14 day quarantine

[PilotLZ]

Looks like quarantine-free travel is becoming possible in certain regions of Europe. First were the Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Today Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia followed suit to lift the quarantine from 1 June. Quite possibly many more to follow suit soon.

[White Knight]

Originally Posted by Gordomac

WhiteKnight : Mmmmmm, see your point but Africa, vast, hot, not showing the rates expected even though Social Distancing in Soweto must be the larf of the day. Interesting view here is possibly the hackneyed phrase "Underlying health issues". Middle East is also vast & hot but. oh dear, lots of enderlying issues I venture to suggest. I only did 17 years in Bahrain & I suggest that very poor diet choices and widespread obesity combined with the consequential Type 2 Diabetes would have had an impact on the "many cases" you suggest.

Absolutely. Ruddy Uber Eats, Zomato etc delivering sh1tty food here throughout the lockdown...

[250 kts]

Originally Posted by ZFT

​​​​​​In sunny Thailand, local rag heading is "Double Zeroes" meaning no infections or deaths countrywide yet still under national curfew and certain lockdown conditions.

At least we are now permitted to buy alcohol at stores but any form of entertainment is a long way off. Why?

Do you really believe the govt figures though? Only 3000 cases and 56 deaths bearing in mind it was the first foreign country outside China to report a death.

[Del Prado]

Originally Posted by 250 kts

Do you really believe the govt figures though? Only 3000 cases and 56 deaths bearing in mind it was the first foreign country outside China to report a death.

Thailand responded really well to this; lockdown, curfew, contact tracing, ban on passenger flights, ban on foreign tourists, medical tests for arrivals (before ban) and other measures were put in place very quickly and have remained. In fact most Asian countries seem to have done better than many western countries, perhaps because of previous experience with SARS or maybe a lack of complacency.

No country’s figures will ever be totally accurate but they are by and large a function of that government’s response so while their totals could be double or treble what’s reported it’s highly unlikely they are approaching US, UK or Brasil levels of infection and deaths.

[3wheels]

Originally Posted by Del Prado

Thailand responded really well to this;.

I don’t think it’s neighbours such as Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam have been so strict. However the sum total of deaths in those countries is Zero!

It’s other neighbours Myanmar and Malasia have recorded 6 and 114 deaths respectively. All permanently hot countries.

As an aside Eva Air Flight 68 left Heathrow with 264 passengers last Sunday and arrived in Bangkok on Monday with 9 passengers showing a high fever. They were all taken to hospital. The other passengers were all quarantined (as per normal procedures).

The big question is why the f##k were they allowed to board in London? Isn’t there at least temperature screening at Heathrow? Is there? No wonder we are in the state we are in ....

See newspaper report here ...
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/...ernal_referral

[Chris2303]

Originally Posted by 3wheels

However the reported sum total of deaths in those countries is Zero!

Seems strange that the total is zero

[Del Prado]

Originally Posted by 3wheels

I don’t think it’s neighbours such as Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam have been so strict. However the sum total of deaths in those countries is Zero!

It’s other neighbours Myanmar and Malasia have recorded 6 and 114 deaths respectively. All permanently hot countries.

Vietnam have been very strict too - they were accused of overreacting at first.

There are currently no temperature checks at Heathrow, however we are looking to trial them in the coming weeks, alongside other new measures.

- from Heathrow website.

[ZFT]

Originally Posted by 250 kts

Do you really believe the govt figures though? Only 3000 cases and 56 deaths bearing in mind it was the first foreign country outside China to report a death.

I don't believe any government figures.

However, I do believe the figures here are quite low as to date I have yet to meet or know of anyone who has personal knowledge of an individual infected with this virus.

Rightly or wrongly, the authorities here reacted vigorously and quickly with curfews (still in place), provincial lockdowns, domestic and international flight bans (Intl still in place), beaches and all entertainment shutdown (still enforced), tracing apps now for shopping centres etc..

The flip side to all this is suicides are through the roof, businesses are collapsing everywhere with many, probably the majority having no hope of being resurrected. There are many many homeless, desperate and hungry people on the streets now.

As I have stated before, the medicine is worse than the illness.

[LTNman]

The UK was first infected by air travel. Track and trace, which was in force at the time, didn’t work and only delayed the inevitable and that was despite so few cases.

We now have the prospect of European holiday hot spots opening up where holidaymakers will soon forget social distancing particularly at night so will bring new infections back to the UK for a second wave.

[GS-Alpha]

The UK was first infected by air travel. Track and trace, which was in force at the time, didn’t work and only delayed the inevitable and that was despite so few cases.

We now have the prospect of European holiday hot spots opening up where holidaymakers will soon forget social distancing particularly at night so will bring new infections back to the UK for a second wave.

There is a big difference helping track and trace this time though. Back then, there was no social distancing of any description, so the R0 was approximately 3. The idea now, is to keep the R0 below 1, and part of that is the 14 day ‘quarantine’. After such a lengthy period of strict lockdown, and a dramatic reduction in daily deaths which makes the public feel its all over, I think the government has a cat’s chance in hell of actually keeping the R0 below 1 for and significant duration.

Before March, the initial response to the pandemic was minimal outside of China. The politicians of the world failed to make serious attempts to prepare for what was pretty much inevitable. The reaction since has been purely political. With no other available tool to prevent deaths spiralling out of control, as soon as community spread reached a certain level, failure to impose strict lockdowns whilst others did so, would have been political suicide.

As we ease out of lockdown; giving the impression they have a plan in place which will work, as long as the public comply, the politicians are giving themselves a get out clause. When the second wave comes, it will be due to the poor compliance of the public. Without the quarantine, the media (and therefore the public) would blame air travel for the second wave, which would come back to blaming the political decisions. It is all just politics.

[nicolai]

I see news reports today that the quarantine will be reviewed every 3 weeks. Previously there was no indication of a review schedule. With a government that acts in a largely uncaring fashion towards international travel and relations, this led (me at least) to fear that the quarantine might be started and continue indefinitely as there could always be some small risk of removing it and no concern about its side-effects.
A regular review schedule at least gives some hope it may be removed as soon as possible, not as kept as long as it can be kept.

[T250]

They say a week is a long time in politics and also, in epidemics.

3 week review is far too long considering other countries are further ahead than us. A weekly review would be far more appropriate.

[mercurydancer]

For me, the quarantine is welcome. My wife went home to Russia to visit relatives just before they closed everything down. She is stranded there. She is safe, but obviously wants to get home and I want her home too. 14 days quarantine with a verifiable UK address is what I have. It may just be the mechanism by which I will get her home.

For all measures about prevention, of course we can pontificate but essentially none knew how this was going to pan out. I do think that the 14 day quarantine would make sense if they instituted it the day they made the Stay at Home instruction.

[peter we]

Originally Posted by PilotLZ

Looks like quarantine-free travel is becoming possible in certain regions of Europe. First were the Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Today Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia followed suit to lift the quarantine from 1 June. Quite possibly many more to follow suit soon.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will have a open travel between those states - not from outside the safe zone.

[PilotLZ]

From today's news it looks like the UK quarantine for arrivals will become fact on June 8th. I wonder why so early, they might have as well made it September. A 17-day notice for something like that looks strange at the least, given that other countries enforced the same measures literally overnight (and when the outbreak was still in its beginning, not after it has already peaked).

[hunterboy]

There seems to be some debate as to whether airline crew will be exempt from the quarantine. Does anyone have any official references?

[Cat Techie]

Originally Posted by PilotLZ

From today's news it looks like the UK quarantine for arrivals will become fact on June 8th. I wonder why so early, they might have as well made it September. A 17-day notice for something like that looks strange at the least, given that other countries enforced the same measures literally overnight (and when the outbreak was still in its beginning, not after it has already peaked).

I would be banned if I made my opinions known. You are correct. Horse has bolted.

[Moonwalker]

Originally Posted by PilotLZ

From today's news it looks like the UK quarantine for arrivals will become fact on June 8th. I wonder why so early, they might have as well made it September. A 17-day notice for something like that looks strange at the least, given that other countries enforced the same measures literally overnight (and when the outbreak was still in its beginning, not after it has already peaked).

What does this mean for us as an operating crew? Let's say you work BA long haul, freight or business jet pilot, and come back to UK after a round-trip. Do you have to self isolate yourself for 14 days before you can work again? How are all freighters going to run in and out of UK if every crew has to self isolate between their duties? So far I've only seen exception for lorry drivers. Does anyone know?

[PilotLZ]

As per the existing guidelines, it is possible to fly short-haul with a turnaround and return within one duty period and be exempted from quarantine as long as you don't have a confirmed positive case on board that you have been in contact with for more than 15 minutes. There are also provisions in place for taking rest without entering a foreign country and hence being exempt from quarantine both outbound and inbound. Those normally involve either spending the rest period on the aircraft or being chauffeured to an isolated hotel room and not allowed to leave it until the return flight.

...it's another matter whether any of these guidelines will be needed in the UK soon, maybe except for cargo...

[GKOC41]

Originally Posted by PilotLZ

As per the existing guidelines, it is possible to fly short-haul with a turnaround and return within one duty period and be exempted from quarantine as long as you don't have a confirmed positive case on board that you have been in contact with for more than 15 minutes. There are also provisions in place for taking rest without entering a foreign country and hence being exempt from quarantine both outbound and inbound. Those normally involve either spending the rest period on the aircraft or being chauffeured to an isolated hotel room and not allowed to leave it until the return flight.

...it's another matter whether any of these guidelines will be needed in the UK soon, maybe except for cargo...

From experience;

Stay on aircraft during turnaround - stay in aircraft foot print - no issues.
Get off the aircraft down route - trouble n strife you may have to oblige with that countries regs also
Airlines will need to negotiate with UK Gov for rules and dispensations e.g. stay in Airport Hotel