would think that was what governments should have done at the time. Until vaccines were developed and administered to sufficient percentages of the population there was no other option but to lockdown.

[Artoo]

Well, over here vaccinated people who test positive still get 10 days of quarantine and I am pretty sure no government wishes that to its whole population so...

But that isn’t the issue - the government in the UK isn’t bothered if you catch covid. They are concerned with how much medical assistance you require. Never forget the UK’s initial response wasn’t vaccination or lockdowns, but to allow covid to spread through the population and allow natural immunisation through herd immunity.

[Artoo]

Well, what do you think does a lockdown say about the government it announces?

That they recognise all life is precious and comes before anything else, and have acted like responsible human beings for once rather than bumbling politicians.

[InFamous]

To be honest most countries are looking at hospitalization numbers and ICU number which at this point is fair enough IMO. The difference between deaths in a vaccinated population and deaths in an unvaccinated population are obvious if you compare the UK to Russia in the last two months. The majority of people don't seem to care themselves at this stage if they get it, most people have been out and about for months.

[InFamous]

That they recognise all life is precious and comes before anything else, and have acted like responsible human beings for once rather than bumbling politicians.

Oh I like this, we need a clap emoji

[jio]

But that isn’t the issue - the government in the UK isn’t bothered if you catch covid. They are concerned with how much medical assistance you require. Never forget the UK’s initial response wasn’t vaccination or lockdowns, but to allow covid to spread through the population and allow natural immunisation through herd immunity.

Well, having lots of people in quarantine impacts the economy too. However, such a strategy does make sense, I'll give you that, however I can't help but thinking that if such a strategy exists (which I doubt), it is just the result of the vaccines not working as they were hoping in the beginning (i.e. not stopping transmission).

[jio]

To be honest most countries are looking at hospitalization numbers and ICU number which at this point is fair enough IMO. The difference between deaths in a vaccinated population and deaths in an unvaccinated population are obvious if you compare the UK to Russia in the last two months. The majority of people don't seem to care themselves at this stage if they get it, most people have been out and about for months.

Well, if you compare Israel to Palestine is not that obvious anymore...

[InFamous]

Well, having lots of people in quarantine impacts the economy too. However, such a strategy does make sense, I'll give you that, however I can't help but thinking that if such a strategy exists (which I doubt), it is just the result of the vaccines not working as they were hoping in the beginning (i.e. not stopping transmission).

Vaxed people wont have to quarantine anymore in the UK anymore if you are pinged as a close contact nor the under 18s. Only if you test positive will you have to.

The UK government has confirmed that people who are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to self-isolate for 10 days if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

The new rule, which comes in force from Monday, will instead require close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases to get a free PCR test as soon as possible and self-isolate in case of a positive test.

[jio]

Vaxed people wont have to quarantine anymore in the UK anymore if you are pinged as a close contact nor the under 18s. Only if you test positive will you have to.

Em, I know, we were talking about the hypothetical strategy of actually getting the vaxed people infected so we reach herd immunity without many fatalities (not about having them just as close contacts).

[InFamous]

Em, I know, we were talking about the hypothetical strategy of actually getting the vaxed people infected so we reach herd immunity without many fatalities (not about having them just as close contacts).

Erm OK.

[HouseTargaryen]

I did not know Oregon was going to be masked up again this fast. I guess it is needed.

It's crazy how so many people don't even brevet they have covid. Even patients in a hospital.

[InFamous]

I did not know Oregon was going to be masked up again this fast. I guess it is needed.

It's crazy how so many people don't even brevet they have covid. Even patients in a hospital.

The mask mandate was lifted far too early in America tbh. I hear Florida is a mess at min.

[HouseTargaryen]

The mask mandate was lifted far too early in America tbh. I hear Florida is a mess at min.

It's Florida chile!