Will you travel? [Mod Note in Post #1 - Travel Discussion Only! Megathread]

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

My daughter who is 6 months pregnant flew home from Vancouver 2 weeks ago, along with her 14 month old and her hubby. Air Canada on both legs (Vancouver, Toronto, Dublin). My other daughter flew home from London at the same time, a family reunion!

Daughter from Vancouver has just finished 14 days isolation here even though Vancouver has very low Covid numbers, she is home to stay now........... daughter from London returned after 7 days to UK. She said the UK airports were never quieter or safer , likewise Canadian and Dublin airports.

Of course I worried with all this going on but here we are 14 days later and everyone safe and well. I think we are hyping things up far too much. I think we will look back at this period in our history and wonder what the hell we were so worried about.

Mask wearing , social distancing and hand sanitizing should be enough, everything should be open now, FAR too much media hype here in Ireland. RTÉ news every night is shameful in its hype . Very few people dying from Covid anymore. I’d be far more worried about cancer cases.

Completely agree. Have had the same travel experience as your daughters. Ireland has hyped up the fear more than any other European country - and I've personal experience of being in the UK, France, Spain and Switzerland during this. I speak fluent french, and watched the news in France and Switzerland (as well as the UK) - there is nothing like the hype that we see here.

The level of hospitalisation no longer supports this hype, and I fear that NPHET, the government, and a substantial portion of the population have completely lost the run of themselves. The worst thing is that they can't see it

sy_flembeck

Deleted User wrote: »

The level of hospitalisation no longer supports this hype, and I fear that NPHET, the government, and a substantial portion of the population have completely lost the run of themselves. The worst thing is that they can't see it

Absolutely. The daily updates in this country (what happened to them going twice weekly instead of daily instead as promised, not enough misery in that I presume?) reminds me of people tuning in to their wireless to listen to the death notices years ago so they always had a funeral to go to. It's utterly shameless and it took me to leave the country for a week to realise the full extent of the manipulation in this country. I agree with the above, we'll look back at this period in our history and cringe

Gael23

I just think a holiday now wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience, having to wear a mask for your entire journey, queues everywhere at your destination due to social distancing and even places being closed.
I do agree though that the government mantra in Ireland is to instil as much fear as possible in people

gabeeg

It's the same in every country. It's a pandemic.

We can play a little game - name a country and we'll go check the top stories from their biggest media sources. I guarantee you covid is prominent in any country with a free media.

I'm currently in Italy before you start at me, and yes of course it's a huge issue here.

This conspiracy nonsense is going to make things significantly worse.

gabeeg

gabeeg wrote: »

It's the same in every country. It's a pandemic.

We can play a little game - name a country and we'll go check the top stories from their biggest media sources. I guarantee you covid is prominent in any country with a free media.

I'm currently in Italy before you start at me, and yes of course it's a huge issue here.

This conspiracy nonsense is going to make things significantly worse.

Heading to Rome on Saturday, so I’ll be able to see fit myself. I’ll report back!

gabeeg

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Heading to Rome on Saturday, so I’ll be able to see fit myself. I’ll report back!

You won't be able to see it for yourself though, will you?
Unless you speak Italian and are going to be spending all your time with Italians.

If you're on a typical holiday - hotel, restaurants, pool etc - then it might feel like they're less concerned than we are.
But the opposite is true. They've been through a massive ordeal and it's at the forefront of their minds.

The upshot if this is that masks and sanitiser are everywhere, SD is well observed (usually) - and with cases pretty low it generally feels a bit safer.

Still a gorgeous country and a great place for a holiday of course. Enjoy!

pc7

Glad she’s home Sweetmaggie I remember you posting a while back worried about her flights.

Wallander

gabeeg wrote: »

It's the same in every country. It's a pandemic.

We can play a little game - name a country and we'll go check the top stories from their biggest media sources. I guarantee you covid is prominent in any country with a free media.

I'm currently in Italy before you start at me, and yes of course it's a huge issue here.

This conspiracy nonsense is going to make things significantly worse.

Obviously a big issue everywhere but extent of coverage and focus definitely varies. Consider Germany, which has had some big numbers last couple of days, but nothing that should be regarded as crazy.


Der Spiegel, which is the most respectable news source in the country, Covid is currently third highest on their website behind property inheritance and the US election. Main Covid story is a minor scandal that the government ended up ordering way too many masks:
https://www.spiegel.de/


Bild - a terrible but widely read tabloid, again Covid is third highest after a pig being chased by a naked man in Berlin whose laptop it stole and the Champions League
https://www.bild.de/

The Unbearables

Gael23 wrote: »

I just think a holiday now wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience, having to wear a mask for your entire journey, queues everywhere at your destination due to social distancing and even places being closed.
I do agree though that the government mantra in Ireland is to instil as much fear as possible in people

Yes yes that's the main objective, nothing about making sure the virus doesn't run rampant and over run our health services.

Do you people even listen to yourselves some times? Seriously, you sound unhinged.

mikekerry

sy_flembeck wrote: »

Absolutely. The daily updates in this country (what happened to them going twice weekly instead of daily instead as promised, not enough misery in that I presume?) reminds me of people tuning in to their wireless to listen to the death notices years ago so they always had a funeral to go to. It's utterly shameless and it took me to leave the country for a week to realise the full extent of the manipulation in this country. I agree with the above, we'll look back at this period in our history and cringe

Rte are specialists in peddling misery - duffy, late late etc they thrive on it.

gabeeg

Wallander wrote: »

Obviously a big issue everywhere but extent of coverage and focus definitely varies. Consider Germany, which has had some big numbers last couple of days, but nothing that should be regarded as crazy.


Der Spiegel, which is the most respectable news source in the country, Covid is currently third highest on their website behind property inheritance and the US election. Main Covid story is a minor scandal that the government ended up ordering way too many masks:
https://www.spiegel.de/


Bild - a terrible but widely read tabloid, again Covid is third highest after a pig being chased by a naked man in Berlin whose laptop it stole and the Champions League
https://www.bild.de/

Top story on the Irish times is covid related in fairness, but hardly scare mongering.
Self employed to get €1000 grant.

Independent is leading with those ladies who went paddling and got in a spot of bother.
Covid is way down there agenda. The sixth article or so.

Limpy

Gael23 wrote: »

I just think a holiday now wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience, having to wear a mask for your entire journey, queues everywhere at your destination due to social distancing and even places being closed.
I do agree though that the government mantra in Ireland is to instil as much fear as possible in people

I was around most of Eastern and some of Central Europe and I can tell you I never had to que once. It was very enjoyable. It was sunny, People were happy, kids were playing in local town center water fountains, grandparents sitting by chatting, people dressed up in nice clothes and romantically walked around the old town's with their partners, no police on the streets.

Then you come back, its dreary, our towns are filled with €5 euro kebabs shops, run down street's, gangs of youths (you know the kind), queue's, panic, fear, and without pubs no "craic".

Take a holiday you won't regret it.

gabeeg

gabeeg wrote: »

Top story on the Irish times is covid related in fairness, but hardly scare mongering.
Self employed to get €1000 grant.

Independent is leading with those ladies who went paddling and got in a spot of bother.
Covid is way down there agenda. The sixth article or so.

Rte has covid at number 2. Again the self employed to get a grant.

ARGGHHHHH NO PLEASE STOP WITH ALL THE HYSTERIA

gabeeg

Paddling ladies have now kicked covid from the top spot on the Irish times, you'll be glad to hear.

They're all getting a bit hysterical about paddling now though I suppose

Oranage2

We need to close the beaches, ridiculous people can just go on open water like that

joseywhales

A pig stole a man's laptop? It's the most German story I've ever heard

Assetbacked

joseywhales wrote: »

A pig stole a man's laptop? It's the most German story I've ever heard

It continues with another boar-ing story today;

"Now footage has emerged of a wild boar swimming in the Baltic Sea and arriving at a beach in Schönagen, Schleswig-Holstein, that was full of sun seekers".

https://www.thelocal.de/20200813/watch-wild-boar-surprises-sunbathers-in-germany-by-emerging-from-the-baltic-sea

Close the boar-ders!

Wallander

joseywhales wrote: »

A pig stole a man's laptop? It's the most German story I've ever heard

The images of the pursuit are quite spectacular. Update in the German press today is that the boar has been put down sadly as it was a serial offender:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/07/german-nudist-chases-wild-boar-that-stole-laptop-berlin-teufelssee

sy_flembeck

Gael23 wrote: »

I just think a holiday now wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience, having to wear a mask for your entire journey, queues everywhere at your destination due to social distancing and even places being closed.
I do agree though that the government mantra in Ireland is to instil as much fear as possible in people

Funny enough, that was my expectation before we went to France but as it turned out we didn't have to queue at any stage and everywhere was open. The only thing noticeable as such was the amount of people there for late July would be what I'd expect for early/ mid June.

The mask thing you kinda get used to, you're doing it here anyway.

uli84

Down 450€ for flights to Spain booked in February, life sucks but the fact my kid wouldn’t be able to go to school...

Plumbthedepths

I always find hypocrisy amusing particularly when it comes from people who want the populace to follow a particular policy.
Italy is beautiful though good choice of destination.


https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/tourism-chief-on-holidays-in-italy-amid-massive-campaign-to-promote-staycations-39451408.html

hotmail.com

Ignoring government advice not to travel.

I wonder will Michael Martin sack him. I thought we were all in this together.

MickeyLeari

I posted this elsewhere but this obsession with travel and containment of the virus is maddening particularly when the HSE and HSA are continually failing when it comes to known domestic risks.

The reality is that to follow a Zero Covid strategy means completely closed borders including with NI, mandatory State Controlled quarantine for returning citizens, another severe lockdown (probably locking down risk areas also) and then following no cases for a series of weeks there should be a possibility to open up to normality.

Aside from the fact that we are an open economy, are a member of the EU with the right of freedom of movement, have people who commute to work in other countries, have many people who have roots and second homes on other EU countries - there is no way in hell that any Irish Government will put up a physical border with NI, there is no way that the NI Govt. will diverge from the UK, and even if the UK was to follow a zero strategy it would not be politically possible for Ireland to align with the UK and close our borders to the EU. This is particularly relevant in the context of Brexit where to be seen to align with the U.K (including a mandatory quarantine from France for instance) will be rightfully seen as anti-EU.

Therefore, all we can do is to have far stricter rules in respect to travellers from non EU countries (including citizens) and to maintain the current position in respect to Green lists and I think the EU.

Water John

In fairness, what a dick. MM will only be going to Courtmac anyway I'd say.
Yes, Cawley should resign and I generally don't go looking for, a head.

MickeyLeari

Water John wrote: »

In fairness, what a dick. MM will only be going to Courtmac anyway I'd say.
Yes, Cawley should resign and I generally don't go looking for, a head.

Who else should resign for travelling overseas? If a nurse or doctor or Guard travels to Italy should they resign?

Lack of judgement I agree but the policy itself is not the best.

And to put into context - who resigned over the Cervical check controversy - one official.

RoryMac

MickeyLeari wrote: »

Who else should resign for travelling overseas? If a nurse or doctor or Guard travels to Italy should they resign?

Lack of judgement I agree but the policy itself is not the best.

And to put into context - who resigned over the Cervical check controversy - one official.

The optics were certainly bad for him to have travelled but generally for overseas issues the Dept of Foreign Affairs are the place to go for advice and they say countries on the Green List are exempt from the non-essential travel advice.

I'd say he resigned so he can get back to enjoying his family holiday in Italy without having it ruined answering questions and releasing statements.

normanoffside

Water John wrote: »

In fairness, what a dick. MM will only be going to Courtmac anyway I'd say.
Yes, Cawley should resign and I generally don't go looking for, a head.

He has resigned it's the top story on RTE

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0815/1159351-michael-cawley-failte-ireland/

Pretzill

Cancelled a short trip to France for the second time this year (traveling by Ferry) I don't think I would enjoy a holiday at this time, cases are rising there and eventhough I really wanted to go though it just wouldn't be the right thing to do. Next year will be better.

mikekerry

Why will next year be better?

RoryMac

mikekerry wrote: »

Why will next year be better?

Only way I see next year being better is that more people will say 'f**k it I need a holiday and I'm going' so there will be less judgement for people that do travel