Covid rules change as regularly as clockwork. Today in the UK (July 19th) they are relaxing the rules, whilst South of The Channel some are being strengthened.
Here, they are concentrating on those who are double-vaccinated, and those who are not.
Forget such trivialities as holiday destinations, or forced 10 day isolations, as from July 21st we will need to have proof of having been double-vaccinated in order to enter places of leisure, or any cultural gatherings where there will be more than 50 people.
And from the beginning of August the same rules will apply to Cafés, Restaurants, Shopping centres (does that mean the big supermarkets?), Planes, Trains, Busses, and HOSPITALS.
Anti-vaxxers will not be happy, they will hardly be able to move from their homes. And as for getting ill; no point even thinking of turning-up at hospital without your 'Passport Vaccinal' proof of having been vaxxed.
Some might think that this is a direct attack against the anti-vaxxer community, and I think they'd be right.
Very comforting last paragraph Cro - from one old codger to another - keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI would have been on the mobile, but it will only accept the person whose Email address is registered. I'll stick to my bit of paper anyway; I know how that works.
DeleteMore or less the same here. I've got mine on my phone but it keeps on disappearing. I need a grandchild to fix it. That good old trusty piece of paper is in the back of my phone, and always with me.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the rules for Athens hardly ever apply here, we live on Mars, so it's hardly necessary.
Most unlikely any taverna will ask for proof of vaccination. They'd be blackballed
I'm wondering what they'll do for our village 'Boot Sale' or the weekly Thursday evening Farmer's Market. We are in a 99% virus free area, so maybe they won't bother!
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ReplyDeleteMr Johnson has been leading his country through some unparalleled times, both economically and with the pandemic. It is generally agreed that he's doing a good job (while still making a few mistakes).
DeleteThere is nothing that the left hates more about the right, than success. So I presume you are of the left.
Success?
DeleteThe question Lou asks has nothing to do with political leanings. That Johnson is incompetent, lacking any conviction one way or the other, hanging his handkerchief into the wind, flying by the seat of his pants is acknowledged even by his cronies. And, let's give his intelligence the benefit of the doubt, even by himself.
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DeleteYou may well be right about being 'anti the anti-vaxxers', but I am afraid that it's another snub to the 'I don't have a Smart phone' gang. I have a small card that records what got injected into my arm but I don't suppose that will be good enough.
ReplyDeleteI think as long as it has that square 'bar code' thing on it, you'll be fine.
DeleteNo it hasn't !
DeleteOh dear. Prison for you, m'gal. I've just looked up the square thing and it's called a QR (Quick Response) Code.
DeleteI am a member of the "I Don't Have a Smartphone" gang that Potty mentioned. I hope that I am not rounded up with the anti-vaxxers and put on a crowded train heading to some mysterious destination for incarceration.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be sent to St Helena, like Napoleon!
DeleteI would love to be sent there please. It's a lovely island.
DeleteA few months ago Macron had said he would never introduce the passport system because it would divide the country so he has gone back on his word. The same looks likely to happen here too.
ReplyDeleteNothing surprises me about Macron, but at the same time one has to change direction when needs occur.
DeleteI think anti vaxxers is a horrible expression. It sounds like people are sinister and bad when they are not. Many are plain scared and many merely exercising their choice after due consideration not to be vaccinated. They are not bad people per se.
DeleteWell said, Rachel. It is a horrible expression.
DeleteWhilst, no doubt, there will be some militant on the subject - regardless, I do believe the majority who haven't taken up the offer of the jab to be "hesitant" rather than "anti"; erring on the side of caution. If you dig deeper, past the obvious headlines, what scientists say (and why some do not get themselves and their offspring vaccinated) makes one's hair stand on end.
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I know two kinds - those who are hesitant for themselves, and those who are actively trying to dissuade others or interfering directly with their access to vaccine. I would call the second kind anti-vaxxers. Those who choose to be vaccinated have rights too.
DeleteYes, Tigger. "Those who choose to be vaccinated have rights too". Not least the "right" to treat the ones who currently hesitate as I imagine lepers were treated. The untouchables. Don't ask.
DeleteThe amount of misinformation, conflicting information out there has potential to make one paranoid. Or, in someone's words forgotten now whose "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you".
Our Western "civilized" Culture has dug itself a hole. In the olden days? In the olden days it rained cats and dogs, people built arks, died of pestilence, hunger and tuberculosis. And worse. Now? Now we are quivering ninnies. Intent on prolonging life at all cost. Life, that sooner or later, will come to an end anyway.
Hysteria is rife. Misinformation is rife. Looking to the nanny state for guidance instead of taking responsibility for ourselves is rife.
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Actually I agree. I'm not at all 100% anti the anti-vaxxers. I use the expression as a short cut, so people know what I'm talking about, otherwise I'd be here all day explaining the subtle differences.
Delete"Anti-vaxxers will not be happy, they will hardly be able to move from their homes." Good. I am pleased to know that both you and Lady M have been twice jabbed. As of last Wednesday I too have been twice jabbed. It's a good feeling. Always with some caution, science has got it wrong at times, generally I do follow the science.
ReplyDeletePersonally I prefer to follow the advice of the majority of medical experts, than those of a few misguided amateurs.
DeleteAs I've just mentioned on Rachel's blog, in the UK you can get your proof of vaccination though the post and it does not have an expiry date on it. My wife downloaded hers and it was only valid a month.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy.... her double vax is only valid for ONE MONTH?
DeleteI believe I'm correct in the following (may not be). Downloaded printable certificates have an expiry date of about a month then you have to get another. If you download electronically rather than a printable document it's days. But if you send away for one through the post there is no expriry date.
DeleteI believe the the printable certificates according to the UK Gov website were designed for people who wanted them for specific travel purposes and accordingly had a one month expiry.
DeleteCro, it's not all anti-vaxxers. I have a nephew who has a life threatening allergy to ingredients in it. He actually carries an epi pen with him and has done so for years. One niece is on medication for rheumatoid arthritis that suppresses her immune system. In both cases, their doctors advised against the vaccines. In both cases, people around them are being hateful and insulting, lumping them in with anti-vaxxers. I'm sorry to hear about what France has chosen and expect you'll have many, many more protests. This is insanity.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, it was in the news worldwide that 100 sailors on a British Naval Ship (with all on board fully vaccinated) tested positive in an outbreak. There've been other breakthrough cases reported; in one S.C. county 7 of the 51 reported hospitalizations are patients fully vaccinated. We've been fully vaccinated for months and I told my husband I feel lied to. How long do we keep this up?
DeleteE M Griffith, what you relate is "efficacy". A concept many don't understand. Quite a few of the vaccinated think themselves "immune". Alas, this is not so. 75 % efficacy? 96 % efficacy? Who knows? Not only are people not fully protected they can also still pass on the virus to others. In the words of my mother, loosely translated: "I can reason till my lips are in shreds . . . it won't make any difference".
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Ursula, I got fully vaccinated 4 months ago so we could all get our lives back. The death rate (according to an extensive analysis at the WHO website) is 0.28% to 0.35% globally. Broken down by country in graphs. One third of one percent. And that was published before the vaccines were rolled out everywhere. This continued hysteria isn't reason at all. Nor is it rational. Or scientific.
DeleteBeing fully vaxxed certainly doesn't offer total protection, I think we're all aware of the limitations. But far better to have what protection it does offer than to refuse 100%.
DeleteFully vaccinated here too, with proof in-hand. For me, the protection the vaccines provide outweighs the risks. My hope is, in time, safe vaccines will be available for everyone. Those choosing not to vaccinate do so under their own will. Peaceful protest is the model all protesters should follow.
ReplyDeleteI've had all my vaccinations since I was a child, from Polio to Whooping Cough. It never crossed my mind to refuse. I don't really understand why so many these days are prepared to risk their lives.
DeleteMy point, Cro, is there ARE people like my nephew and niece for whom the vaccine could be life threatening, and it's irresponsible (not to mention callous) to declare everyone unvaccinated ignorant or "bad". It's got to stop before society tears itself apart over a mutating virus with 1/3 of 1% fatality rate.
DeleteIt's simple mathematics. On the one hand, there is the risk of a) contracting the SARS-COV-2 virus and b) suffering illness and even death from the COVID-19 disease. On the other hand, there is the risk of suffering adverse events including death from the COVID vaccines. For some people the risks of the former are less than the risks of the later.
DeleteWhy would anyone who has already had SARS-COV-2 take the vaccine? Their natural immunity is far superior to the vaccine, some 6x better, according to the Israeli data.
Why would anyone young and healthy take the vaccine? In children, the risks of COVID-19 are so negligible that the vaccine is by far the greater risk. In young adults, the vaccine is still the greater risk. It is not until middle age that the risks even out. At least, with what we know, so far; the long term risks still remain unknown.
Unfortunately, not all vaccines are equal. Here in the US, there have been over ten thousand deaths associated with the COVID vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen) according the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) published by the Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In comparison, there have only been 26 deaths associated with the influenza vaccines.
Please do understand that many people are making the prudent choice by refusing these vaccines. We are not risking our lives, quite the contrary. I'll assume you to be prudent. Please assume us to be as well.
I totally understand your concerns, and as I said somewhere above, I'm not 100% against the anti-vaxxers. The above new regulations are not my doing, but those of the French government. I, myself, see life differently to many folk, but not when it comes to my health.
DeleteHere's a reasonable question:
ReplyDeleteSeveral months ago, you blogged about the ability to travel freely being a basic, human right. In light of THIS conversation, do you still feel that way?
Correct me if I am wrong but I do believe Cro brought this up in context of Brexshite and its restrictions. Now we have a double whammy. B&C. Ain't we blessed? Still, I suppose as long as we can throw money (and time) at the solution it'll all be fine and dandy.
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Without the right to travel, we would become as 'cave men'. It was travel that broadened the mind, and created a healthier strain of humanity. However, both Brexit and Covid-19 have made us think again, and governments (right or wrong) think that taking dangerous viruses from one country to another is foolhardy; just look at the Indian variant. For the moment, I suspect they're right.
DeleteMy wife and myself in our mid 70's have been vacinated, but my children and grand children refuse to be vacinated. I will interested in the outcome over the years.
ReplyDeleteWe have some anti-vaxxers in the family, and although it goes against 99.9% of advice, I still have to respect their decision. Just don't try to force it on me!
DeleteFully vaccinated here - and carry my paper proof (no Smart Phone either) and everyone I work with, plus all family and friends are the same - or just waiting for their second dose.
ReplyDeleteAs a country we now stand at 80% having at least 1 shot and 50% fully vaccinated. Unlike some places that have offered lottery tickets, gifts etc. to encourage people our incentive has been to get back to normal.
On Wed. my province moves to stage 3 of reopening - most things all reopened but with restrictions in place, including masks indoors and in public places - a small price to pay as far as I'm concerned. Most of us seem quite happy to take things slowly - better to do it step by step than have to regress again.
The federal govt. announced today that they will open our border on Aug. 9th to fully vaccinated Americans and to other countries on Sept, 7th (for those fully vaccinated). There are various rules and regs to follow and the proviso is that numbers stay down - if they start to rise again then restrictions may go back into place.
I try to cut politicians a lot of slack given what a nightmare this has been but I have to be honest - I've watched what happened in the UK with horror! The constant chopping and changing and opening and closing - no wonder people were so confused - it was a nightmare! And - it is still ongoing. Much as I enjoyed watching the Euro Cup I could not believe the crowds - and now many European countries and the UK are paying the price!
Today CAMH - which is a large mental health centre here in Toronto ran a special clinic for those with anxiety issues and those who have a fear of needles. I hope they made good progress in assisting people to overcome these challenges.
Yes, I do differentiate between those who are hesitant vs. those who are anti-vaxxers but at this stage I'm just sick of reading about the insane conspiracy theories out there! Science isn't perfect and there will always be those who have a bad reaction to such things - I myself have some severe allergies and was nervous but there was plenty of medical personnel in place and they kept a very close eye on me until I was given the all clear.
As for anonymous above who says that over 10,000 have died in the US from the Covid Vaccine - I am 100% positive THAT news would have been all over the media both in the US and Canada and there has been NOTHING to this effect! Notice that he/she failed to mention the well documented deaths FROM Covid = which I believe is currently around 600,000 in the US!
Margie, as we sat watching the Football and the Tennis, we just KNEW that there would soon be a Wembley Variant, and a Wimbledon Variant. That is how the virus works, and we all know it. Personally I shall continue to wear my mask when shopping, I shall apply sanitiser to my hands, and I will keep my distance from anyone I don't know. I see no other options. This has become the new 'norm'.
DeleteNot deliberately being disagreeable here Margie, but reading Jenn's blog who I think lives in Ontario she frequently spoke of short notice changes in opening and closing of schools in her state.
DeleteSchools were sometimes an issue for a quick closing - but then stayed closed for the majority of the time. They have already announced the plan for Sept. and online learning will be available for the entire school year if wanted by parents.
DeletePS - in Canada we have provinces and territories not states. :-)
Most of our immediate family are fully vaccinated, although a few aren't. I do worry about them, but respect their decision. My belief is basically that if masking and vaccinating can possibly save a life (someone else's or my own) than it's a simple thing to do and worth the risk. And let's face it, it's the only thing we've got to fight this virus.
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