Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

A

I know it might not be the same, but do cruises require quarantine?
No thankfully. Although not a cruise person!

I shouldn’t complain as I can come back to Australia (to visit relative, work from home and whilst there take a holiday) but I know many who’ve been stuck here for since start of 2020.
 
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Yet no crowds at sporting events whilst Australia is having world record crowds every week.
Our pubs, clubs and restaurants are full every night whilst the English still can’t even eat inside a restaurant or drink inside a pub. I know where I’d rather be right now
We can check in again in 2/3 months when the rest of the western world is back to normal and we are sat here trapped watching the world through youtube clutching desperately to our zero figures.
 
We can check in again in 2/3 months when the rest of the western world is back to normal and we are sat here trapped watching the world through youtube clutching desperately to our zero figures.
No one is denying that our vaccine rollout is appalling and most definitely it will be disappointing sitting here trapped but anyone saying how good it currently is in other countries especially the UK are kidding themselves. Most of my friends and rellies in the UK would give their left arm to be in Australia at this point in time and we are the envy of many.
In a few months this might not be so
 
No one is denying that our vaccine rollout is appalling and most definitely it will be disappointing sitting here trapped but anyone saying how good it currently is in other countries especially the UK are kidding themselves. Most of my friends and rellies in the UK would give their left arm to be in Australia at this point in time and we are the envy of many.
In a few months this might not be so
Ahhh so you didnt think i was talking about the rollout when i said

"When your vaccination policy isnt an absolute clowncar joke"

I see

also for the "our pubs clubs and restaurants are full every night" .... in the ACT as recently as last sunday there was a hard limit which was about quarter capacity at the club i was at when we havent had a coof transmission in canberra in about ... 9 months?
 
Ahhh so you didnt think i was talking about the rollout when i said

"When your vaccination policy isnt an absolute clowncar joke"

I see

also for the "our pubs clubs and restaurants are full every night" .... in the ACT as recently as last sunday there was a hard limit which was about quarter capacity at the club i was at when we havent had a coof transmission in canberra in about ... 9 months?
I haven’t been into the ACT recently but in the last month I’ve been to Tasmania, QLD, NSW and Victoria and the pubs, restaurants and clubs have been packed. We eat out in Adelaide 4-5 nights per week and most have been packed too. Yes some states have capacity limits which I agree is madness.
Absolutely we have done some things wrong and it’s a learning curve for everyone. Overall there probably isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be currently though despite our short falls
 
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As in people meeting up? I know the business we work in is conducting actual physical presence required workshops but if conferences are too, then that's great news.

Yup - we have had several with about 6 in the second half as well.
 
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I haven’t been into the ACT recently but in the last month I’ve been to Tasmania, QLD, NSW and Victoria and the pubs, restaurants and clubs have been packed. We eat out in Adelaide 4-5 nights per week and most have been packed too. Yes some states have capacity limits which I agree is madness.

Those capacity limits may actually be helpful because now the massive issue is that hospitality operators in the places that are busy (keep in mind there are places in WA, FNQ that are dead as a dodo) cannot staff them due to no backpackers and no international students!
 
But a great number of those will no longer want to travel. The number amongst my friends who won't travel in the future surprises me. It seems only those with family overseas are the least bit keen.
Yes and I even have (previously globe trotting) friends who have decided not to vaccinate and accept that this means no further overseas travel 😱😱.
 
I haven’t been into the ACT recently but in the last month I’ve been to Tasmania, QLD, NSW and Victoria and the pubs, restaurants and clubs have been packed. We eat out in Adelaide 4-5 nights per week and most have been packed too. Yes some states have capacity limits which I agree is madness.
Absolutely we have done some things wrong and it’s a learning curve for everyone. Overall there probably isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be currently though despite our short falls
I wouldn’t swap the U.K. for Aus right now, even if I am freezing my proverbials off right now al fresco dining. I’m originally from Vic so still would have done a huge lockdown last year. But now in the U.K. cases are plummeting, deaths even more so and the difference is that our restrictions will actually get removed - government is signalling we’re on track to be “back to normal” (without masks or social distancing ) on June 21, i’ll be fully vaxxed in the next couple of weeks and I just got an invite to my first in person conference this summer. Plus everyone is basically ignoring the restrictions now (except for the ones you can’t ignore, like going inside pubs!). Culturally this thing is O.V.E.R in the U.K., and hopefully on Monday we’ll have our international travel announcement too.

I think this “envy of the world” narrative presumes a (zero) tolerance to risk & willingness to give up liberties that the rest of the western world doesn’t share. The news about jailing aussies returning from India has hit the news here and honestly non aussies are HORRIFIED by it.
 
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Yet no crowds at sporting events whilst Australia is having world record crowds every week.
Our pubs, clubs and restaurants are full every night whilst the English still can’t even eat inside a restaurant or drink inside a pub. I know where I’d rather be right now
Well, in 2 weeks and 2 days we can do that.
No one is denying that our vaccine rollout is appalling and most definitely it will be disappointing sitting here trapped but anyone saying how good it currently is in other countries especially the UK are kidding themselves. Most of my friends and rellies in the UK would give their left arm to be in Australia at this point in time and we are the envy of many.
In a few months this might not be so
Not sure that's true - all of my friends here, and 100% of my Aussie friends here have been posed the question, they've all responded in the same way. No desire to go to Australia with it's new Communist state policies.
I wouldn’t swap the U.K. for Aus right now, even if I am freezing my proverbials off right now al fresco dining. I’m originally from Vic so still would have done a huge lockdown last year. But now in the U.K. cases are plummeting, deaths even more so and the difference is that our restrictions will actually get removed - government is signalling we’re on track to be “back to normal” (without masks or social distancing ) on June 21, i’ll be fully vaxxed in the next couple of weeks and I just got an invite to my first in person conference this summer. Plus everyone is basically ignoring the restrictions now (except for the ones you can’t ignore, like going inside pubs!). Culturally this thing is O.V.E.R in the U.K., and hopefully on Monday we’ll have our international travel announcement too.

I think this “envy of the world” narrative presumes a (zero) tolerance to risk & willingness to give up liberties that the rest of the western world doesn’t share. The news about jailing aussies returning from India has hit the news here and honestly non aussies are HORRIFIED by it.
It's more likely to be the following Monday; but yes, not long now. Unfortunately the list is likely to be fairly low and a Green list country still requires an expensive PCR on return, but prices are slowly coming down so hopefully that trends continues. My first trip which is coming up shortly is West Africa and there's no way that will be on the green list regardless of their 'low numbers' ;) so will be self-iso for 5 days and then test to release for me, or 10 days self iso if I don't TTR.
 
Using this on my phone, this was the start of a post that I wrote ages ago (in response to something else) and didn’t finish or end up posting. As it keeps it, until you delete must have accidentally posted it. So no wonder it appears out of context ...
Yep. I get that. Can't really delete a part post on a phone but on ipad it lets you delete the draft. I was hoping you'd found a loophole 😂
If the very rightmost icon is a "floppy disk" icon, click it and options to save/delete appear.

If you don't see it, activate the rightmost 3 vertical dots and the "floppy disk" should appear.

Other that, delete all characters out of your draft and leave for a few minutes.
 
Isnt there a travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong now?

That is expected to start at the end of May - with a single flight per day in each direction with a max of 200 passengers. I also believe strict testing requirements at either end. Hardly 'free travel'. And this will be the 3rd or 4th time they try to start it, so I doubt it'll actually happen in May.
 
Not sure that's true - all of my friends here, and 100% of my Aussie friends here have been posed the question, they've all responded in the same way. No desire to go to Australia with it's new Communist state policies.

I'm an Aussie in the UK, and really miss my family in Australia. But I prefer to be here compared to Australia.

Every single family member and friend in Australia I have spoken to is worried that even if they travel interstate, they may be caught out with a snap border closure because one person has coughed somewhere.

Even my optimistic of friends fear that it'll be another 18-24 months before they can go overseas (apart from NZ). I'd rather be somewhere where travel may be possible in the next couple of weeks/months rather than years.

100% of my Australian friends here are disgusted with the Aussie government. There are those who are stranded who need to go back home - but those who are not stranded have no desire to return home now.
 
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That is expected to start at the end of May - with a single flight per day in each direction with a max of 200 passengers. I also believe strict testing requirements at either end. Hardly 'free travel'. And this will be the 3rd or 4th time they try to start it, so I doubt it'll actually happen in May.
Also those going from HK to SG need to be vaccinated but not so for SG residents.

Unless people are absolutely desperate for a holiday, I imagine this bubble is mostly for family and business.
 
The news about jailing aussies returning from India has hit the news here and honestly non aussies are HORRIFIED by it.

Hopefully the headline is not as bad as the reality!

The penalty for breaching the Biosecurity Act is either a fine, or jail time, or both. It's not a special provision levied solely at returning from India. The penalties are designed for people who intentionally contravene the Act. It's not just travel, it's also our agriculture, animal and plant health, and environment that can carry penalties for people who deliberately contravene the rules.

The only way to get to Australia once flights are suspended will be via a transit city. For those unaware of the flight restrictions and somehow manage to board the fines probably won't apply. But for those deliberately contravening the restrictions, they may be subject to penalty.

The maximum penalties are there to cover a 'worst case scenario' - which could be a person gets a fake PCR result, gives misleading information to authorities and the airline in India (says they are only travelling to DOH, but in fact intends to go to Australia), and then infects people on the DOH-Au leg. Should that not carry some penalty?
 
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Hopefully the headline is not as bad as the reality!

The penalty for breaching the Biosecurity Act is either a fine, or jail time, or both. It's not a special provision levied solely at returning from India. The penalties are designed for people who intentionally contravene the Act. It's not just travel, it's also our agriculture, animal and plant health, and environment that can carry penalties for people who deliberately contravene the rules.

The only way to get to Australia once flights are suspended will be via a transit city. For those unaware of the flight restrictions and somehow manage to board the fines probably won't apply. But for those deliberately contravening the restrictions, they may be subject to penalty.

The maximum penalties are there to cover a 'worst case scenario' - which could be a person gets a fake PCR result, gives misleading information to authorities and the airline in India (says they are only travelling to DOH, but in fact intends to go to Australia), and then infects people on the DOH-Au leg. Should that not carry some penalty?
In a situation where that’s the only way for an Australian citizen to get home then tbh I don’t think it should. But I also don’t think the Australian government should be able to abdicate its responsibilities to citizens and leave them stranded in the middle of a pandemic, which apparently is also not a majority view in Oz right now.
 
In a situation where that’s the only way for an Australian citizen to get home then tbh I don’t think it should. But I also don’t think the Australian government should be able to abdicate its responsibilities to citizens and leave them stranded in the middle of a pandemic, which apparently is also not a majority view in Oz right now.

No one likes the idea that Aussies are stranded. Unfortunately the practicalities of quarantine dictate otherwise. We only at the very beginning of the vaccine roll out and we don't have adequate quarantine facilities either in terms of capacity or people to staff them. Until one or more of those is resolved, there's not much we can do :(
 
In a situation where that’s the only way for an Australian citizen to get home then tbh I don’t think it should. But I also don’t think the Australian government should be able to abdicate its responsibilities to citizens and leave them stranded in the middle of a pandemic, which apparently is also not a majority view in Oz right now.
I wouldn’t swap the U.K. for Aus right now, even if I am freezing my proverbials off right now al fresco dining. I’m originally from Vic so still would have done a huge lockdown last year. But now in the U.K. cases are plummeting, deaths even more so and the difference is that our restrictions will actually get removed - government is signalling we’re on track to be “back to normal” (without masks or social distancing ) on June 21, i’ll be fully vaxxed in the next couple of weeks and I just got an invite to my first in person conference this summer. Plus everyone is basically ignoring the restrictions now (except for the ones you can’t ignore, like going inside pubs!). Culturally this thing is O.V.E.R in the U.K., and hopefully on Monday we’ll have our international travel announcement too.

I think this “envy of the world” narrative presumes a (zero) tolerance to risk & willingness to give up liberties that the rest of the western world doesn’t share. The news about jailing aussies returning from India has hit the news here and honestly non aussies are HORRIFIED by it.
100% agree with your comments on both these posts; Melburnian currently living in the US. Here I have been vaccinated with pfizer since March, NYC is planning to open, Disneyland is open again (albeit at limited capacity) and there is a general feeling that we are moving forward (although I was surprised the TSA extended the mask mandate through September).
What has been sad is there appears to be little concern or anger amongst many expat Aussies at the increasingly unjust policies of the Aus government, even though this is making news on local sites. It is to me, beyond overreach and frightens me that people just don't seem to care enough to make more noise. Makes you wonder where the needle stops.
 
No one likes the idea that Aussies are stranded. Unfortunately the practicalities of quarantine dictate otherwise. We only at the very beginning of the vaccine roll out and we don't have adequate quarantine facilities either in terms of capacity or people to staff them. Until one or more of those is resolved, there's not much we can do :(

That's completely false. The Australian government and unfortunately many, many Australians actually don't care about stranded Aussies - this is a fact, there are no ifs, whens or buts about this. Arguing against this is just ignoring all the facts.

Shortly after the Victorian government recovered from their pathetic handling of this, they somehow manage to make way for 1200 extra people to enter for a tennis tournament, with over half of the 1200 allowed to get 5 hours of open airtime a day. Zac Efron's brother manages to enter the country, which I'm fairly sure brings absolutely nothing to the country.

Please don't tell us people care when it's not true.
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In a situation where that’s the only way for an Australian citizen to get home then tbh I don’t think it should. But I also don’t think the Australian government should be able to abdicate its responsibilities to citizens and leave them stranded in the middle of a pandemic, which apparently is also not a majority view in Oz right now.

The Australian government has abdicated its duty to its overseas citizens a long time ago, and this will not be changing anytime soon.
 
I wouldn’t swap the U.K. for Aus right now, even if I am freezing my proverbials off right now al fresco dining. I’m originally from Vic so still would have done a huge lockdown last year. But now in the U.K. cases are plummeting, deaths even more so and the difference is that our restrictions will actually get removed - government is signalling we’re on track to be “back to normal” (without masks or social distancing ) on June 21, i’ll be fully vaxxed in the next couple of weeks and I just got an invite to my first in person conference this summer. Plus everyone is basically ignoring the restrictions now (except for the ones you can’t ignore, like going inside pubs!). Culturally this thing is O.V.E.R in the U.K., and hopefully on Monday we’ll have our international travel announcement too.

I think this “envy of the world” narrative presumes a (zero) tolerance to risk & willingness to give up liberties that the rest of the western world doesn’t share. The news about jailing aussies returning from India has hit the news here and honestly non aussies are HORRIFIED by it.
And I am the opposite. I would not go to the UK. I have lived through this pandemic in regional NSW, my parents in the UK. Apart from the original lockdown in March 2020 my family’s life has gone on pretty much as normal except for being able to visit our extended family including my parents in Scotland. In contrast my mum and dad have until very recently been confined to their own local government area, no visitors to their home and outside supermarkets/ banks / post office nothing has been opened. Many Weddings/ Funerals/ Milestone birthdays have been conducted via zoom. My mum has been cutting her and my Dad’s hair. Things are starting to open up for them but most of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 has been extremely difficult.
Covid is certainly not a competition and I’m glad that things are starting to improve in the UK. It has been a long hard battle and I wish my parents and everyone the best.
 
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