Thinking of setting of on trip to Europe this week - any suggestions bearing in mind all this Covid stuff

[Helen Ariel]

Yes we saw it coming but couldn't get our act together to get measures to avoid it. Not surprised when you look back at some of the posts a month ago agreeing the rate was rising but wanting to wait until there was evidence of deaths before doing anything!
I wonder if the second Spanish wave was due more to tourists from Madrid or the UK?

Wow you are determined to blame tourists despite evidence to the contrary!

 

[The Wino]

Wow you are determined to blame tourists despite evidence to the contrary!

I don't think most of the spread once it's in an area is tourists but that the early cases largely were like the ski chalet super spreader the cases after the flight cases on the Greek islands previously clear etc. I'm sure theres lots of others reasons but the cases between students surely show its not a great idea to get lots of people together from different areas and let them mix it must be even worse to let them mix then mix again in planes and airports then spread out home again.

 

[Helen Ariel]

I don't think most of the spread once it's in an area is tourists but that the early cases largely were like the ski chalet super spreader the cases after the flight cases on the Greek islands previously clear etc. I'm sure theres lots of others reasons but the cases between students surely show its not a great idea to get lots of people together from different areas and let them mix it must be even worse to let them mix then mix again in planes and airports then spread out home again.

Yeah obviously the initial spread in the 1st wave any type of travel across the globe would have caused it but what's all that/flying /airports or people crowding together got to do with the threads on motorhome fun about getting away to Europe in ones motorhome? Please try to understand why this is safe and acceptable practice rather than constantly being disbelieving that it is and using other riskier examples that aren't relevant here on this thread.

 

[The Wino]

Yeah obviously the initial spread in the 1st wave any type of travel across the globe would have caused it but what's all that/flying /airports or people crowding together got to do with the threads on motorhome fun about getting away to Europe in ones motorhome? Please try to understand why this is safe and acceptable practice rather than constantly being disbelieving that it is and using other riskier examples that aren't relevant here on this thread.

I don't think anything is safe it's not safe staying at home. I do think if you travel to a low incidence area or country you probably reduce your risk unless at home you totally isolate (we don't) and have home delivery in which case I can't see anywhere being as low risk. If though you travel to a higher risk area then I can't see how it can be as low risk as staying at home. I do think that the more people travel the more spread of covid is likely.
Whether people decide those risks are acceptable is up to them.

 

[Littlewheels]

Spains infection rate will start dropping significantly very soon, their 7 day rolling infection rate is at about 4,000 average per day on worldometer
Their 14 day infection rate is at 320 ish on the ecdc site
Another few days and they lose their 12,000 daily figures to be replaced by lesser ones of around 4,000 so will drop to 100 in about a week (if they carry on as they are atm)
They still need to drop to around 1,000 a day for a fortnight to get back in our good books but they are heading in the right direction.

it appears to me the obvious has happened in July we were in Spain and the folk from Madrid etc made a beeline for the Costas as normal and the COVID rate on the Costas by and large went up, they have returned to their home towns/cities and a spike immediately took hold.
The Spike rate is now coming under control and starting to drop,hopefully,this trend will continue.

In the meantime the Costas are all quiet and people are following safe practice and there is space to get about without lots of people in your face.

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[billym]

My wife listens to both French and Spanish regional radio. She says they all saying the same stuff as folks are moaning about here. The rules, the people who don’t follow them. The government etc.

I suppose in the end, the chances of catching it are much the same here or in France or Spain. Low, but deadly if in the older age groups and with other complications.

Wherever you go. Stay safe.

Exactly.
You only have to read the French/ Spanish/ German etc etc national newspapers to realize that doom and gloom is Europe wide. It's just that ( generally) holidaying Brit motorhomers visit nice places and don't make much effort to follow the country's news.

 

[maison]

Wife and I wanted to get away to Europe to escape any upcoming October lockdowns in the UK.

We were initially thinking Spain, but wondered what all you guys and gals thought.

Ideally, we want somewhere that isn't like a zombie mask hell, but at the same time is safe and welcoming.

Don't mind ferry or tunnel, warm or cold.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

We would definitely go if we could but we aren’t allowed to leave our County!

 

[yorkieman]

The problem as I see it, is more what happens IF you contracted it and became ill? Being poorly in you ‘van isn’t going to be pleasant.

I would definitely agree with that. Love the van, but being stuck in it for a week or two with flu (or worse) wouldn't be fun. That said, we've never worried about getting the flu, and it seems the chances of getting that are a lot higher.

 

[yorkieman]

We have spent a week at Roses, a week at Salou, and so far we both think that we are very less likely to get Covid than when we were back home.
It’s certainly a lot quieter than it was last year which tbh is much preferable to us, no queues, no pushing past anyone and more or less everyone doing what they should with regards masks and s/distancing.
Moving on every week, Alcossebre tomorrow then Benicassim, Guadamar, Horadada before settling down for the winter in Benidorm.
My advice is get out of the UK as fast as you can if your thinking about it, or you may not be able to.
Have a safe trip

We like quiet too so, apart from the enforced mask rules, it sounds ideal. And I think you are right about getting out ASAP as it does seem far stricter measures will soon be introduced :-(

 

[yorkieman]

We would definitely go if we could but we aren’t allowed to leave our County!

Seriously? You can't leave Wales. Are you joking?

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[yorkieman]

Did they get it right? - look at the figures

The virus will run its course - we cant stop it

Get on with life !

..if you think wearing a mask helps - do it - I don't - but will - just to make others feel safer..

I totally agree. Was reading a heap of top scientific reports on the effective of masks and surprised that there is more evidence for them damaging health, and pretty much nothing about them being in the slightest bit effective. One of them was for 5000 (if I remember right) nurses and medical staff in hospitals and they had half wear masks and half didn't, and it turned out there was absolutely no difference in whether they caught flu or not. So with most of the science saying they're of no use for viruses, it does make you wonder why the whole world seems to be wanting everyone to wear them. Maybe it just makes people feel safer.

Sue, I definitely agree with your comment re the doom and gloom surrounding Covid in this country and particularly on this forum. Some (quite a few) seem to think that every person they even walk past is going to infect them there and then and they will be dead before tea time. Saying they feel safe or unsafe in certain areas. Come on, get a grip people. The only times I have felt unsafe in my life have been in a couple of very severe building fires and once whilst rock climbing when what I thought was a bomb proof placement came out when I fell on it.

Well said!

 

[maison]

Seriously? You can't leave Wales. Are you joking?

No!

We are not allowed to leave our county on penalty of fines. The product of Devoloution of Powers.

 

[yorkieman]

No!

We are not allowed to leave our county on penalty of fines. The product of Devoloution of Powers.

So sorry to hear that. It just sounds so draconian and totalitarian I thought you were joking. Genuinely sorry for your loss of freedom. I fear it might be us next. Makes me wonder if now is a good time to get the hell out of dodge whilst we can. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do - and if that's run like hell then I'm not proud

 

[Peppadog]

You do all realise that international travel, unless essential, to many countries, including France and Spain is advised against. Diplomatic speak for Do Not Go. Don’t you?
We would all consider it very stupid and selfish if people who didn’t need to come here brought the virus to this country. As originally they did of course.
We should assume the same if we go over there.

France travel advice

FCDO travel advice for France. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

www.gov.uk

 

[maison]

So sorry to hear that. It just sounds so draconian and totalitarian I thought you were joking. Genuinely sorry for your loss of freedom. I fear it might be us next. Makes me wonder if now is a good time to get the hell out of dodge whilst we can. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do - and if that's run like hell then I'm not proud

We are in the position of living in a small, but attractive county. Seaside and rural area just to the west of Cardiff.

The Sennedd, (Welsh Government), have brought in restrictions based on county/health authority areas which mean that more than half of the Welsh population is now in lockdown.

I remember hearing, many years ago, on the Roy Castle programme, Record Breakers, that a Texan millionaire had a garden bigger than our county. It makes life a bit restrictive.

To make matters worse we cannot leave our county, except for “essential” purposes, but people from outside Wales are still free to visit and roam freely, even from high risk areas in England that are under restrictions themselves.

Long live the United Kingdom.

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[billym]

I totally agree. Was reading a heap of top scientific reports on the effective of masks and surprised that there is more evidence for them damaging health, and pretty much nothing about them being in the slightest bit effective. One of them was for 5000 (if I remember right) nurses and medical staff in hospitals and they had half wear masks and half didn't, and it turned out there was absolutely no difference in whether they caught flu or not. So with most of the science saying they're of no use for viruses, it does make you wonder why the whole world seems to be wanting everyone to wear them. Maybe it just makes people feel safer.


Well said!

So there is more evidence that mask wearing damages health and most of the science says they are no use and a hospital made 2500 staff not wear masks.
Wow! You learn something every day

 

[maison]

I totally agree. Was reading a heap of top scientific reports on the effective of masks and surprised that there is more evidence for them damaging health, and pretty much nothing about them being in the slightest bit effective. One of them was for 5000 (if I remember right) nurses and medical staff in hospitals and they had half wear masks and half didn't, and it turned out there was absolutely no difference in whether they caught flu or not. So with most of the science saying they're of no use for viruses, it does make you wonder why the whole world seems to be wanting everyone to wear them. Maybe it just makes people feel safer.


Well said!

Or makes more money for those with shares in mask manufacturing companies, perhaps.

 

[yorkieman]

You do all realise that international travel, unless essential, to many countries, including France and Spain is advised against. Diplomatic speak for Do Not Go. Don’t you?
We would all consider it very stupid and selfish if people who didn’t need to come here brought the virus to this country. As originally they did of course.
We should assume the same if we go over there.

France travel advice

FCDO travel advice for France. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

www.gov.uk

Point well made.

Alas, I am not into rolling up my sleeve and letting a newly recruited temporary nurse shoot me full of an experimental RNA vaccine rushed through by big pharma.

It looks like very shortly these rushed-through vaccines will be absolutely mandatory to travel. So, if we don't go now, we might never get another chance in our lifetime. My wife and I would like to lie on a Mediterranean beach one last time, before Skegness becomes the nearest thing we'll get to it.

 

[yorkieman]

Or makes more money for those with shares in mask manufacturing companies, perhaps.

You might well be right. I was really cynical of people saying that kind of stuff a few months back, but now, with news of Vallance having a huge pile of pharma shares, and others seemingly giving gov't contracts to their cronies, I am rapidly joining the ever-expanding group of cynics.

 

[Peter and Julie]

''travel, unless essential, to many countries, including France and Spain is advised against''
The key word is advised, It's not law!

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[maison]

''travel, unless essential, to many countries, including France and Spain is advised against''
The key word is advised, It's not law!

Until you try to claim on your travel insurance!

 

[Sue]

Yes we saw it coming but couldn't get our act together to get measures to avoid it. Not surprised when you look back at some of the posts a month ago agreeing the rate was rising but wanting to wait until there was evidence of deaths before doing anything!
I wonder if the second Spanish wave was due more to tourists from Madrid or the UK?

Do you work for the BBC
Please explain why the numbers dying are so low?

 

[Barclaybasher]

Until you try to claim on your travel insurance!

Haven't had travel insurance for 20 years...

 

[The Wino]

Do you work for the BBC
Please explain why the numbers dying are so low?

Because in the early stages in March/April there was very little testing capacity it's generally reconned at the peak there were probably many more cases than now even though the figures now are higher. Your turn if cases recently before the local measures were introduced were doubling every week (and we can see the deaths doing similar with a 3 to 4 week lag now averaging about 50 a day wheras we were at one time in single figures) how many weeks if nothing had been done do you think it would have taken to get back up to the previous peak and how bonkers would anyone have to be to let it happen.

 

[Peppadog]

Haven't had travel insurance for 20 years...

In the, very unlikely, event that you needed consular support while in a country where you are ‘advised’ not to travel. I don’t think that would be available. Something like: sorry sir, the governments advise was only to come here if it was essential. You are on holiday, get yourself out of (insert your predicament) Jail, kidnapped, hijacked.

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[Offagain]

We are in the position of living in a small, but attractive county. Seaside and rural area just to the west of Cardiff.

So are we and Pembrokeshire has been rammed with visitors from the day lockdown finished until recently. However, and interestingly, numbers of people testing positive for COVID have not skyrocketed as they have in other areas of South Wales.

 

[138go]

I don't think anything is safe it's not safe staying at home. I do think if you travel to a low incidence area or country you probably reduce your risk unless at home you totally isolate (we don't) and have home delivery in which case I can't see anywhere being as low risk. If though you travel to a higher risk area then I can't see how it can be as low risk as staying at home. I do think that the more people travel the more spread of covid is likely.
Whether people decide those risks are acceptable is up to them.

We are happy enough staying put and having home deliveries. For us that is low risk moreover, we feel the associated problems with travelling abroad right now just aren’t worth it. There is always next year to start travelling again.

I agree that the more people travel, the risks of spreading the virus increases. Therefore, by staying put we are protecting ourselves and others.

 

[Peppadog]

Well the numbers didn’t spike after the blm protests or the masses on Bournemouth beach either.
Its not easy to make sense of covid19. Governments all over the world are using sledge hammers to hit invisible nuts.
We can say its a conspiracy. Government incompetence or anything else that fits our prejudices. But its most likely they are all doing what they think and hope will work. So far without much success unfortunately.

 

[138go]

I agree that our government is attempting to control the virus but they also have the economy to consider. You say they aren’t having much success but what we don’t know, is what the figures would be without the measures in place.

 

[Peppadog]

Correct. Its anyone’s guess.

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