When will this shit end?

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 minute ago, RobertProsineckisLighter said:

Very similar experiences here. The weekend is the same as the week just without the structure or talking to different people really.

I've actually found myself doing bits and pieces of work over the weekend and evenings just to kill the boredom, I'm not one to sit and watch hours and hours of TV or films (although I like documentaries on in the background while working or the cricket). 

Last year I had had 3 days off between between 3rd of January and of September (I changed job in September following remote interview etc... In February / March.. still not met anyone!) Other than that I took 2 days off. I was dreading the boredom of two weeks off over Xmas but actually really enjoyed it. I've not really seen the point in taking days off before Xmas but since then I can see the appeal as I found it really refreshed me. 

I've redisovered my love for Football Manager and a couple of my mates from home who are spattered across the glob have rediscovered a computer game we played when kids, none of us are by any means 'gamers' but that has been a great bit of escapism and a chance to catch up on teams etc... And basically dick about and hear some different voices.

The company I now work for has been really good and is encouraging us to finish early on Fridays and take a walk or something and enjoy the outside in the daylight while on the clock. Equally we have a virtual pub once a fortnight in my part of the business where one of the team who's really into his cocktails has started to suggest a cocktail and share the ingredients and then shown people how to mix it. Other random topic of conversations are discussed like what do you call a bread roll? And just other random crap like that. Its actually really nice to have a few hours of escapism. 

 

Yeah that's exactly what I found over Christmas too. Definitely was worth taking the time off and it went quicker than I thought.

It's really important to get a bit of fresh air and daylight so good your company is doing that. I struggle when we have rain for days on end, but it does really help to leave the house.

[Ozanne]

4 minutes ago, xxialac said:

It’s distorted by:

- most terminals being closed and many airports too meaning a concentrated entry point 

- customs not being properly staffed because apparently it’s fine to have covid spread in long queues at the borders 

- having passport and test checks in one place doubling the queue time

Plus as stated in the tweet it’s crowded, no ventilation and some aren’t wearing masks properly. It’s ideal for spread of a virus let alone a more transmissible variant. 
 

In theory they will have had negative tests but those don’t pick up the virus up to 5 days of picking it up in some cases. 

[Copperface]

28 minutes ago, Homer said:

Yeah, I'm just wondering how so many people are coming in. Unless they're all business travellers and returning nationals.

I came back through T2 last Sunday. A few 'professional' /business travellers but the majority I saw at the time I came through seemed to be UK nationals returning from Dubai/UAE holidays. A lot had missed the corridor closure the previous week so would be subject to quarantine. Loads of kids as well.

[parsonjack]

19 minutes ago, Copperface said:

I came back through T2 last Sunday. A few 'professional' /business travellers but the majority I saw at the time I came through seemed to be UK nationals returning from Dubai/UAE holidays. A lot had missed the corridor closure the previous week so would be subject to quarantine. Loads of kids as well.

I've got a friend who flew back to LHR T2 from Saudi on Monday after 2 weeks on the Dakar rally.  He expected the immigration queue to be halfway round the M25 but he was through in 5 minutes with no queue to speak of.  Admittedly at 0630, but it goes to show the chaos in that photo isn't a 24 hour thing, and was probably taken just after a reasonably busy flight landed for the media impact they wanted.

[Copperface]

2 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

I've got a friend who flew back to LHR T2 from Saudi on Monday after 2 weeks on the Dakar rally.  He expected the immigration queue to be halfway round the M25 but he was through in 5 minutes with no queue to speak of.  Admittedly at 0630, but it goes to show the chaos in that photo isn't a 24 hour thing, and was probably taken just after a reasonably busy flight landed for the media impact they wanted.

Yeah that's true. It isn't that busy. When one flight lands (which could potentially be 550 pax off a 380) it'll fill up quickly but also clear pretty quickly. Took me about 20 mins in total.

[xxialac]

It is that busy right now. If you look on Twitter, a lot of people are complaining.

Someone is saying he's been in the queue an hour and not close to the arrivals hall and no social distancing or queue management.

If you introduce PCR checks for everyone you need a lot more staff and queue control systems.

But we can't manage that apparently...

[Copperface]

3 minutes ago, xxialac said:

It is that busy right now. If you look on Twitter, a lot of people are complaining.

Someone is saying he's been in the queue an hour and not close to the arrivals hall and no social distancing or queue management.

If you introduce PCR checks for everyone you need a lot more staff and queue control systems.

But we can't manage that apparently...

BF furloughed a load of staff and they aren 't they most flexible organisation  when it comes to things like this. I could imagine with any delays etc a group of flights land close to each other and it would create chaos, which regularly happens.

Edited January 23, 2021 by Copperface

[xxialac]

1 minute ago, Copperface said:

BF furloughed a load of staff and they aren 't they most flexible organisation  when it comes to things like this. I could imagine with any delays etc a group of flights land close to each other and it would create chaos, which regularly happens.

True all of that. 

But given the imperative not to bring in variants from abroad and the very limited number of people flying, they should make a priority of getting staff in and managing the queues.

Other countries can effectively quarantine, which involves complicated logistics.

We can't even do the basics.

[Ozanne]

 

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

52 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah that's exactly what I found over Christmas too. Definitely was worth taking the time off and it went quicker than I thought.

It's really important to get a bit of fresh air and daylight so good your company is doing that. I struggle when we have rain for days on end, but it does really help to leave the house.

Yep I've been going out in the rain anyway!

It helps that part of the company has the aim of getting Britain outside. 

[BobWillis]

9 minutes ago, xxialac said:

It is that busy right now. If you look on Twitter, a lot of people are complaining.

Someone is saying he's been in the queue an hour and not close to the arrivals hall and no social distancing or queue management.

If you introduce PCR checks for everyone you need a lot more staff and queue control systems.

But we can't manage that apparently...

They’ve all just sat on a plane with other people and then complaining about a queue at the other end? Hilarious. 

[BobWillis]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

 

Wait til she finds out how constricted the space is on the planes they all just flew on. 

[zahidf]

Another potential treatment

 

[xxialac]

8 minutes ago, BobWillis said:

They’ve all just sat on a plane with other people and then complaining about a queue at the other end? Hilarious. 

But one you can make safer (vast airport), one you can't (enclosed plane)

And my experience of flights recently is that they are nowhere near full. The ten or so times I flew I think on all but one flight I had the row to myself.

[Copperface]

18 minutes ago, xxialac said:

True all of that. 

But given the imperative not to bring in variants from abroad and the very limited number of people flying, they should make a priority of getting staff in and managing the queues.

Other countries can effectively quarantine, which involves complicated logistics.

We can't even do the basics.

Yeah. I remember the golden days of bussing everyone to quarantine centres............They soon gave up on that. It's just the lack of clarity and mixed messaging as to what the Government's priorities are and what they are willing to splash the cash at.....which comes down to their determination. Trouble is, they don't seem committed to any clear and defined path at all.

[fraybentos1]

6 minutes ago, xxialac said:

But one you can make safer (vast airport), one you can't (enclosed plane)

And my experience of flights recently is that they are nowhere near full. The ten or so times I flew I think on all but one flight I had the row to myself.

Genuine question- why are you flying so much currently?

[BobWillis]

8 minutes ago, xxialac said:

But one you can make safer (vast airport), one you can't (enclosed plane)

And my experience of flights recently is that they are nowhere near full. The ten or so times I flew I think on all but one flight I had the row to myself.

It’s quite simple, don’t fly during a pandemic and then complain that one part of the journey was unsafe. 
I’m sure Heathrow would rather they weren’t put in the position of having to crowd control in the first place. 
 

 

[xxialac]

8 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

Genuine question- why are you flying so much currently?

This was last year and I was emigrating to a new country (ten flights = five trips)

Edited January 23, 2021 by xxialac

[efcfanwirral]

 

28 minutes ago, xxialac said:

True all of that. 

But given the imperative not to bring in variants from abroad and the very limited number of people flying, they should make a priority of getting staff in and managing the queues.

Other countries can effectively quarantine, which involves complicated logistics.

We can't even do the basics.

Is it down to English/capitalist money saving? The airports are massive, they could in theory use all terminals with some government financial help. I'd bet other countries are just using the amount of staff and space that they need, not the bare minimum based on the number of passengers? Money over safety- sounds about right for this country 

[xxialac]

5 minutes ago, BobWillis said:

It’s quite simple, don’t fly during a pandemic and then complain that one part of the journey was unsafe. 
I’m sure Heathrow would rather they weren’t put in the position of having to crowd control in the first place. 
 

 

Of course it's not that simple. Many people have to fly. Some of those people will have been in the queue. The government's job is to instil rules and not in a negligent manner have superspreader events at our borders.

[steviewevie]

Oximeters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55733527

[Copperface]

It's people like Lauran Hibberd in the article that i feel sorry for. Those just starting out with everything likely on delay for two years......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-55767061

[xxialac]

3 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

 

Is it down to English/capitalist money saving? The airports are massive, they could in theory use all terminals with some government financial help. I'd bet other countries are just using the amount of staff and space that they need, not the bare minimum based on the number of passengers? Money over safety- sounds about right for this country 

Exactly.

In Spain they used the vast space more creatively. Showing your Passenger Locater Form (sped up as they turned it into a QR form) was in the baggage pickup for example. Every single person got checked.

You're a complete hostage in an airport. Why do everything at the gates?

[shoptildrop]

3 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Oximeters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55733527

Bought one of these last week to be on the safe side

[Crazyfool01]

5 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Oximeters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55733527

mine is arriving today 🙂