Fly me to the Moon - your 3rd travel Megathread - read OP

Yup, if we're going to freak out about that much deaths, we'd be banning everyone from driving.

This has not been 100% clarified.

Darragh O'Brien said it's possible to get tested in Ireland before you fly, travel abroad and return to Ireland with negative antigen test on arrival.

Makes no sense but nowhere is it confirmed travellers will have to get the test in the country they're returning from unless I missed something.

Interesting article overall on Omicron from a country that is well advanced with high vaccine/booster penetration. But this quote caught my eye:

'Two cardiologists from Sheba Medical Center were verified as infected with the Omicron variant, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed. He said they were experiencing “very light symptoms.”

One of the doctors, in his 50s, brought the variant into Israel upon returning from a medical conference in London. He tested negative when he boarded the airplane from the United Kingdom to Israel and on arrival, but a few days later began experiencing symptoms.

Once he tested positive, his results were sequenced and on Tuesday he was confirmed positive for the variant.'

Goes to show that pre-departure/post-arrival testing is not a a particularly effective measure against importing the virus from other geographies. The important point is that vaccines do work in preventing serious illnesses 'Pfizer vaccine is just slightly less effective in preventing infection with Omicron than with Delta – 90% as opposed to 95% – while it is as effective – around 93% – in preventing serious symptoms at least for those vaccinated with a booster' (source: same article)

my 2 cents:

I also got the vaccine primarily for traveling without hassles/costs. It is a pain to have to get the booster and it is a sign that these vaccines are not the panacea we were led to believe a year ago. But without doubt, beats having more draconian travel restrictions like we had Jan-July this year (fines, hotel quarantine, news crews chasing tourists at airports).

I got 2 inoculations of the Pfizer super juice, I dont see the logic in not getting a third one honestly. Also because, where I travel to (mainly Italy/Spain) you'll need proof of it to do pretty much anything social while you're there (restaurants, public transport, coffee shops, amusement parks, cinemas)!

What I'll likely do is time my booster so that it'll cover me for mid-term/Easter and summer holidays. If it becomes a once per year affair, I can live that.

Apologies in advance if i have posted this twitter link incorrectly.

Straight from the "horses mouth " last night when called out about it on Primetime.

"Still picks up a lot " ... madness.

"But if omicron doubles cases it will double hospital numbers unless there's sufficient numbers boosted"

There is not yet sufficient evidence that this will be the case.

Nope you don't. It was laid bare to Donnelly how silly it was last night the very scenario of someone getting a test on a thursday, going to the UK that evening and coming back Saturday and doing what they want over there while getting the test here pre departure. He said yes that's possible, only has to be 48hrs for antigen and 72hrs for PCR. Doesn't matter where it's taken.

Doubt it, sounds like it'll be in it when the regulations are signed in. All they care about is the validity of the test in the timeframe. It's window dressing

A lot of comments of people worrying about getting stuck abroad with positive tests.

I can understand this if there are home/work commitments to be back for but I’ve heard a few people talking about it only from a financial point of view only.

Worth noting that most travel insurance policies will now cover you for extended stay due to COVID, and even some regions in Spain provide this for free if your insurance doesn’t cover it.

Ive travelled a few times whilst requiring tests this year and as people have said it’s not as difficult as people are making it out to be. Especially if an antigen test is all that is needed most airports will have a testing centre if you haven’t been able to find one in local pharmacy etc.

I’m just back from US so no plans to travel in next few weeks but if I did I certainly wouldn’t be cancelling.

It's pointless and it was put at him and he kind of just smiled and nodded without answering the question and then rattled on about being in favour of anitgen tests for a long time

I think that’s exactly the point - people do have family / work commitments. It’s also the run into Christmas. If you’re travelling back after 15th December and happen to test positive, that’s Christmas in Ireland gone. That will put a lot of people off.

There was a group of 4 of us going away next Thursday to Sunday. Now just two of us are going after yesterday’s announcement. The two that are going will bring our work laptops with us, should we get stuck we can work away where we are, the others don’t have that luxury.

While doing very little from stopping the import of the virus, it does a massive amount to people’s plans and confidence to travel.

I understand people are nervous traveling in Covid times but the chances of someone contracting the virus - assuming all reasonable precautions are taken (masks, sanitizer, washing, distance) - and it showing up in a antigen test taken 2 days after arrival on a 4 day trip (or 48hrs before departure) are quite minuscule. You could even take a PCR 72hrs before departure which would leave 1 day to get infected and incubate it sufficiently for it to be detectable.

Like the example I posted above: the Israeli doctor was at conference in the UK, tested negative pre-departure, tested negative again post-arrival and only tested positive once symptoms came on days later. i understand it's not 100% but very few things are in life are... you could go on a holiday, get kidney stones/appendicitis/hit by a car and have to spend days in a hospital.

everybody has different risk tolerances but i'd consider a 4 day trip as extremely low risk

Can I just confirm if I am flying into Dublin Friday night that I need to have taken an antigen test. On the radio this morning, they said the new rules were coming in at midnight Friday. (I assume they meant 12:01am Friday as opposed to midnight friday night).