MSE News: Portugal axed from travel 'green list' after traffic light scheme review - your rights

MSE_Petar

Portugal is to be taken off the UK-wide 'green list' of quarantine-free travel destinations next Tuesday, in a blow to holidaymakers which will leave many scrambling to rearrange trips or get a refund. We've full info below on what's changing, plus your rights if you've a holiday booked.

Read the full story:
'Portugal axed from travel 'green list' after traffic light scheme review - your rights'

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MattMattMattUK

Oh well, never mind.

RAS

Maybe the Government has worked out that many of the relied upon testing companies can't deliver even the basic tests for outgoing and incoming passengers on time. 

Which pretty much negates the existing quarantine testing regime?

So they can't even think about extending the boundaries. 

mattyprice4004

Anyone booking holidays abroad at the moment is frankly bonkers while the situation is so fluid. 

No great loss really, the situation will chop and change lots before ‘normality’ is restored

cubegame

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

MattMattMattUK

cubegame said:

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

If the government were making rational decisions there would be no green or amber list and hotel quarantine would be compulsory on return for everyone from all destinations. The current increase is almost entirely due to the Indian variant, a variant that would not be circulating in the population if we had introduced full hotel quarantine. 

JamoLew

cubegame said:

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

Can you honestly say that Sir Keir would be doing anything different ? 

If anything he seems to advocate stricter restrictions - is that what you would prefer

MattMattMattUK

JamoLew said:

cubegame said:

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

Can you honestly say that Sir Keir would be doing anything different ? 

If anything he seems to advocate stricter restrictions - is that what you would prefer

I think he would have put in place much stricter border controls and compulsory hotel quarantine last year, something which would probably have put us in a better position overall, avoided the Indian variant and mean that the UK's reopening and avoidance of another wave would be more certain. Personally I think we should be prioritising getting the UK fully open and operating normally internally, before we worry too much about international travel being "back to normal", especially as encouraging people to spend within the UK boosts the UK economy, where as tourism means that money goes abroad.

[Deleted User]

MattMattMattUK said:

cubegame said:

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

If the government were making rational decisions there would be no green or amber list and hotel quarantine would be compulsory on return for everyone from all destinations. The current increase is almost entirely due to the Indian variant, a variant that would not be circulating in the population if we had introduced full hotel quarantine. 

This is hardly workable in reality. We rely on foreign truck drivers for a large amount of our food for a start. There will have to be exceptions one way or another and it makes sense to at least have some kind of judgement based on where people are travelling from.

My problem with the hotel quarantine is it's basically a barrier to poor people whereas rich people can easily afford it. What we should actually have is a system where you're allowed in with a valid reason and pay nothing/little for quarantine, but you aren't allowed in if you don't have a valid reason. This is precisely what some other countries are doing. The current system in the UK is having a deeply negative effect on those select few who have to travel from a red list country for whatever reason (including for instance people who just can't get a flight without going through somewhere like Dubai) while rich people can do what they like because the cost of the hotel means nothing to them.

nyermen

I do feel for those with postponed holidays from the 2020 (booked likely back in 2019) who are still trying to take those holidays.   New holiday bookings was I think a bit brave on the other hand.

Not convinced the bigger decisions such as borders and lockdowns would have been much different whomever is in charge (I seem to recall mutterings of racism in response to border restrictions being discussed back in early 2020).  Who knows what MP's etc would have accepted, plenty of cross-party MPs pushing against restrictions.  And with all the political pressure and changing circumstances, a lot of people pushing back against the rules (from scotch-eggs to outright ignoring of rules)

However, whatever the specific guidelines being agreed, I suspect most people agree the government communication has been utter garbage.

JamoLew

MattMattMattUK said:

JamoLew said:

cubegame said:

This is why the government needs to go. Making completely irrational decisions without evidence or reasoning is not what the UK needs from any leaders at any time, let along now!

Can you honestly say that Sir Keir would be doing anything different ? 

If anything he seems to advocate stricter restrictions - is that what you would prefer

I think he would have put in place much stricter border controls and compulsory hotel quarantine last year, something which would probably have put us in a better position overall, avoided the Indian variant and mean that the UK's reopening and avoidance of another wave would be more certain. Personally I think we should be prioritising getting the UK fully open and operating normally internally, before we worry too much about international travel being "back to normal", especially as encouraging people to spend within the UK boosts the UK economy, where as tourism means that money goes abroad.

totally agree - I think the poster I was responding to was suggesting that we just let loose without any controls (or maybe just how i interpreted it in it's context)