2023 Covid
I'm posting this in a new discussion, but it's in response to a comment in the Belissima Northern Italy discussion. I returned from the small group Ireland tour last week. We began the tour with 23 travelers; we ended with 11 because of Covid. One woman was not feeling well and voluntarily tested. When she found out that she was positive, she informed the Tour Director. The TD (who had earlier in the tour reminded people who were coughing on the bus to cough into their elbows) asked the rest of us to test. We all complied and gave him our results.
(He did not ask for proof; just took our word for it.) Those who had not brought their own tests purchased them at the local pharmacy. Several additional people tested positive. From then on, we were spread out on the coach. Several people then wore masks. Everyone who tested positive and their travel companions were off the tour, and the rest of us, who remained healthy for the rest of the tour, carried on. Most of the people who tested positive just got on the next planes home. One couple took a private car to get back to Dublin and quarantined in a hotel in Dublin till both of them tested negative. I met them at the Dublin airport on the way home. As soon as the new booster is available, I'll be at CVS to get it!
Comments
Thank you Maureen, as I corrected the person responding to my post, I have not had Covid, am fully up to date with my vaccines and would not behave as others have done on the tours I have taken.
I can only hope that my fellow travelers will get themselves vaccinated for everything they are eligible for, leave home uninfected, wear a mask in the airport and at least while boarding until the ventilation system in the airplane kicks in, and while deboarding, and anytime someone near them is actively coughing or appearing ill. I can only hope that my fellow travelers will mask up in crowded places during the tour, even outdoors in crowds, because it is one thing to get a respiratory virus at home, and it is quite another thing to get one while traveling. I can also only hope that at the first sign of illness, my fellow passengers will kindly inform me so that I can avoid them, and that they will mask if they are ill. And that they will be sincere enough to admit that their sore throat/gravelly voice/tiredness etc is not something they ate/acid reflux/allergies etc.
It is not so easy to pivot and reschedule a trip. No one is getting any younger. Never mind the insurance hassles.
I can only hope.
In 2024, all those who are not vaccines at all can travel with Tauck. Hopefully they already had covid a few times. Ok, no more Covid talk!
I have said many times that I can only control my behavior and, as such, I will wear masks when I deem it to be necessary and, of course, when it is mandated. I choose to protect myself as well as those around me. As far as tours, I've learned quite quickly that there are some who simply do not care about the well-being of others. I avoid those individuals.
oh no!!!!!!!!! here we go! the Covid Drama.... .
Covid schmovid; as long as you have your health, that’s what counts!
If you are expecting to see people wearing masks on your trip, don’t be surprised if the only time you see someone wearing one is when you are looking in the mirror.
The point made by Maureen, Judy and Knfkfnzk is that good social manners, civility, honesty and consideration for others should be the norm - not the exception.
Well said, NancyCohen. Thank you.
regardless of 1 Covid, 2 Covid, 3 Covid go!!! I was planning and still wear my mask at the grocery store, the tour buses and on the plane- I rather be safe than sorry. - Have a great weekend.
MCD - Thanks for starting a new thread n this. I don[t read many of the threads if the location doesn't interest me.
I'm currently in the BA lounge at Heathrow. It's packed. I'm pretty much the only one wearing a mask, other than some staff.
Enjoy your tour BKMD
Barry: I’ll be there in October. Hoping the stories of lines at Hearthrow are exaggerated. I’ll be flying from Budapest to London to JFK.
Nancy - I didn't see/hear any signs of sickness at the airport. LHR was extremely crowded, including the BA lounges (I checked out both N and S) in term 5. I had more than enough time because the LHR to EDI flight was delayed an hour. I wonder if BA is the worst airline for on-time performance. I was following my DEN-LHR flight for a couple of weeks and in those 2 weeks, it was on time twice, with most delays in the 30-60 minute range. On a positive note, the last time I flew BA (5ish years ago) they were still using an old 747 that probably hadn't been refurbished in 20 years. This time was an A350 with 1-2-1 config in biz with a sliding door on each cubicle! On the downside, food was mediocre.
My One Drive feed sent me a video I took this morning on August 18th 2018 when I was at the Edinburgh Tattoo, I could only figure out how to do a random part of the video, here it is…
We will be going through Heathrow on Sept 29 on our way to Malta and then back through from Nice mid October. I hate JFK…..and Heathrow is a close second!!
I’m a retired airline pilot and I have been to every major airport in the world (or most) and I hate Heathrow the most. But, not all of Heathrow … terminal two is great and terminal three is not bad, but terminal five is the pitts. The British security process is simply the worst in the world. Even going through as a crewmember was awful.
I hate Heathrow more than any other airport, as well. On a positive note, I arrived in Terminal 5 a few days ago for a connection to EDI. There were no Fast Track lanes open. Regular security wasn't bad. They had a tremendous number of lines open - way more than I've seen in any US airport.
I remember our Tauck trip to Antarctica in Jan. 2020. We were talking about this "little virus" in China and hoping that it wouldn't spread and stop our travels. :>)