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

smurfjed

MarkY91 wrote: »

Guys I'm going to Mexico on the 7th of November. Stopping over in Frankfurt to change planes all via Lufthansa.

I can't for the life of me find out of in good to go or if I have any covid restrictions like filling forms or needing a test done

As far as Im aware, Mexico needs nothing from me. But can't find infor on transiting in Germany.

I'm Irish using an Irish passport if that's of any help.

Check out IATATRAVELCENTER.COM

Happydays2020

caveat emptor wrote: »

Having read the German docs transiting is fine. Entering requires a test and quarantine for 14 days with a fine of up 25K or 5 years in jail if broken.

Here it’s just a pinky promise.

Except it does not apply to transit passengers as far as I know

Tazz T

Sleety_Rain wrote: »

Just a lazy question regarding that article on transmission on the aircraft to Ireland.

How can they prove transmission occurred on the aircraft? Is it not equally as plausible it was caught before they boarded the plan or when they were mingling somewhere after in Ireland?

Apologies for my laziness but just want to know if this has been discounted or could be equally likely as the cause?

My opinion on the matter is travelling by air is no different to getting a dart or bus at the moment. Very unlikely youll catch it but cant be ruled out.

This study shows air travel to be actually safer than getting the bus.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/10/15/study-risk-of-covid-19-transmission-on-planes-virtually-nonexistent-for-mask-wearers/?sh=440e7399787b

Plumbthedepths

Tazz T wrote: »

This study shows air travel to be actually safer than getting the bus.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/10/15/study-risk-of-covid-19-transmission-on-planes-virtually-nonexistent-for-mask-wearers/?sh=440e7399787b

Safer than shopping too.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/flying-covid-19-harvard-study-wellness/index.html

Ray Donovan

So looking like the following from November 8th when returning from an EU country:

Green Region - off you go. No restrictions

Amber - Provide a negative result from 72 hours before returning and you have no restrictions upon arrival in Ireland

Red - Provide a negative test result from 72 hours before returning, isolate/restrict movements for 5 days and then get another test in Ireland indicating negative and you are free of restrictions.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/quarantine-could-be-eased-for-festive-flyers-in-new-plan-39692262.html

Q1 Will your country of departure provide your test FOC? e.g Canary Islands

Q2 Will antigen tests be acceptable when you return and will they become available in Ireland if the country you are going to requires a negative test?

Q3 Will Ireland split countries into regions e.g again looking at the Canary Islands will Ireland view that as a different region to Spain.

Glencarraig

MarkY91 wrote: »

Guys I'm going to Mexico on the 7th of November. Stopping over in Frankfurt to change planes all via Lufthansa.

I can't for the life of me find out of in good to go or if I have any covid restrictions like filling forms or needing a test done

As far as Im aware, Mexico needs nothing from me. But can't find infor on transiting in Germany.

I'm Irish using an Irish passport if that's of any help.

Are you travelling via the USA or is it a direct flight from Germany to Mexico ?

SB71

Ray Donovan wrote: »

So looking like the following from November 8th when returning from an EU country:

Green Region - off you go. No restrictions

Amber - Provide a negative result from 72 hours before returning and you have no restrictions upon arrival in Ireland

Red - Provide a negative test result from 72 hours before returning, isolate/restrict movements for 5 days and then get another test in Ireland indicating negative and you are free of restrictions.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/quarantine-could-be-eased-for-festive-flyers-in-new-plan-39692262.html

Q1 Will your country of departure provide your test FOC? e.g Canary Islands

Q2 Will antigen tests be acceptable when you return and will they become available in Ireland if the country you are going to requires a negative test?

Q3 Will Ireland split countries into regions e.g again looking at the Canary Islands will Ireland view that as a different region to Spain.

if coming from the UK to ireland you can always just bypass this and fly to Belfast and then onto Dublin

Tazz T

So it's basically back to the greenlist again and restricting your movements when come back from a amber/red country.

Expect this still comes with the standard ' government advises against all non-essential overseas travel' clause.

3xh

Ray Donovan wrote: »

So looking like the following from November 8th when returning from an EU country:

Green Region - off you go. No restrictions

Amber - Provide a negative result from 72 hours before returning and you have no restrictions upon arrival in Ireland

Red - Provide a negative test result from 72 hours before returning, isolate/restrict movements for 5 days and then get another test in Ireland indicating negative and you are free of restrictions.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/quarantine-could-be-eased-for-festive-flyers-in-new-plan-39692262.html

Q1 Will your country of departure provide your test FOC? e.g Canary Islands

Q2 Will antigen tests be acceptable when you return and will they become available in Ireland if the country you are going to requires a negative test?

Q3 Will Ireland split countries into regions e.g again looking at the Canary Islands will Ireland view that as a different region to Spain.

If this comes to pass, it’ll help a lot.

Some people will either baulk at the cost of 2 tests for each return flight they may do so will have the option of restricting their movements instead. For example, retirees, people largely WFH.

Having the negative test result option to get out of advised quarantine will help those whose time is more critical.

This way, the State doesn’t have to provide testing capacity for the same number of annual passengers as I’m sure some passengers would rather quarantine but everyone gets to fly where and when they want.

smurfjed

Japan's largest airport opened a coronavirus testing facility on Monday (Nov 2) as it takes steps to reopen international travel that has been largely grounded for months by the pandemic.

The Narita International Airport PCR Centre is aimed at outbound travellers who need proof that they are virus-free when they arrive at their destinations.

Japan on Friday eased travel curbs for nine Asian countries and regions.

Narita is one of two international hubs serving the Greater Tokyo area.

The testing lab, run by the Nippon Medical School Foundation, is the first at an airport in Japan and can deliver results in six hours, though it expects to get that down to two by the end of the month.

The tests are not covered by insurance and can cost as much as 46,500 yen (US$444).

Expensive !

johnire

I agree but I think people might as well start getting used to the idea that in the future once a vaccine is made available and you avail of it then you’ll have no issues But for those who decide for whatever reason not to have it they’ll have to have a test prior to the flight. I could be wrong but there’s going to have some system in place.

smurfjed wrote: »

Expensive !

BobMc

naughtysmurf wrote: »

I agree, this has to be done.

When the UK put the Canaries back on their green list recently, there was a surge of bookings, I also read recently that in an Irish survey that 60% said they would travel abroad in 2021. Some won't like it but there is a significant appetite for leisure travel despite the current situation imho.

There needs to be an implimented EU wide accepted pre flight quick result antigen test, not necessarily at the airport, should be able to get this done in your local pharmacy 48/72 hours departure, negative result, off you go, no restrictions on movement, positive = no fly, test should be no more that €20. Yes I understand it's not 100% reliable, a snapshot in time there will be tears etc etc

If you test positive towards the end of your holiday, unfortunately you have to quarantine until fit to fly, this should be arranged by the country you are in at no expense to the tourist. Your EHIC or private health insurance covers any medical costs

The airlines & travel companies need to step up too, if you book a flight or package in good faith but test positive before your outbound flight, you and your party get a free move to a suitable date, you should also be repatriated at no extra cost if you test positive 48/72 hours before returning

If flights are going, people will travel so you might as well have some control over potential virial spread, if Covid is around for the short to medium term at least, we need to start living with it in a somewhat normal manner, sacrifying international travel, aviation, hotels & all the other associated products and services, is not the way to go

Just my 2c, may be full of holes, don't know but have flights booked for September 2021 & will probably book for July 2021 this week too, if flights go, we'll be on them, enjoy our holidays & behave while away.

This is going to be hard though, can you see O'Leary & Co. being part of this, its all about the money, and if no confidence is there bookings will be in short supply as people wont risk losing big money

naughtysmurf

BobMc wrote: »

This is going to be hard though, can you see O'Leary & Co. being part of this, its all about the money, and if no confidence is there bookings will be in short supply as people wont risk losing big money

No idea, I thought that what I suggested would increase consumer confidence as even if the flight goes, your money just doesn’t disappear If you test positive, I think the airlines have a part to play though too rather than just continually moaning about the green list that not many are going to be on anytime soon

BobMc

It would and something has to happen to increase consumer confidence to book and know their cash is not at risk of complete loss, just so many parties involved agreement is going to be hard to come by.

Consensus and agreement from all parties, governement, airlines, insurance industry etc. etc. all well and good with small sums few hundred etc but what family (I'll include myself) are going risk 3k on their two week summer break going down the toilet with no insurance or assurance some of it can be saved if a test weather false positive or positive puts skids on travel plans

naughtysmurf

@BobMac, I agree with you 100%, I wouldn’t risk 3k either, I have €800 in flight vouchers that I’d take a small risk on but our hotel would be pay on arrival with free cancellation 24 hours before arrival

What I actually think will happen is nothing really unless a vaccine doesn’t work out, if the vaccine works out & infection numbers start to fall then the traffic light system is back in play

I wouldn’t risk €1 this side of Easter 2021, mid to late summer I’d be hopeful about

Griffinx

I came over to Gran canaria last week on a Ryanair flight.... No problems getting to airport. Security was slower than usual. The airport wasn't as quiet as I had been led to believe. After paying €6.50 for a sandwich I got access to the bar and enjoyed a couple of pints. I had to show my Spanish health QR code before boarding. The flight was about 2/3 full. The hens down the back were in full song by the time we arrived. Everyone was jammed onto two buses to the terminal building and there was zero social distancing in the passport queue. There was a very efficient check at sanitation control where I again had to show my QR code. There were no problems getting a taxi from the airport.

In Gran Canaria, you have to wear masks in public areas. Everyone in the streets has masks on and compliance is very high. The resorts are more relaxed. Most places are open except nightclubs.

It's great not to be bombarded with Covid negativity 24/7 and, as well as the sun, that's one of the treats of this place right now.

From Nov 10th you have to have a negative Covid test before being allowed into Hotels here.
https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/391274/canary-islands-set-to-bring-in-testing-requirements

Already thinking about extending my stay :-)

BobMc

I Concur, I was lucky, got my break last year, depite discouraged by the goverment, with RyanAir flying no refund was due,
in fairness accommodation was flexible to a point (we always use something like owners connect etc, so payment usuall in full 12 weeks out) paid up 10 days before travel, if we didnt go e2300 down the toilet, Yet those before us got the refunds due when flights got grounded so it was unfair in a way, and I didnt like the guilt trip laid on,

I've rebooked same place for next summer e200- deposit but I'm not booking any flights, I'm prepared to risk e200-
but not much more, feel we got lucky last year, didnt lose the money, hit Lanza with little or no infection and before the spike took hold back home, I'll wait out the winter see how things are.

Dont forget the destinations are crying out for travellers as they are suffering big time from loss of tourist

Gael23

Holohan saying people entering Ireland should wear a face covering at all times for 14 days. Deluded or what

Wallander

Gael23 wrote: »

Holohan saying people entering Ireland should wear a face covering at all times for 14 days. Deluded or what

He seemed to be up to a load of tricks, pure obstructionism of the supposed new travel policy in, claiming all international travel is unsafe now (realising of course that would make the headlines) but he can't say what it will be like in six weeks (knowing full well by then it will be too late for anyone to make any Christmas travel plans).

Tenzor07

Wallander wrote: »

He seemed to be up to a load of tricks, pure obstructionism of the supposed new travel policy in, claiming all international travel is unsafe now (realising of course that would make the headlines) but he can't say what it will be like in six weeks (knowing full well by then it will be too late for anyone to make any Christmas travel plans).

I would say "Who cares what Holohan says" but what he says goes...

However if I was travelling home for Christmas to Ireland I wouldn't be following what he says...
....Ryanair are offering big discounts off Christmas flights so I hope they and the airports are all very busy next month...

BringBackMick

It looks like it'll be a long time before any countries will be below 25 14day av per 100k.....we could be first

Gael23

Gael23 wrote: »

Holohan saying people entering Ireland should wear a face covering at all times for 14 days. Deluded or what

Im really beginning to despise that man . He wont wear one himself. He makes
unnecessary journey's to RTE, when he could have easily done a Zoom call
Also saw Leo being driven into Gov buildings last week, no mask on him, to protect the driver...like we have been told , to wear a mask to protect others.

At least if they are telling us to do certain things, they could make a damn effort to do it themselves, you know, 'All in this together'...

Sick of the hypocrisy of some of them now at this stage.

/rant over

bikeman1

Gael23 wrote: »

Holohan saying people entering Ireland should wear a face covering at all times for 14 days. Deluded or what

Why didn’t he say that for the meat factories or direct provision centres when the cases were exploding there? Surely all medical staff should also wear masks for 14 days if working in a location where there are confirmed Covid cases.

The man is obsessed with travel and pubs, but completely ignores the failings in other areas!

theological

bikeman1 wrote: »

Why didn’t he say that for the meat factories or direct provision centres when the cases were exploding there? Surely all medical staff should also wear masks for 14 days if working in a location where there are confirmed Covid cases.

The man is obsessed with travel and pubs, but completely ignores the failings in other areas!

I suspect the cases that were introduced into meat factories are also related to travel and people visiting their home countries. I'm pretty sympathetic in respect to meat factories by the by. Our demand for food hasn't decreased and it must be nigh on impossible to keep up with it with social distancing. They are also cold environments.

The point is how did the virus reseed in Ireland this summer. The obvious answer is that people reintroduced it through travel and further spread from there into the community.

responder XX

Not sure which tread this fits best in - but I'll go for this one! With recent reports that a large % of cases currently circulating in Europe can be traced to Spain in June. The obvious conclusion being jumped on is that all these cases are as a result of people holidaying of course and villainizing travel, but I'm wondering how true this actually is?

Firstly, even though the strain initially spread from Spain - it doesn't mean that it was introduced independently from Spain to each country. Some of it most have come from other countries

Secondly, as there seems to be no evidence that this strain is any more contagious than other Covid strains, would it be the case that human behaviour was going to lead to Covid of some strain spreading and this just happens to be the one? i.e. if this strain had not originated ever and the very first person to get it never passed it on - would our case numbers not be similar now, just with a different strain?

larchielads

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/irish-firm-develops-15-minute-covid-test-that-could-be-made-available-from-pharmacies-39700246.html

Irish company developing affordable rapid testing between 92 and 98% accuracy.

global23214124

larchielads wrote: »

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/irish-firm-develops-15-minute-covid-test-that-could-be-made-available-from-pharmacies-39700246.html

Irish company developing affordable rapid testing between 92 and 98% accuracy.

Saw this earlier as well. That would be great to have. Hope it gets the go ahead.

theological

responder XX wrote: »

Not sure which tread this fits best in - but I'll go for this one! With recent reports that a large % of cases currently circulating in Europe can be traced to Spain in June. The obvious conclusion being jumped on is that all these cases are as a result of people holidaying of course and villainizing travel, but I'm wondering how true this actually is?

Firstly, even though the strain initially spread from Spain - it doesn't mean that it was introduced independently from Spain to each country. Some of it most have come from other countries

Secondly, as there seems to be no evidence that this strain is any more contagious than other Covid strains, would it be the case that human behaviour was going to lead to Covid of some strain spreading and this just happens to be the one? i.e. if this strain had not originated ever and the very first person to get it never passed it on - would our case numbers not be similar now, just with a different strain?

Even if that were true, it would still have been brought in with travel. Lots of us would love to get away at the moment, but some of us just realise more than others that that could be counter-productive in our resolve to defeat coronavirus.

normanoffside

So for travelling into Ireland for the EU the rules are.

Green: go.
Orange: bring a negative test 72 hours before travel and go

I wonder what will be the rule for Red/Grey/NON EU countries.

lots of Irish will be coming back from the states over Christmas.

Tenzor07

responder XX wrote: »

Not sure which tread this fits best in - but I'll go for this one! With recent reports that a large % of cases currently circulating in Europe can be traced to Spain in June. The obvious conclusion being jumped on is that all these cases are as a result of people holidaying of course and villainizing travel, but I'm wondering how true this actually is?
Firstly, even though the strain initially spread from Spain - it doesn't mean that it was introduced independently from Spain to each country. Some of it most have come from other countries
Secondly, as there seems to be no evidence that this strain is any more contagious than other Covid strains, would it be the case that human behaviour was going to lead to Covid of some strain spreading and this just happens to be the one? i.e. if this strain had not originated ever and the very first person to get it never passed it on - would our case numbers not be similar now, just with a different strain?

Doesn't matter where a Virus that's endemic comes from, or which variant is now is the pandemic...the Spanish strain is irrelevant.....no consequence for the virus’s ability to spread or cause disease...the point is it's here now and we have to deal with the movement of people with testing, tracing, contact forms etc.
There's plenty of odd people on here who want a New Zealand style zero covid but that approach can be worse than the consequences of the virus itself... which is why political leadership and co-ordination is needed in the E.U..... but is lacking instead with each country in competition with each other to see which can lockdown harder....