Tests on arrival: the ‘New Normal’ for most travellers

First it was the ‘hour of the experts’: the modelers, epidemiologists and  statisticians who decided the government’s CV-19 policies. Their expertise was in high demand as the virus hit our country this spring, leading to the Lockdown. Now it’s the ‘hour of doctors’, getting their 15 minutes of fame to steer government policies. This is transforming our society in ways which are indeed unprecedented.

Add to this that our representatives, i.e. Parliament, have abandoned their main task which is to scrutinise government policy. Yes, there are meetings of various Parliamentary Select Committees – but they can only look at government decisions after the fact, after they were taken. Since Parliament is in Summer Recess anyway, it seems government can do what they like. Take for example the quarantine rules for travellers coming from Spain. More on that below.

We must also keep in mind that ‘Our MSM’ do not permit diverging opinions on Lockdown, CV-19 statistics, quarantine and vaccination or indeed CV-19 treatment. The ‘social media’ bosses are even more rabid in suppression information, closing accounts and shutting out critical voices. Even Madonna wasn’t safe (link) – her crime was to post a video of a Press conference by US frontline doctors about how they had successfully treated CV-infected patients. Breitbart had the info about the video and the subsequent suppression by social media here, here, here and here.

Suspicious people might think that this censorship might have something to do with the coming presidential elections in the USA. What is being censored are reports of a CV-19 treatment using Hydroxychloroquine plus Zinc plus an antibiotic. Pres Trump praised this a few months ago – bad, very bad! Even a scientific scandal didn’t stop this unprecedented global censorship. That was the removal of an article in The Lancet, criticising that treatment. The fact that India is using this drug combination to treat their CV-19 patients is of course irrelevant. 

The reason for this draconian censorship is that it’s ‘against WHO statements’. If you think that we’re now living under the boot of an unelected global entity (WHO), their diktats being aided and abetted by those other global entities, the hi-tech social media conglomerates Google, youtube and facebook, then it’s only because the evidence suggests it. 

Here at home we’re slowly getting there as well because ‘Our MSM’ are simply not reporting anything that is critical of the CV-19 policies. Death rates, case numbers: nothing must be questioned, even as experts are pointing out some extremely uncomfortable facts. These facts cannot be hidden because too many people are aware of them. For example, researchers of Sheffield and Loughborough Universities analysed data produced by the ONS – a government institution and thus above suspicion:

“Researchers said the findings show that “lockdown has killed 21,000 people” because the policy has had “significant unintended consequences” such as lack of access to critical healthcare and a collapse in A&E attendances. The study examines deaths data in recent months, and tracks it against long-term trends, taking account of other variables such as demographic and economic factors. It suggests that the lockdown – and the subsequent reduction in access to healthcare – increased total mortality by roughly 2,700 deaths a week.” (paywalled link)

This is the ‘collateral damage’ which has been mentioned again and again. It cannot be talked down or removed by social media censorship. Sadly, there will be more such deaths because GPs are now firmly committed to ‘triage by phone’ or video link:

“The survey by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) found that 61 per cent of consultations are now held by phone call, 6 per cent through text or email and 4 per cent by online video. A further 18 per cent are accounted for by telephone triage assessments and home visits, leaving only 11 per cent of consultations carried out at a surgery. That is a sharp contrast to the pre-pandemic figure of 75 per cent of consultations being at a surgery.” (link, paywalled)

Meanwhile, the pet experts ‘Our MSM’ love to quote are gearing up to prepare us for that 2nd wave. There’s the head of the doctors’ Trade Union, the BMA, who said yesterday that ‘mixed messages’ from the government ‘are “causing a rise in Covid-19 infections, risking a second wave that could overwhelm the NHS” (link, paywalled). It’s of course about enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing. Mustn’t overwhelm ‘Our Sacred Cow’! 

That other lot of pet experts, Messrs Vallance and Whitty, meanwhile demanded tougher border controls because “we could be two weeks behind Spain” regarding the spread of the virus (link, paywalled). This demand came in a meeting between them and Johnson on Monday, and we can surmise that it was them who leaked this to ‘Our MSM’, by way of ‘talking to The Times’:

“During the meeting Sir Patrick made the case for tougher border controls. He and Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, are said to be keen to avoid a repeat of the delays in imposing travel restrictions when the pandemic began. This resulted in coronavirus entering the country at least 1,300 separate times and made it impossible to keep under control.” (link, paywalled)

Forgive me for being flippant, but the image of that virus ‘entering’ our country, on its own solitary self, with no passport, made me grin. However – do not even think of asking about the intrepid travellers in their inflatables coming to our shores from France! They must surely be congenitally immune because they’re not tested., and anyway, France is ‘safe’, isn’t it! Its not on that list of the latest CV-19 ‘hotspots’. Meanwhile we’ll have to wait and see if the wails from the airport operators  will have any effect. It’s rather sweet and even mentions Brexit:

“Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson to scrap blanket quarantine measures on arrivals from high-risk countries as airlines warn of “permanent scarring”. Forty-seven airlines, airports and tourism groups wrote to the prime minister to demand a “nuanced” policy. The letter, signed by the bosses of British Airways, Easyjet and Jet2, and Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Luton airports, warned that post-Brexit plans to create an “outward-facing, global trading nation” were at risk.” (link, paywalled)

The ‘good news’ is that apparently the government might ‘standardise’ quarantine to 10 days, even in the face of fear of a 2nd wave, but see this:

“People with symptoms of coronavirus will be told to stay home for 10 days, amid fears that Britain is facing a second wave of the virus. The period of isolation – which is currently seven days – will be increased by three days, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer will announce. However, the Health Secretary will on Thursday say that ministers are now exploring ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period for those entering the UK, which could mean that quarantine and self-isolation periods are standardised at 10 days.” (paywalled link)

If I understand this correctly, people so far had to stay at home for a week if they ‘had symptoms’ – no mention of tests, you’ll have noticed – while travellers tested now had to stay under lockdown for two weeks. Hm. Perhaps that BMA head was right about ‘baffling advice’ from government? And there’s worse to come. Belgium is now in the ‘hot spot’, “as the Belgian infection rate hit 31.7 per 100,000 people.” (link, paywalled). “We” will now also impose restrictions, after that horse has bolted: 

“Thousands of passengers running a temperature have been allowed to catch flights at Brussels’ main airport as Britain prepares to impose new quarantine restrictions on Belgium.” (paywalled link)

Oh dear oh dear! Have “we” let in infected people while being under Lockdown? In that same blog we read about case numbers rising in Japan as well, and all because the Japanese government tried to rescue their travel industry:

“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government launched a national travel campaign, dubbed “Go To Travel”, on July 22 that aimed to revive a battered tourism industry despite a resurgence in infection.” (paywalled link)

The whole globe better stop travelling altogether – nowhere is ‘safe’! Case numbers are rising everywhere, from Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil to, yes, China and India and Pakistan. Will travellers from those regions be tested here on arrival and put into quarantine? One doubts it because there were reports from the early months of Lockdown, of planes arriving daily from China and the subcontinent where passengers were passed through with no tests.

I leave you with one amazing item of news. It comes from the government, so it’s not based on conspiracy theories. It shows that, just as predicted by Orwell in ‘Animal Farm’, some animals are indeed more equal than others. Diplomats and such-like are ‘granted immunity’:

“You will not need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form. You will not need to self-isolate for 14 days if it is confirmed that your work is essential to the functioning of the mission, international organisation or conference and that it cannot be undertaken whilst self-isolating.” (link)

The site lists more jaw-dropping exemptions. However, the families of those exempt must self-isolate – that’s only fair, even though our authorities don’t need to be told where they are located. It’s only us British holidaymakers, us peasants, who must be tested and give our data and location to government.

Doesn’t this remind you of the medieval societies where the feudal overlords were able to travel wherever they wanted to while the serfs were tied to the land by pain of death? Brave New World, innit!

KBO!