Are we there yet? Your second Travel Megathread (threadbans in OP}

Donald Trump

Father Hernandez wrote: »

This is just an invitiation IMO for people letting their guard down and deciding to have house parties in the Summer.

No hospitality open, told there will be recreation at home, potential for decent weather, back garden BBQs where social distancing will go out the window rather then in controlled environments.

What is a controlled environment?


A pub?


:rolleyes:

Yapamillias

colmtheperson wrote: »

Is that people coming from red countries or is the the UK model of people who have been in red countries in the last 10 days I'd wonder? Not sure if the first one would make much sense as we have very few direct flights to red countries (if any?)

Presumably if they have been in the country for 10 days previously. To me it makes sense if the government wants to be seen to be doing something for safety. I still think there needs to be better strategies for Irish people coming back to the country. Assuming I can leave and then come back, I would be fine with staying in a government hospitality hotel for 3 days and get tested again.

One test within 72 hours before coming back.

A second 3 days after returning. If I test positive then I finish my 14 day 'vacation' in the hotel.

Rather than demonize people traveling just make it so that they can do so keeping others safe.

IQO

For the negative PCR covid test result needed for arrivals in Dublin - did the Irish government indicate the language of the document?

Does it need to be in English or can it be any other major language?

Yapamillias

Anyone know where the cheapest and best PCR test can be done in Ireland needed 72 hours before flying?

Tenzor07

Donald Trump wrote: »

What is a controlled environment? A pub?
:rolleyes:

Getting desperate now on the oul Google machine, digging up 6 month old single outlier examples...:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

beggars_bush

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Getting desperate now on the oul Google machine, digging up 6 month old single outlier examples...:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

there were plenty of pubs (selling food) in our local town also doing silly things before xmas
in terms of how long patrons could stay at a table - sure stay for another few drinks, ye'll be grand
customers hopping between groups of friends at different tables
congregating outside in groups smoking
going up to the counter ordering

Tork

Belmullet at Christmas
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/how-did-a-remote-mayo-town-become-ireland-s-most-covid-infected-place-1.4465431

Sam Hain

beggars_bush wrote: »

there were plenty of pubs (selling food) in our local town also doing silly things before xmas
in terms of how long patrons could stay at a table - sure stay for another few drinks, ye'll be grand
customers hopping between groups of friends at different tables
congregating outside in groups smoking
going up to the counter ordering

Where is this Nirvana you speak of?

Tenzor07

beggars_bush wrote: »

there were plenty of pubs (selling food) in our local town also doing silly things before xmas
in terms of how long patrons could stay at a table - sure stay for another few drinks, ye'll be grand
customers hopping between groups of friends at different tables
congregating outside in groups smoking
going up to the counter ordering

Good that you were there to observe all this, cos with pubs closed all of this is happening in private homes..

Donald Trump

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Getting desperate now on the oul Google machine, digging up 6 month old single outlier examples...:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Well you may not be aware of it, but pubs have been closed for a while



That is a clip of what happened the last time they were given an inch

faceman

Tork wrote: »

Belmullet at Christmas
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/how-did-a-remote-mayo-town-become-ireland-s-most-covid-infected-place-1.4465431

Sure wasn't it all those selfish god hating people who came home from the UK rather than the good people of Mayo that caused it! :pac:

Father Hernandez

Donald Trump wrote: »

What is a controlled environment?


A pub?


:rolleyes:

Controlled environment involves a place where people can go to a restaurant, have a meal and a couple of drinks where social distancing is adhered to and people are getting their 'fix'.

Without it IMO, people will flaunt the rules because they're continously fed up of not being able to do anything with little end in sight - house parties, neighbours in the back garden, etc.

The above video I imagine like myself would condone absolutely but in typical Irish circumstances, we take a half arsed approach to things. License should have been revoked, any more similar companies should be allowed open and if they're caught, fines and license removed.

Lots of places will think twice about doing it. It will also allow many places to reopen, allow customers in, allow employees go back to work, reduce subsidies.

Instead it's a blanket ban on hospitality and delusional if they don't think people will adhere to it rightly or wrongly. People will get their 'fix' elsewhere resulting in more community outbreaks.

Tenzor07

Donald Trump wrote: »

Well you may not be aware of it, but pubs have been closed for a whileThat is a clip of what happened the last time they were given an inch

And what's a clip from last year got to do with Travel?

tails_naf

tails_naf wrote: »

Thanks, good to know. And is there any legit way to get permission so if stopped the fine can be avoided? We'd like to do this right, rather than dodge the rules, work with them. We don't mind if it costs us staying in hotels, or having to prove we're in quarantine, etc

It depends what your reason is for the travel I guess!
Family in USA that needs your help? Ok I believe
Moving home to USA? Grand I believe

fran38

cpw9802 wrote: »

Let us know how this goes tomorrow. Do you reckon they're more strict on people leaving or coming back in?

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. So, got the bus up from Clare. Gards checkpoint just before T2 but wasn't stopped. I walked into the terminal building expecting Gardai to be walking around. Nothing. None at the check in gate. None at security/immigration athough there was a gards boothe but not manned.
As the airport resembled a ghost town, I made it from check in to security in five minutes. No Gardai after security either.
I sat in departures for three hours, no sign of one gards.
My PCR cert was checked scrupulously by check in on the Dublin side and immigration on the Dubai side.
Dubai itself is running like a normal society should be run. Everything is open except the pubs but I can get a drink in a restaurant. Was at the Dubai Mall yesterday, shops open and place full of happy shoppers/browsers. Masks are mandatory outside at risk of a 800e fine I think.
Warm at 22/23 celcius. This is a city with a huge cosmopolitan population serviced by a metro which is continually packed.
I got a haircut in a barbers yesterday. To actually sit in a barbers chair and get a haircut seemed like a luxury. Ireland is going down the wrong road in terms of restrictions/lockdown. What is it with the Irish Catholic guilt that we are on a never ending self flagellation cycle?

beggars_bush

fran38 wrote: »

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. So, got the bus up from Clare. Gards checkpoint just before T2 but wasn't stopped. I walked into the terminal building expecting Gardai to be walking around. Nothing. None at the check in gate. None at security/immigration athough there was a gards boothe but not manned.
As the airport resembled a ghost town, I made it from check in to security in five minutes. No Gardai after security either.
I sat in departures for three hours, no sign of one gards.
My PCR cert was checked scrupulously by check in on the Dublin side and immigration on the Dubai side.
Dubai itself is running like a normal society should be run. Everything is open except the pubs but I can get a drink in a restaurant. Was at the Dubai Mall yesterday, shops open and place full of happy shoppers/browsers. Masks are mandatory outside at risk of a 800e fine I think.
Warm at 22/23 celcius. This is a city with a huge cosmopolitan population serviced by a metro which is continually packed.
I got a haircut in a barbers yesterday. To actually sit in a barbers chair and get a haircut seemed like a luxury. Ireland is going down the wrong road in terms of restrictions/lockdown. What is it with the Irish Catholic guilt that we are on a never ending self flagellation cycle?

Long way to go for a haircut and a drink

antix80

fran38 wrote: »

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. So, got the bus up from Clare. Gards checkpoint just before T2 but wasn't stopped. I walked into the terminal building expecting Gardai to be walking around. Nothing. None at the check in gate. None at security/immigration athough there was a gards boothe but not manned.
As the airport resembled a ghost town, I made it from check in to security in five minutes. No Gardai after security either.
I sat in departures for three hours, no sign of one gards.
My PCR cert was checked scrupulously by check in on the Dublin side and immigration on the Dubai side.

You had the same experience as I did

antix80 wrote: »

I showed up 3 hours early by bus. I saw a garda checkpoint outside T2 - they had stopped a motorist.
I was flying to Lanzarote from T1 so i used security at T2. There was only me and one other guy going through security. There was an unmanned garda stand before security.
The airport's a ghosttown. The big duty free is open, the newsagent, currys and so is the big restaurant. Most other shops are shut. I arrived at breakfast-time. They weren't doing table service (had a food counter) for food but the pints were great. I had 3 while researching hotels on my phone.
Check in was smooth. A girl ahead of me appeared not to have proper documents and I'm not sure if she boarded. You need a neg pcr and travel health form.

fran38 wrote: »

What is it with the Irish Catholic guilt that we are on a never ending self flagellation cycle?

I hated the catholic guilt theory but we really are a nation of loathsome people at times.
I read a few months ago that ireland has the 7th highest covid restrictions in the world. Sure, we were happy to bend the rules at times, cute hoors that we are. But over the past year no one was prevented from entering the country and when outbreaks happened, instead of saying "yes it's international travel from high risk non eu countries" or "yes it's construction workers from northern ireland" our government and media demonised holidaymaking in tenerife.

Tenerife has set restrictions and updates the level weekly depending on case numbers. It was level 1 last week and level 2 this week.
In ireland it's level 5 indefinitely. Level 5 lite at xmas. Level 5 but with schools and construction reopening. By summer they're hoping to be level 5 lite or level 4 enhanced. Doom and gloom.

beggars_bush

It helps when the weather is better, people can go outside more and the virus has less chance to spread indoors
i.e. most countries with better weather than Ireland

Tenzor07

beggars_bush wrote: »

It helps when the weather is better, people can go outside more and the virus has less chance to spread indoors
i.e. most countries with better weather than Ireland

Not sure how successful domestic tourism will be this year... People are hoping that NPHET-Government restrictions will be lifted for inter-county travel by June/July... but it's very much a wait and see..

When you have the Facebook page of Radio 98FM(Adrian Kennedy) posting up pictures of people buying ice-cream at a Dublin park then you know the media has really lost the plot.....

faceman

There’s a video doing the rounds of the gardai arresting some punter at a checkpoint at the airport. He doesn’t have an Irish accent but is driving Dublin reg car.

The video doesn’t show what he did to warrant them reefing him out of the car and forcefully restraining him

Maybe his dentist appointment didn’t check out?

Tenzor07

faceman wrote: »

There’s a video doing the rounds of the gardai arresting some punter at a checkpoint at the airport. He doesn’t have an Irish accent but is driving Dublin reg car. The video doesn’t show what he did to warrant them reefing him out of the car and forcefully restraining him
Maybe his dentist appointment didn’t check out?

Wanted criminal? 3rd time trying to get to the Terminal without reasonable excuse? told the Gards to F Off....? call Joe Duffy?

faceman

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Not sure how successful domestic tourism will be this year... People are hoping that NPHET-Government restrictions will be lifted for inter-county travel by June/July... but it's very much a wait and see..

When you have the Facebook page of Radio 98FM(Adrian Kennedy) posting up pictures of people buying ice-cream at a Dublin park then you know the media has really lost the plot.....

From what I saw on Twitter over the weekend there was 3 types of people posting about their weekend activities.

1. People posting about being in the park/beach
2. People complaining about too many people being in the park/beach
3. People complaining about too many pekoe being in the park/beach and tagging the Garda Twitter account.

Incidentally there’s an interview on Newstalk from either Friday or Thursday last week with Stephen Donnelly. He’s fully recommends and supports people going outdoors to meet people for coffee.

This would in fact be breach of level 5 restrictions.

Is it any wonder people are pulling their hair out?

MarkY91

fran38 wrote: »

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. So, got the bus up from Clare. Gards checkpoint just before T2 but wasn't stopped. I walked into the terminal building expecting Gardai to be walking around. Nothing. None at the check in gate. None at security/immigration athough there was a gards boothe but not manned.
As the airport resembled a ghost town, I made it from check in to security in five minutes. No Gardai after security either.
I sat in departures for three hours, no sign of one gards.
My PCR cert was checked scrupulously by check in on the Dublin side and immigration on the Dubai side.
Dubai itself is running like a normal society should be run. Everything is open except the pubs but I can get a drink in a restaurant. Was at the Dubai Mall yesterday, shops open and place full of happy shoppers/browsers. Masks are mandatory outside at risk of a 800e fine I think.
Warm at 22/23 celcius. This is a city with a huge cosmopolitan population serviced by a metro which is continually packed.
I got a haircut in a barbers yesterday. To actually sit in a barbers chair and get a haircut seemed like a luxury. Ireland is going down the wrong road in terms of restrictions/lockdown. What is it with the Irish Catholic guilt that we are on a never ending self flagellation cycle?

Fair play for escaping from Alcatraz and resuming your life.

Tenzor07

faceman wrote: »

From what I saw on Twitter over the weekend there was 3 types of people posting about their weekend activities.
1. People posting about being in the park/beach
2. People complaining about too many people being in the park/beach
3. People complaining about too many pekoe being in the park/beach and tagging the Garda Twitter account. Incidentally there’s an interview on Newstalk from either Friday or Thursday last week with Stephen Donnelly. He’s fully recommends and supports people going outdoors to meet people for coffee. This would in fact be breach of level 5 restrictions.Is it any wonder people are pulling their hair out?

5k Travel rule needs to be scrapped now... in places like Marlay Park where there's a catchment area of around 70,000 people within the 5k, you have the park being jammed up with 100's of cars all over the area from there up to Hellfire club, Gards can't keep up!
And with this Governments shambolic messaging more and more people will break the rules...
They really need to open up internal travel... let people spread out instead of all being pushed into small areas..

Greetings from Valencia!

So here now and settled, and very happy that I came. A few people PMd me asking what the airport experience was like, so thought I’d post a general update

Was stopped at the checkpoint on the airport approach, but when said I was moving to Spain and showed a one way ticket, I was waived through. Hardly a rigorous check but, as others have said, the Gardai are good at sniffing out BS. There were no further checks in the airport, landside or airside, and the handful of airport police I saw were just standing around shooting the breeze. PCR test was closely reviewed when checking in.

Have to say that the airport was dead and the flight was practically empty. There is no one travelling, so all those shouting loudly for more restrictions should be reassured that the numbers heading away are tiny.

The situation in Valencia is as expected. Hospitality is takeout only, non-essential retail is open until 6pm, there is a city limit travel restriction over the weekends and a curfew at 10. Masks are worn outside but only when moving around (this is a common misconception, and I double checked with the police). So when sitting reading in the park or lying around on the beach, you don’t need to wear one. There are limits on how many can meet (but have met my friends here already). This is expected to be relaxed on 1 March, as is the takeout only restriction. I would expect that we will be having a beer terrace bottle in March.

It’s warm and sunny (though at 17 degrees actually a little chilly for this time of year). Enjoying the apartment (and the bargains for top quality accommodation are savage), set up to work, and can head to the beach for a daily swim, and up into town no bother.

The mood is very much one of hope and looking forward to the spring and summer with places back to normal and EU and UK tourists. Very different mood music to that in Ireland

I am in a much better mood, not least because of the moving around. It’s the 5km limit in Ireland is the soul destroying thing for me....limiting my access to the beaches and the mountains, which is the main reason I live in Ireland. Cramming people into the local parks, when there is so much space elsewhere seems completely illogical to me. I think that ditching that limit for exercise and recreation would go a long way to improving people’s mood in Ireland

Anyway, all that to say, am very happy to be here, and looking for the warming up and the further relaxation of restrictions

caveat emptor

faceman wrote: »

There’s a video doing the rounds of the gardai arresting some punter at a checkpoint at the airport. He doesn’t have an Irish accent but is driving Dublin reg car.

The video doesn’t show what he did to warrant them reefing him out of the car and forcefully restraining him

Maybe his dentist appointment didn’t check out?

Really? According to people's experience on here "it's a breeze". He mustn't have got the bus. I believe that's the solution to avoiding the checkpoints according to people on here. Rookie error.

gmisk

Father Hernandez wrote: »

Controlled environment involves a place where people can go to a restaurant, have a meal and a couple of drinks where social distancing is adhered to and people are getting their 'fix'.

Without it IMO, people will flaunt the rules because they're continously fed up of not being able to do anything with little end in sight - house parties, neighbours in the back garden, etc.

The above video I imagine like myself would condone absolutely but in typical Irish circumstances, we take a half arsed approach to things. License should have been revoked, any more similar companies should be allowed open and if they're caught, fines and license removed.

Lots of places will think twice about doing it. It will also allow many places to reopen, allow customers in, allow employees go back to work, reduce subsidies.

Instead it's a blanket ban on hospitality and delusional if they don't think people will adhere to it rightly or wrongly. People will get their 'fix' elsewhere resulting in more community outbreaks.

Just with regards the licensing point above.
The gardai did object to their license renewal and it is still going through courts.

dmcsweeney

Deleted User wrote: »

Greetings from Valencia!

So here now and settled, and very happy that I came. A few people PMd me asking what the airport experience was like, so thought I’d post a general update

Was stopped at the checkpoint on the airport approach, but when said I was moving to Spain and showed a one way ticket, I was waived through. Hardly a rigorous check but, as others have said, the Gardai are good at sniffing out BS. There were no further checks in the airport, landside or airside, and the handful of airport police I saw were just standing around shooting the breeze. PCR test was closely reviewed when checking in.

Have to say that the airport was dead and the flight was practically empty. There is no one travelling, so all those shouting loudly for more restrictions should be reassured that the numbers heading away are tiny.

The situation in Valencia is as expected. Hospitality is takeout only, non-essential retail is open until 6pm, there is a city limit travel restriction over the weekends and a curfew at 10. Masks are worn outside but only when moving around (this is a common misconception, and I double checked with the police). So when sitting reading in the park or lying around on the beach, you don’t need to wear one. There are limits on how many can meet (but have met my friends here already). This is expected to be relaxed on 1 March, as is the takeout only restriction. I would expect that we will be having a beer terrace bottle in March.

It’s warm and sunny (though at 17 degrees actually a little chilly for this time of year). Enjoying the apartment (and the bargains for top quality accommodation are savage), set up to work, and can head to the beach for a daily swim, and up into town no bother.

The mood is very much one of hope and looking forward to the spring and summer with places back to normal and EU and UK tourists. Very different mood music to that in Ireland

I am in a much better mood, not least because of the moving around. It’s the 5km limit in Ireland is the soul destroying thing for me....limiting my access to the beaches and the mountains, which is the main reason I live in Ireland. Cramming people into the local parks, when there is so much space elsewhere seems completely illogical to me. I think that ditching that limit for exercise and recreation would go a long way to improving people’s mood in Ireland

Anyway, all that to say, am very happy to be here, and looking for the warming up and the further relaxation of restrictions

Great to see someone has escaped this place and that there is a life beyond the gloom here. Savour every moment of it! Not at all envious here :rolleyes:

faceman

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Greetings from Valencia!

So here now and settled, and very happy that I came. A few people PMd me asking what the airport experience was like, so thought I’d post a general update

Was stopped at the checkpoint on the airport approach, but when said I was moving to Spain and showed a one way ticket, I was waived through. Hardly a rigorous check but, as others have said, the Gardai are good at sniffing out BS. There were no further checks in the airport, landside or airside, and the handful of airport police I saw were just standing around shooting the breeze. PCR test was closely reviewed when checking in.

Have to say that the airport was dead and the flight was practically empty. There is no one travelling, so all those shouting loudly for more restrictions should be reassured that the numbers heading away are tiny.

The situation in Valencia is as expected. Hospitality is takeout only, non-essential retail is open until 6pm, there is a city limit travel restriction over the weekends and a curfew at 10. Masks are worn outside but only when moving around (this is a common misconception, and I double checked with the police). So when sitting reading in the park or lying around on the beach, you don’t need to wear one. There are limits on how many can meet (but have met my friends here already). This is expected to be relaxed on 1 March, as is the takeout only restriction. I would expect that we will be having a beer terrace bottle in March.

It’s warm and sunny (though at 17 degrees actually a little chilly for this time of year). Enjoying the apartment (and the bargains for top quality accommodation are savage), set up to work, and can head to the beach for a daily swim, and up into town no bother.

The mood is very much one of hope and looking forward to the spring and summer with places back to normal and EU and UK tourists. Very different mood music to that in Ireland

I am in a much better mood, not least because of the moving around. It’s the 5km limit in Ireland is the soul destroying thing for me....limiting my access to the beaches and the mountains, which is the main reason I live in Ireland. Cramming people into the local parks, when there is so much space elsewhere seems completely illogical to me. I think that ditching that limit for exercise and recreation would go a long way to improving people’s mood in Ireland

Anyway, all that to say, am very happy to be here, and looking for the warming up and the further relaxation of restrictions

Welcome back to the Comunidad!

The vibe at the moment is that hospitality is really unsure what will reopen next week. El
Presidente doesn’t want to open and to have to close again. He will likely see terraces allowed to open in March at some point and gyms back open too.

Sadly though in my area there are a number of businesses that can’t economically open till capacity increases and some that will never open again. 3 major bar/restaurants in my area are for sale. All would have been highly profitable businesses pre covid.

RobitTV

Updates from around Europe

https://twitter.com/ollysmithtravel/status/1363283110486507522
https://twitter.com/ollysmithtravel/status/1363284988221915137
https://twitter.com/ollysmithtravel/status/1363289117958799368
https://twitter.com/ollysmithtravel/status/1363290957769297920