Chicken Memorials

[Daphne]

France is currently on the UK's amber list and the Govt is urging people not to go to these countries on holiday, but its not illegal. You have to go into 10 day quarantine on arrival back in UK, but there is some opportunity to take an extra PCR on return and get out of jail - on Day 8 I think.  My friends who returned from Portugal the day after the UK changed it to an amber country were rung up every single day they were in quarantine to check they were there.  However, none of this is your problem!

We had a few days of high humidity, broken by a storm on Weds night.  We still don't have streetlights!  Its rained a bit most days for a week, and an old boy said he'd never known this in June.  He claimed to need a blanket at night!

[Beantree]

We went from France into Spain yesterday with our vaccination passes which were 14 days old the day before. Just drove across the border with no checks at all. But on our return the road had been closed and ALL traffic had to go through French customs. First stage was to check we had a vaccination certificate and the second stage was a customs allowance check. They had a lorry completely stripped out and were doing the same with cars. Fortunately we were waved through, because a Dutch car was getting a going over.

[Cat tails]

2 minutes ago, Beantree said:

We went from France into Spain yesterday with our vaccination passes which were 14 days old the day before. Just drove across the border with no checks at all. But on our return the road had been closed and ALL traffic had to go through French customs. First stage was to check we had a vaccination certificate and the second stage was a customs allowance check. They had a lorry completely stripped out and were doing the same with cars. Fortunately we were waved through, because a Dutch car was getting a going over.

It’s always the Dutch! 😅

[Daphne]

I have a friend who drove back to Portugal through France last week from the UK.  She is a Brit, married to a German and they both have residency here and are double vaccinated.  She said the amount of paperwork/testing and money they have had to organise/spend to travel is phenomenal.  They are coming 'home' for first time in 15 months. In fact we aren't allowed to see them yet as there is too much cleaning to be done apparently!

At Calais the French border guy said there was no problem with her husband, but she wouldn't be allowed in!  However, when she showed him her residency papers for Portugal he waved her through, and there was no checks crossing from France to Spain, which is the same as your experience Beantree.

Owing to an unforeseen health emergency we won't be going to France any time soon, as OH has just been diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg, so for the foreseeable future I won't be having to keep such an eye on the rules and regs.  Although as I am also hoping to see my mother I am still very interested in whether the UK allows anybody to travel anywhere, less hindered than they are at the moment, or whether the EU bans any visiting from the UK at all without quarantine!

[Cat tails]

Finally got my first vaccine today! I got the good proper stuff! Can’t wait to start being magnetic! All hail Pfizer!

[Beantree]

Back to Spain again with no border checks. Can you believe the allowance for wine is 180 litres! On the return again all traffic had to go through the customs post but this time they were checking that the vaccination certificate matched the identities of the occupants. There was also one checking the MOT and insurance certificates in the windscreen and one recording the registration number, but no checks on our shopping.

There have been outbreaks of the Delta variant in our sleepy little County in various small towns resulting in two deaths and one in critical care. None had been vaccinated.

They are thinking of clamping down on PCR testing here. At the moment it is free (I think the only Country in EU) and people are using that system to go to places requiring a vaccination certificate or PCR test because they have opted not to be vaccinated. The vaccination rate has stalled now at under 50% which is far too low to control the Delta variant. We're expecting a fourth lockdown of some description because numbers are low but not dropping further.

[Patricia W]

Where do you cross into Spain, Beantree?  We are still hoping to go at the end of August, driving from Calais, stopping a night in Macon.  A trip we have down at least once a year since 1985 till last year.  We have Dutch friends who are saying there are no checks at all. 

All doubly vaccinated, planning for new green cards, new papers for the dog etc etc!  It would be easier to fly but for the dog.  Plan B is to stay at home! 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Patricia W

[Beantree]

We cross over roughly in the middle @Patricia W. Junction 17 of Autoroute 64 and then then South towards Viella. We know Macon. We stopped a few nights in a small town North called Tournus, having had the place recommended to us by a French lad we met on Calgary beach on Mull. At that point you would be halfway to Spain and too far East to get to our crossing point. Perhaps aim for Andorra?

So on the French news this morning comes the announcement that ALL your Covid restrictions are to be dropped on the 19th July. The reason this announcement made French news is they are staggered that this is happening, when the new infection rates are so high (5x France) and increasing rapidly. Here they are using the UK model and are predicting a possible fourth wave at the end of July. At the moment the hospital numbers have stabilised but are still high and infection rates are now showing an increase of about 50% a week.

[Daphne]

I don't think French news are the only ones who are staggered, although I can understand that at some point we have to get back to normal and live with covid, and that will involve risks.  However, it doesn't seem right to me that 100,000 new cases a day is the right level of risk, and I can't understand at all why masks are not continuing to be obligatory in certain situations.

 

[soapdragon]

I'm fuming about the mask relaxation! For goodness sake! We have 2 little convenience stores in the village and neither enforce mask wearing with their staff and I HATE going in to either.......in enclosed spaces it's not safe to be unmasked. It's sending totally the wrong message for the G'vt to take this step now. In the last 2 weeks I have heard of 3 people who have been double jabbed but have had Covid confirmed via a PCR! It's still with us!

[Cat tails]

Masks are not obligatory anymore in Netherlands apart from schools and public transport. And the second that rule was scratched, I was literally the ONLY ONE wearing one in the supermarket. I hate people.

[mullethunter]

11 hours ago, Beantree said:

So on the French news this morning comes the announcement that ALL your Covid restrictions are to be dropped on the 19th July. The reason this announcement made French news is they are staggered that this is happening, when the new infection rates are so high (5x France)

It seems just insane.

Boris began his announcement by saying how cases were increasing, hospitalisations (although nowhere near as fast) are increasing and we can expect to see more deaths. Then Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance went on to explain the numbers and show their graphs and said how we are on the upslope of a new wave with cases currently doubling every 9 days. But in the same announcement Boris is saying that he thinks this is the right time to remove restrictions (because if we wait until the autumn / start of winter it would be worse)! At the end he said ‘don’t get the impression the pandemic is over’ and I thought well, listening to your scientists no one would but listening to you they might!!!

I know we can’t live under these restrictions for ever, but no one is suggesting we should. Can’t we just at least wait until all adults have been double jabbed + 3 weeks?! I do also realise that even that won’t make us immune to the disease but it does seem to be mostly stopping serious illness and hospitalisation.

Boris said it will be up to people to make informed choices to protect themselves and others - he tried that last March and how did that work out????
 

Edited July 6, 2021 by mullethunter

[Luvachicken]

Well, I'm still going to be wearing my mask regardless of what Boris says.

It makes me feel safe.

I think we shouldn't be going abroad until next summer, and as for all the people at the tennis and football, it just makes me shudder.

 

[soapdragon]

Yep - I'm going to continue with mine too, Luvvie. I do feel sorry for those who work face to face with the public - especially in shops; must be terrifying to think of all those germs floating around in the air 😲.

[Beantree]

The people being hospitalised and subsequently dying here are unvaccinated. You can only do your best to avoid infection and that means keeping with the social distancing, but I can't help thinking that with the UK mainly vaccinated, whilst people may catch it and spread it, the burden on the NHS will remain unchanged, even though loads of people get sick they won't be hospitalised. Perhaps Boris has a plan?

In the meantime with half of France not having even the first jab (only34% have two), we're heading for problems without any doubt!

[Ursula123]

I beg to differ @Beantree. The total % vaccinated with all required doses 2 days ago was 37.1%.

34.71 million have received at least 1 dose of vaccine the population of france is 67.4 million so 51.5%

Edited July 7, 2021 by Ursula123
Additional info

[Daphne]

Well, in either case France is behind the UK which stands at 51% having had 2 doses, and 68% with one, so I can understand the concern.  Its like Portugal, we are quite 'open' but lack the UK's progress on vaccination, although we haven't gone mad and are keeping social distancing and masks, so perversely I feel safer here than I would in the UK under the proposed new regime post July-19th.

My understanding is that although a double jab cuts the chances of getting covid by something like 88% the sheer numbers mean more people than normal will be going to hospital just as a percentage of the higher case numbers.  I guess the question is when is the level reached that hospitals are stretched unnecessarily, let alone overwhelmed, given how exhausted many medical professionals are already.

[mullethunter]

4 hours ago, soapdragon said:

I do feel sorry for those who work face to face with the public - especially in shops;

Me too. Especially as so many are younger people who haven’t been double vaccinated yet.

[Luvachicken]

Why are footballers allowed to spit on the football pitch ?

Absolutely disgusting, and maybe spitting doesn't spread Covid, but it shouldn't be allowed.

[rachel84]

I think I might be in the minority on here but I personally agree with lifting restrictions and going back to normal. I find the media sensationalising the figures every day to scare people incredibly misleading and not helpful. Perhaps my views are different as I am (fairly) young and not at any great risk but I think at some point we need to ignore daily cases and worry more about whether the NHS can cope with the levels they are experiencing.

I'm not sure the long term damage to the economy, NHS waiting lists for other crucial care not to mention education should be playing second fiddle any longer to a virus that is increasingly under control (serious illness and fatality wise) through a decent vaccination program in the UK.

I hope my viewpoint doesn't offend anyone - it is not intended to and I am very conscious that others do not share my opinion when I am out and about.

[Cat tails]

This is what happens when you lift restrictions too early. After a whole 2 weeks of partying, we are getting new restrictions again tonight, here in the Netherlands. 😒

[Cat tails]

I want to go back to normal teaching too, but I really think this open-shut-open-little shut-al lot open method isn’t working.

This rate, schools will not open after the holidays.

[Patricia W]

I agree that the idea of fully opening up on 19th July is daunting.  As it’s the young and unvaccinated who seem to be catching it, and fewer hospitalisation, I’m left wondering if the strategy is to accelerate ‘herd immunity’ ?  

We’ll have the opening up, confirmed or not on Monday.  Meanwhile, I will continue to br cautious.  

[soapdragon]

As I understand it, the longer Covid is around for in large numbers, the more likely another variant is to emerge. And the next variant may not respond to the current vaccines so.....there we go again!

[Cat tails]

10 300 cases again today. 😞

It’s just so depressing you can undo months of lockdown in literally 2 weeks. I keep wearing my mask in shops etc, but still just about the only one. 
Only one Pfizer shot is apparently only 35% effective against the delta variant. So can’t wait to get my second, but have to wait till the 29th.