Anyone been abroad in the last few weeks?

Stuckfast

Slightly against my better judgement I've booked myself on a work-related trip to Italy on Tuesday. There seems to be a new forest of regulations and forms to fill in. Anything I need to look out for?

DrCornelius

CV-19 possibly 

chillidoggy

I went to Sheerness last week. There was nothing new to look out for.

DrCornelius

Seriously though you say ‘booked yourself’ implying it was your choice. Why would you want to get in a flying metal incubation tube right now ?

Stuckfast

Well, I could have said no, but there's a valid business reason for the trip, and Italy isn't on any quarantine lists at the moment.

DrCornelius

Fair enough , it’s more the fact you’ll be stuck on a plane inhaling everyone’s recycled air for 2 hours each way that would put me off . Appreciate people will be wearing masks (I assume) but I’d swerve that trip If it were me unless my job depended on it !

RaymondLin

My friend just flew in from Lisbon, you fill in a form on where you are staying, phone number so if someone on the flight has it, you will be notified. 

I suspect there will be temperature checks and you might get quarantined when you get back as things changes quickly.

NPP

Stuckfast said:

Well, I could have said no, but there's a valid business reason for the trip, and Italy isn't on any quarantine lists at the moment.

just be aware that this may change at a moment's notice. 

Before you embark on your return journey you have to fill in a passenger locator form available on the gov.uk website and list where you've been and how you can be contacted for contact tracing if required. Check if the Italians have any specific requirements for entry!

I came back to the UK on Wednesday, having stayed with my wife in Germany for a few weeks. The airports were fairly quiet but the plane was packed as there are fewer of them flying. Getting to / from the airport can be tricky if you are using public transport as some operators are even worse than normal for cancelling services without notice (Northern Rail!).

Otherwise, all use of public transport is a risk but it is still a small one. I avoid it as much as possible but for a good business reason or to see my wife I take the risk. We are travelling far less frequently now than before Covid though.  

thermionic

Flying to an Italian airport is the easiest and quickest way of getting a Covid-19 test right now.

Panama_Jack666

I went to Italy 2 weeks ago.

There were some forms to fill in to travel but they didn't seem bothered in Italy. Didn't ask to see the forms at any point. Was a bit of a pain in the arse filling the entry to the UK forms in.

They were much keener on face coverings, anti bac'ing your hands and temperature checks. They were less bothered about social distancing.

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have... 

blobb

Just back from Rome, no hassle. As above, paper form for entry to Italy then an on line gov.uk form for UK entry. Masks reqd in shops, taxi's etc and after 6pm in public spaces. Everyone has a mask and uses it, no issue.  2 min temp checks for entry to museums and the like, face coverings not the same as face masks. Fiumicino was running only one terminal but still got nice food, nice coffee, a smoke and disability assistance for MsBlobb - which is still a whole different world compared to UK airports. 

Emp_Fab

Does she know you refer to her on here as "Ms Blobb" ? 

Lebarque

I believe our roving reporter, @Wazmeister , is sunning himself in Turkey as we speak.

roberty

DrCornelius said:

Fair enough , it’s more the fact you’ll be stuck on a plane inhaling everyone’s recycled air for 2 hours each way that would put me off . Appreciate people will be wearing masks (I assume) but I’d swerve that trip If it were me unless my job depended on it !

Airline workers have a lower rate of infection than the general population at the moment

https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-workers-covid-rates-is-flying-safe-2020-9?r=US&IR=T

Cirrus

I've read that it's actually a bit of an urban myth that plane air is particularly risky, as it's pretty well filtered and replaced over a relatively short period - so the "half life" for contaminants in the air is shorter than in a typical office or a bus with closed windows etc, it's just that this is balanced by the nature of international travel meaning a lot broader base of vectors for illness in the first place.

MattNovak

Got back from Turkey last week - was meant to be Croatia, but we cancelled as Mrs Novak is a Doctor and coudn't quarantine on her return. It was fine, no big deal.

EricTheWeary

Cirrus said:

I've read that it's actually a bit of an urban myth that plane air is particularly risky, as it's pretty well filtered and replaced over a relatively short period - so the "half life" for contaminants in the air is shorter than in a typical office or a bus with closed windows etc, it's just that this is balanced by the nature of international travel meaning a lot broader base of vectors for illness in the first place.

I remember the idea that the air in planes is worse since they stopped people smoking as they don’t have to filter it as often. Really no idea if that’s true. 

Just seems to be a lot of potential places to be squished with strangers which is part of why I don’t like air travel in the first place. 

Hootsmon

I was but could not get used to lipstick,bra and high heels

PC_Dave

EricTheWeary said:

Cirrus said:

I've read that it's actually a bit of an urban myth that plane air is particularly risky, as it's pretty well filtered and replaced over a relatively short period - so the "half life" for contaminants in the air is shorter than in a typical office or a bus with closed windows etc, it's just that this is balanced by the nature of international travel meaning a lot broader base of vectors for illness in the first place.

I remember the idea that the air in planes is worse since they stopped people smoking as they don’t have to filter it as often. Really no idea if that’s true. 

Just seems to be a lot of potential places to be squished with strangers which is part of why I don’t like air travel in the first place. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/2020/08/how-clean-is-the-air-on-your-airplane-coronavirus-cvd/

Wazmeister

Lebarque said:

I believe our roving reporter, @Wazmeister , is sunning himself in Turkey as we speak.

True. Everything fine here, covid well respected, and life is grand.

However, I havent bought any gear for 10 days, so the shakes are now setting in...

Snap

DrCornelius said:

Fair enough , it’s more the fact you’ll be stuck on a plane inhaling everyone’s recycled air for 2 hours each way that would put me off . Appreciate people will be wearing masks (I assume) but I’d swerve that trip If it were me unless my job depended on it !

? the air in a plane is HEPA filtered at least twice a minute. HEPA filters take out 99.9% of pathogens. Air in a plane is cleaner than almost every place you go.

I travelled a few weeks ago, it was totally fine. Easiest journey I've had as it's pretty quiet everywhere. Don't worry about it, really. 
Airports and planes are really on this, for obvious reasons.

You are more likely to catch COVID19 in your local supermarket.