I have followed this thread from a far and the general bemoaning about what the U.K. government has and has not done, the argument and counter argument for international travel and the hardships felt by some.
the thing I find quite interesting, those that are often highly critical of the U.K. Governments decision not to impose an “early lock down” or close boarders, now want to travel across those boarders freely and return after their holiday ?
A simple risk assessment, based on the freely available real world information and experience to date, show a direct correlation of the increased risk of spread of the virus is related to international cross boarder travel. Remember the U.K. was relatively virus free for six weeks after Italy was riddled with it, it’s true that the virus has been spread with ease, world wide due to the ease international travel.
IMO The U.K. government has tried to treat U.K. residents like sensible adults who are capable of making / taking a moral decision to do the right thing, despite many looking for ways to circumvent their moral duties.
most U.K. residents do the right thing, only for a small minority to scupper those good intentions such as those who do not Follow the guidance Fully. The U.K. has not imposed draconian enforcement measure as has been seen in some countries, but non the less rules have largely been followed by the masses fulfilling their moral duty.
couple this with the real issue to keep the U.K. economy on life support, furlough and the whole raft of massive financial measure the U.K. government has introduced for the specific benefit of U.K. residents and business specifically to protected and limit the the full financial impact that the world pandemic would have brought to bear had the U.K. Government not taken the approach it has. IMO every single person in the U.K. has benefited directly or indirectly from the U.K. government actions, to suggest otherwise is disingenuous.
IMO development of a vaccine world class
IMO vaccination program is the best in the world
IMO testing is the best in the world
Whether “travel to France in August“ will be technically possible, I have no idea, will it be possible to circumvent requirements and reduce the cost of those requirements (as was going on during lock down #1 &2) I have no interest in.
whether travel outside the U.K. is morally correct is a matter for those considering it and for those to retrospectively analyse it.
When we are in the next lock down, I hope those that plan to travel internationally can fully and unequivocally justify why their several week family holiday took precedence over the wider moral issues in stopping the spread of this world wide Virus that directly affect the masses.
Portugal is a prime example of Revenue, for the minority, taking prescede over the needs of the world population, the Euros will be another retrospective lesson (no social distancing on the pitch, in the crowd or the venues outside stadia)
I am as frustrated as many with the inability to go to France / Europe for my planned three week Holiday during summer holidays, however the frustration is tempered with the reality of the situation and the necessity to curb all cross border international travel for the foreseeable future to limit the potential spread of this virus and its variants (now or in future).
This is a unprecedented event which requires everyone to take unprecedented measures to change our normal pattern of living, a requirement some seem to not want to recognise for their own personal reasons.
That is why I decided a long time ago not to travel outside the U.K. this summer, even if it were technically possible.
let’s hope we all can look back and say “I did my part fully and to the best of my ability to prevent this horrid virus from spreading“ more than it could have, had I not done some simple things to limit my expose and therefore exposure of others that prevented the potential spread of the virus, even if this affected my personal freedom of choice in the relative short term for the benefit of the masses and to curtail the prevalence of this world pandemic and future variants!