It’s tough Mate.
I’ve not been home in 3 and 1/2 years or seen my dad in 18 months.
I think that if you’ve had the vaccines and the tests you should be able to go to Wales after England let you out.
+ Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
Looking to visit home next month for the first time in a couple of years.
The missus and I have had 2 Pfizer jabs - more protected than most readers on here - and will arrive at Heathrow, collect a car and travel direct to extended family in England for quarantine. Since the US is on the amber list, we have to buy 2 tests each (at 170 pounds) to use on day 2 and day 8; if negative on day 10 we are free to travel into Wales.
England, however, also offers a day 5 quarantine release by purchasing an additional test and if that shows negative you've bought yourself out of quarantine (that's seems stupid but anyway...) . I've seen nothing in WAG's statements (including today's) about rules for ex-pats or visitors wanting to visit Wales so I called WAG today to check whether the 5-day England buy-out will free us to get into Wales on day 6 after arrival in UK.
Surprisingly I got a real person without too much delay (applause for that) but it was with regret that the spokesperson advised that Wales doesn't recognise the validity of the England 5-day release and, whilst appreciating the frustration of two systems running side by side the rules in Wales mean we must see out 10 days of quarantine after arriving in UK.
I recognise Wales is leading the way, data wise, in UK so Drakeford can justifiably point to the success of his Covid policy but doesn't there come a time when overkill is reached and precautions become too onerous and unnecessary?
Readers on this Board have undergone long, hard lockdowns to get where you are today in returning to normality (definitely tougher that I have here in Iowa) so my simple question is...do I ignore the quarantine and arrive back 'home' after 5 days and 2 negative tests as is permitted in England?
It’s tough Mate.
I’ve not been home in 3 and 1/2 years or seen my dad in 18 months.
I think that if you’ve had the vaccines and the tests you should be able to go to Wales after England let you out.
Thanks DC, be interesting to see if my enquiry generates more interest than it has so far.
I assume WAG's rules for Wales have the force of law behind them rather than merely decisions by Cabinet or First Minister.
I have a UK passport not a Welsh one and if the rules in England are satisfied after 5 days isn't that the same as allowing English residents into Wales which I believe is now permitted?
I have a UK passport too but up until a few weeks ago I couldn't travel around the UK from my home in Wales. Perhaps if you fly direct into Cardiff International airport you won't have too many problems. Good luck
Wales isn't being as cavalier with people's health as Boris and following the science hence no 5 day release. I know in England the fine is £10, 000 each and its been claimed 30,000 people are checked each week to ensure they are complying.
I think the fine in Wales may be lower than the fine in England.
Thanks fred but I'm pretty sure it would still be a 10 day quarantine.
Flights - That's what we've done with KLM over the last decade; at the moment KLM are asking $2300pp and it seems they've suspended their City Hopper from Amsterdam to CWL until August. Also, having a stop-over in Europe would also initiate the 10 days as the EU are sticking with the Schengen Agreement. We're booked with Icelandair, short stopover in Reykjavik but the island is on UK's Green list. Car rental is also a nightmare with costs in crazyworld as the providers cut their fleets during the pandemic.
Whether you want to try to have an earlier test or not, I doubt you'll be able to get out of the hotel. Pretty sure your onward destination will need to be confirmed, so the 5 day option wont be available.
If arriving in the UK direct from Iceland the clocks starts ticking as soon as you depart on your flight to Iceland so that will help
Here's the guidance https://gov.wales/rules-foreign-trav...-covid-19-html
If the 'rules' stated you had to stick a carrot in your ear, would you do it ? So long as you're not harming anyone do what you want. None of us are getting any younger.
Well I’ve learnt something new, I had no idea about the 5 day test not being recognised in Wales, I had my latest yesterday. I’ve continued to travel regularly (& legally) throughout, I’ve done about a ten fights and must be roughly 30 tests. I’ve also never filled in a Wales specific locator form!
For tests, I’d shop around, I’m now using a company called Dante, £58 per test, £174 total for the 2,5 & 8 for home tests
I went back to Wales a couple of months ago. I think you should just do the 5 day test and release in England. Assuming you're negative then surely you're treated as having just crossed the border after that? Apart from the ridiculous test costs, the biggest pain was the queue on arrival to get through immigration at Heathrow.
What are you planning on doing once you're in Wales? If you're going through the process described then sticking to your very small crowd, who are then going to take a test/isolate after you leave, and remain outside in fresh air the risk to other people is going to be much smaller compared to spreading yourself between a large number of people and going inside when the risk would be greater.
You've described being able to buy yourself out of quarantine as stupid mind. I'd much prefer you to follow the rules of the local country but recognise it's very difficult sometimes.
Shirley if you land in uk (Heathrow) and conform to the quarantine rretrictions placed on you there, then you can travel anywhere in UK.
Last time I looked there was not a border checkpoint on the Severn bridge, Severn crossing or the M50 so when you drive home who is going to know?
As long as you feel that you are clean and clear just do it.
That’s alright, then. As long as you’re protected, don’t worry about anyone else and forget about the rules and regulations. Just do whatever you want. OK, so we may be experiencing a global pandemic, but you only live once. If you fancy flying over here for a holiday, just do it. I know we’re being advised not to travel abroad unless it’s absolutely essential, but what’s the worst that could happen? I mean, it’s not as if the virus spreads with people travelling from country to country, is it? Personally, I reckon we should just open the floodgates and be done with it.
Thanks to all who've contributed, I'm pleased not to have much in the way of negativity to my attitude which matches that described by xsnaggle above. The main point at issue is that England and Wales have different requirements to deal with the same problem. They are both looking at the same data but come out with different conclusions on how to handle with it. A number of people I've spoken to at home feel the First Minister has often taken a different, and less progressive, view from Boris just to demonstrate Wales can and will be different with the outcome being the same just a few weeks behind Westminster. If that's correct it must have been very frustrating at times for you all.
Particular thanks too to Des Parrott for recommending Dante for the testing kits, I'll be on to them and have them send what we need to our English destination.
FFS just go and see your family. This situation is now beyond. I work in blood laboratories all over the U.K. and have done without pause since this all started. Amazingly biomedical scientists are not dropping down dead, I’ve not heard of a single case, that said my cousin, who is not a well man, was in the Heath and seriously ill with CoVID. If you are compromised in terms of immunity it will find you. These rules are ridiculous. We should never ever have locked down and instead chased herd immunity like we have done from the dawn of our time (literally). Get in the car and visit whoever you like because the government are under the spell of scientists who will err on the side of caution after being thrust into the limelight. The lockdown has saved nobody!!! Not a single soul from the inevitable! At best it has delayed what would have happened anyway! Hence the mortality rate hasn’t altered in any appreciable terms!
You crack on. We’re being told by our governments (both of them) not to travel to countries on the amber list for leisure purposes, but if you want to come here from a country on the amber list for leisure purposes then why not? The virus will probably take one look at the regulations, get confused and not bother to join you.
There is some pretty irresponsible comment and advice in this thread, which basically encourage the OP to break the laws of Wales. Not that he needs much encouragement by the sound of it. Its this sort of attitude that has allowed the virus to spread all over the UK in the first place. The OP makes the serious mistake of assuming that he is fully protected and cannot transmit the virus because he has had two jabs. Also that the testing procedures are 100% foolproof. Also that he knows better than the medical experts who are advising the Welsh Government. The rules are there for a reason - to protect the people of Wales. If he has to come to this country on a visit in the first place, then the least he can do is follow the rules of the countries he visits but really, should he be travelling here at all at this time - all seems rather irresponsible to me.