Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

Quickstatus said:
average Bob on struggle street:
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vikh.png
Russian player Natalia Vikhlyantseva was unable to travel to Australia due to her vaccine, Sputnik V, not being recognised by Australian authorities.
Would be nice to see their reaction if Joko decide to get SputnikV just for coughs and giggles 😆TGA emergency authorization on the same day.
 
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Jenya said:
View attachment 268453
Russian player Natalia Vikhlyantseva was unable to travel to Australia due to her vaccine, Sputnik V, not being recognised by Australian authorities.
Would be nice to see their reaction if Joko decide to get SputnikV just for coughs and giggles 😆TGA emergency authorization on the same day.
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Pathetic stuff. Really pathetic. TA should be shamed with the amount of public money they get to support their event not to mention the infrastructure built and maintained for the tournament.
 
N
Flashback said:
Not quite. A pre-departure test (flying to the UK) was required for a while - it was RAT or PCR. It was then removed. Then, early December, it was brought back in.

The below is a news outlet conjecture. Nothing has been officially announced by DfT or the Home Office, but there's an expected announcement either tomorrow or Friday in which it is thought that that the pre-departure test will be removed again, only 1-2 months after it was brought back. The 2nd comment about removal of a PCR test is also incorrect and nothing has been announced. Again, this was bumped up from a RAT to PCR in December. I'd be surprised if it was removed entirely, with it being more likely to be bumped back down to a RAT but would of course be happy to see it go.
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Now it has been announced.


In summary:
  • No longer require a pre-departure test to fly to UK
  • LFD only for Day 2, PCR is only required if you test positive (not sure if NHS will do this or whether that's additional cost with a private provider)
  • Self-isolation until test result gone, although with the move back to LFD it's a quick result anyway so moot point
  • Takes effect 4am Friday
 
Flashback said:
N

Now it has been announced.


In summary:
  • No longer require a pre-departure test to fly to UK
  • LFD only for Day 2, PCR is only required if you test positive (not sure if NHS will do this or whether that's additional cost with a private provider)
  • Self-isolation until test result gone, although with the move back to LFD it's a quick result anyway so moot point
  • Takes effect 4am Friday
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AU govt needs to start thinking about this as well. If it is wild in the community, then it is unlikely to be stoked by arriving passengers. I get that requiring them to be vaccinated means they don't add to the hospital burden in the short term, but as most travellers inbound from overseas are citizens and visa holders who have a right to live and work here, locking them out with PCR tests seems excessive (says he who hopes to be one of those travelling in next 2 months).
 
OATEK said:
AU govt needs to start thinking about this as well. If it is wild in the community, then it is unlikely to be stoked by arriving passengers. I get that requiring them to be vaccinated means they don't add to the hospital burden in the short term, but as most travellers inbound from overseas are citizens and visa holders who have a right to live and work here, locking them out with PCR tests seems excessive (says he who hopes to be one of those travelling in next 2 months).
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I’m quietly hoping this is the case soon.
We are in the UK now all double /triple vaxxed and would welcome the chance to fly back without taking a PCR.
Not that hopeful but fingers crossed.
 
Princess Fiona said:
I’m quietly hoping this is the case soon.
We are in the UK now all double /triple vaxxed and would welcome the chance to fly back without taking a PCR.
Not that hopeful but fingers crossed.
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If it’s over 3 months since your second dose you can walk-in and get a free booster in the UK. I went and got one straight after my PCR test before flying home.

No need to wait till you get home. Though registering the booster to get proof of vaccination valid for travel over there would be more of a hassle, though could be worth the effort if it was required to avoid a PCR test.
 
Flashback said:
N

Now it has been announced.


In summary:
  • No longer require a pre-departure test to fly to UK
  • LFD only for Day 2, PCR is only required if you test positive (not sure if NHS will do this or whether that's additional cost with a private provider)
  • Self-isolation until test result gone, although with the move back to LFD it's a quick result anyway so moot point
  • Takes effect 4am Friday
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Minor update, the first item comes into effect Friday 4am, the second and third comes into effect on Sunday.
 
mviy said:
If it’s over 3 months since your second dose you can walk-in and get a free booster in the UK. I went and got one straight after my PCR test before flying home.

No need to wait till you get home. Though registering the booster to get proof of vaccination valid for travel over there would be more of a hassle, though could be worth the effort if it was required to avoid a PCR test.
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Yes I know but everyone who is eligible for a booster in my family received it in Australia before we left. Mini-me is too young in either country.
 
RAT tests are very good at picking up infectious people (i.e. more dangerous to those around them) and have been shown to be fairly accurate. PCR tests will come back positive even if you have a tiny amount of virus and aren't infectious - something which can stay with people for months. This is causing a significant amount of people to not even think about travel.

I think a RAT/Antigen/Lateral Flow test is what should be used by Australia pre-departure instead of PCR 72 hrs prior. The virus is circulating in Australia at extremely high levels and we need to live with this virus.

What would make a lot more sense is for a RAT test to be done within 24 hrs of departure (results take less than 30 mins). These will pick up highly infectious people who are a good chance of spreading the virus.

Taking a PCR 72 hrs out means you can take a test and be negative and then you have 3 days to get infected and you may board a flight possibly infecting others. I just don't see how this is not happening now for those countries that still insist on pre-departure testing.
 
justinbrett said:
Well, it’s finally my turn to escape prison island.

Flounge is definitely not a first class lounge anymore, lots of cons to travelling like wearing masks - but I’m still happy to be here. View attachment 268518
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Every lounge I've been in around Europe are happy for no masks unless you get up out of your seat and move around i.e. not just no mask when eating/drinking.
 
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Flashback said:
Every lounge I've been in around Europe are happy for no masks unless you get up out of your seat and move around i.e. not just no mask when eating/drinking.
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Same here, I was referring to wearing a mask across the Pacific.
 
jakeseven7 said:
Hong Kong (as we knew and loved) was dead pre-covid for reasons we all know
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I left Hong Kong and arrived in Sydney one day before quarantine started in 2020. I doubt I’ll ever see the HK that was again :(.

For all their attempts to achieve “covid-zero” in China, look how’s its turning out. They’ve got more restrictions than just about anywhere else.
 
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