 Poster: A snowHead
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| 22 dropout wrote: |
A word of caution. The French resorts are getting full of French that do not need to pass a test to return home or to access the lifts. They are mostly double vaxed - not boosted - and just get in the car at the end of their trip. Nothing wrong with that, but as a result, in Chamonix at least, discipline is extremely lax, especially in cable cars where you want it most.
The moral of this is that you cannot assume that you will have a negative test on departure as a result, unless you let COVID dominate your trip i.e. no gondolas, don't join lift queues and don't go out.
This happened to a young relative of mine last week - on a school ski trip, a handful tested negative 2 days before the end and they are now quarantined in France very expensively and missing Christmas as a result. |
Got home to UK safe and sound. Omicron may well be endemic in Val D, coughing going on everywhere. Pretty sure the waiting staff at Le Bellevarde were suffering when we were there Friday lunchtime (coughing and looking worse for wear). Used LFDs each day whilst away so no surprises for the return to UK test. Had a mini-hiccup with the MedicSpot return to UK tests when 2 of our 4 codes were rejected as already used on their website, but a quick chat with their customer service team online gave us 2 new codes. The results were instant (I guess all automated based on the photo sent). No problems crossing the border at Calais ET. The French didn’t ask to see our compelling reason to leave despite the warnings on the ET website
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| CV wrote: |
| albob wrote: |
| snowqueen50 wrote: |
| The latest news UK side is that research shows that omicron is much less severe - and most interestingly in London - where 1 in 35 have omicron/covid apparently - admissions are decreasing now so it looks like it has peaked in London. Negligible increase in icu admissions or deaths. This can only be good news for the travel industry. I can’t see Boris introducing more restrictions if this trend continues. I really hope Macron follows the science and worries less about his chances at the election. Hopefully the ski resorts prefectures are putting pressure on him… |
The UK figure is 1 in 35 ; the London figure is 1 in 13 !!! |
Whoever said Londoners are unfriendly? They're clearly happy to share the virus.
Not wanting to be too optimistic but as @ringingmaster says, isn't this one of the best-case scenarios that we were told might happen? A less dangerous but more easily spread strain leading to it becoming a background annoyance? I've no idea what's to stop the less dangerous variant mutating to become more dangerous in future... |
Indeed, it becomes as prevalent, but as manageable, as the common cold - which is a virus as well.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The French ski resorts might well have had much less covid numbers by banning the French and allowing the ‘negative tested’ uk travellers in  ….
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@snowqueen50, I think you’re probably right! It’s not the British they needed to worry about by the sounds of things.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rossyl wrote: |
| CV wrote: |
| albob wrote: |
| snowqueen50 wrote: |
| The latest news UK side is that research shows that omicron is much less severe - and most interestingly in London - where 1 in 35 have omicron/covid apparently - admissions are decreasing now so it looks like it has peaked in London. Negligible increase in icu admissions or deaths. This can only be good news for the travel industry. I can’t see Boris introducing more restrictions if this trend continues. I really hope Macron follows the science and worries less about his chances at the election. Hopefully the ski resorts prefectures are putting pressure on him… |
The UK figure is 1 in 35 ; the London figure is 1 in 13 !!! |
Whoever said Londoners are unfriendly? They're clearly happy to share the virus.
Not wanting to be too optimistic but as @ringingmaster says, isn't this one of the best-case scenarios that we were told might happen? A less dangerous but more easily spread strain leading to it becoming a background annoyance? I've no idea what's to stop the less dangerous variant mutating to become more dangerous in future... |
Indeed, it becomes as prevalent, but as manageable, as the common cold - which is a virus as well. |
Very similar observations to ours. Once you spend time beyond the reach of the UK media, the obsession with testing starts to look like collective psychosis.
Enough already, everybody who wants to be vaccinated is. The others can take their chances IMV. I think the French understand this better than we do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@JamesHJ, hmmm, no everybody who wants to be vaccinated isn’t?
My children can’t have their second until 12 weeks after their first. My daughter (15) was quite affronted to see I had a booking for my booster before it was even announced she was allowed to get full protection.
I have, thankfully, managed to get them both appointments to have their second dose on exactly 12 weeks all booked and as long as UK doesn’t lockdown in next few days preventing her attending it, will have it shortly.
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| franga wrote: |
| France reporting > 100K cases today. I’d hazard a guess that Monsieur Macron would now be under pressure to impose more restrictions. At least his foresight and strategic vision and incisive action to ban UK visitors earlier this month has worked a treat. |
27,697 actually........
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| NickyJ wrote: |
@JamesHJ, hmmm, no everybody who wants to be vaccinated isn’t?
My children can’t have their second until 12 weeks after their first. My daughter (15) was quite affronted to see I had a booking for my booster before it was even announced she was allowed to get full protection.
I have, thankfully, managed to get them both appointments to have their second dose on exactly 12 weeks all booked and as long as UK doesn’t lockdown in next few days preventing her attending it, will have it shortly. |
Sorry, you are right of course. Can we claim that everyone who is high risk has been offered vaccination? There are also plentiful antibody tests which immunosuppressed people in our family have used to check the action of their doses.
Surely once children can be routinely done, it is time to knock this thing on the head and get on with life.
Looking at the French figures by the way, I find the percentage of positive tests and the calculate r number deeply un worrying.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Not sure what the figure was sunday.. but friday it was 104,611 cases in france, if thats the case then it wont drop much over the next week..macron i dont think will lesson restrictions on monday....but we can but live in hope.
CNN “ France reported a record-breaking 104,611 Covid-19 cases on Saturday — the highest daily number since the pandemic began and the first-time numbers have broken the 100,000 threshold, according to health ministry data.
On Friday, the French government announced that President Emmanuel Macron will host a virtual meeting with ministers on Monday to discuss the coronavirus crisis”
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| alti - dude wrote: |
| boredsurfin wrote: |
| Macron is making an announcement Monday afternoon, no one here thinks it will be good news... |
Heard the same thing from the locals in 3V….. one of the restaurants thought it might be a circuit breaker, or if numbers aren’t too bad, evening restrictions. |
We heard similar in Courchevel. A few mooted a curfew of 6pm.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@yorkshirelad, 27,697 was very low for a Saturday (announced on Sunday), a Christmas aberration I expect, today's (Monday) figures are normally much lower due to delay in data farming, but could well be skewed because of this......
UK having the same issue apparently over the Xmas weekend....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@NickyJ, lockdown will never prevent you attending a vaccination appointment.
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| Snow&skifan wrote: |
| For those snowheads living in the French Alps, are there still a load of Brits who’ve sneaked in through other routes or ruses?..... |
Xmas Eve I was fortunate enough to meet a Grand Dame of Ski Bums, an 80 year old Brit Grandma who first came to Serre a good 40 years ago.
Her daughter married into an old local famille, and they are close neighbours to us.
We had her grand-daughter staying in our empty house in Worthing (it was For Sale) whilst she did a six-week physio placement at the Worthing Veterans centre.
Emy (French Citizen) the Grand-daughter flew back together with her Gran for Xmas here, flying to Turin, last Saturday.
The game-plan was for them to be collected at Turin and then Emy would walk with her Gran from Clavierre (Italy) on the footpath to Montgenevre (France), however, the flight was delayed, it was getting dark and that did not seem such a great idea, so in their French Car they drove through, chancing that they would not get stopped, as they had seen earlier how border controls were very lax.
The dad, is pretty adept and being a local mountain man with loads of contacts he would have managed to get Gran across in a myriad of ways I suspect.
The Gran was full of it as how she had been smuggled across the border so she could spend Xmas etc with the family.
No doubt there will be some that will not approve of this.
Another couple of friends coming out 28th one has residency, and the other an Irish passport holder, she seems to think that as a spouse she can get through on her husband's residency??
And another family who have been out since Dec 10th are going back this weekend, and the father is due to come out with mates mid-January, so they might well do the Turin / Clavierre ruse.
OH is flying into Lyon on Wednesday so that will be a nice drive in foul weather to collect her 
She changed it from Turin in case Italy introduced travel restrictions.
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You know it makes sense.
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| KenX wrote: |
@yorkshirelad, 27,697 was very low for a Saturday (announced on Sunday), a Christmas aberration I expect, today's (Monday) figures are normally much lower due to delay in data farming, but could well be skewed because of this......
UK having the same issue apparently over the Xmas weekend.... |
Yes the 100k+ figure reported from Friday is much more likely to be a better representation than the 28k figure for Saturday. To illustrate the point Sat and Sun the UK had zero new cases! Which is obviously not true.
It may be a few days before get some the reporting gets back into line.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I am one of the people currently in isolation in the Alps (live here) after receiving a positive PCR result on christmas day (which also told me I have low viral load and am not infectious). I have no symptoms and run my own business where I physically need to go and work, so having to choose between isolating, and ensuring my company still makes money (as no government support) is quite annoying. I'm also triple jabbed.
From what I'm reading, Macron won't change much tonight.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Skimum1 wrote: |
| @NickyJ, lockdown will never prevent you attending a vaccination appointment. |
It will when it is booked for somewhere 167miles from our house as we are scheduled to attend a funeral in that area on the 29th and she hit 12 week mark on the 30th and I found I was able to book her, her second local to where we would be on that day (as long as lockdown doesn’t prevent us going and staying with inlaws!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| KenX wrote: |
| franga wrote: |
| France reporting > 100K cases today. I’d hazard a guess that Monsieur Macron would now be under pressure to impose more restrictions. At least his foresight and strategic vision and incisive action to ban UK visitors earlier this month has worked a treat. |
27,697 actually........ |
Apologies - the figure I quoted was published on Saturday and related to the previous 24-hours .... 25K is an abnormality (over the Christmas weekend), cases are only heading one way now ...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@timlongs, that’s interesting only ever had a -ve PCR didn’t know they told you about viral load and infection status though that’s useful info
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Has anyone flown to Geneva and crossed to France since latest restrictions imposed? Thx v much
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| ma94jcg wrote: |
| 22 dropout wrote: |
A word of caution. The French resorts are getting full of French that do not need to pass a test to return home or to access the lifts. They are mostly double vaxed - not boosted - and just get in the car at the end of their trip. Nothing wrong with that, but as a result, in Chamonix at least, discipline is extremely lax, especially in cable cars where you want it most.
The moral of this is that you cannot assume that you will have a negative test on departure as a result, unless you let COVID dominate your trip i.e. no gondolas, don't join lift queues and don't go out.
This happened to a young relative of mine last week - on a school ski trip, a handful tested negative 2 days before the end and they are now quarantined in France very expensively and missing Christmas as a result. |
Got home to UK safe and sound. Omicron may well be endemic in Val D, coughing going on everywhere. Pretty sure the waiting staff at Le Bellevarde were suffering when we were there Friday lunchtime (coughing and looking worse for wear). Used LFDs each day whilst away so no surprises for the return to UK test. Had a mini-hiccup with the MedicSpot return to UK tests when 2 of our 4 codes were rejected as already used on their website, but a quick chat with their customer service team online gave us 2 new codes. The results were instant (I guess all automated based on the photo sent). No problems crossing the border at Calais ET. The French didn’t ask to see our compelling reason to leave despite the warnings on the ET website |
Same experience - not asked for attestation on exit at ET. Mind you, we have never been asked for an attestation at any border throughout the whole pandemic, UK, French or Italian. Doesn't stop us carrying them. though. The more annoying is the lengths we go to to get tests between France and Italy (and vice versa) and they have never once been checked.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've just completed the form at "éOS - COVID DÉPISTAGE - FORMULAIRE PASSAGER" (https://passager.serveureos.org) for travel on 31 Dec. Just got a long pdf in French to download, having filled in the English form. It provided a QR code for the 48hr test to release from Q. And I'm allowed out between 10-12 for essential services within a 1km radius. So shopping at local supermarket as we aren't allowed to take much food into France.
The process didn't give any apparent indication that online information had been submitted, in the website words,
"This platform will be used to generate prefectural decrees requiring all travellers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to self-isolate in a place of their choice."
So just seems to have a generated a local pdf for me and MrsS. It will be interesting to see if there is any follow up??
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| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| @snowqueen50, I think you’re probably right! It’s not the British they needed to worry about by the sounds of things. |
The case map this morning is interesting. The highest rates are the entirety of the South East including Lyon and Marseille plus the area around Perpignan, Paris and its suburbs, and the lower half of Corsica. Apparently at least 1 in 100 in Grand-Paris have it. The department with the highest rate is Drôme in Provence.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| Skimum1 wrote: |
| @NickyJ, lockdown will never prevent you attending a vaccination appointment. |
It will when it is booked for somewhere 167miles from our house as we are scheduled to attend a funeral in that area on the 29th and she hit 12 week mark on the 30th and I found I was able to book her, her second local to where we would be on that day (as long as lockdown doesn’t prevent us going and staying with inlaws!) |
Gosh - remember your post now. Fingers crossed. I did read they are very keen for life events (weddings, funerals) to continue as normal so hopefully her appointment will also be able to continue as normal. I sympathise as could only get second appointments for my teens an hour or so drive away when there are several centres within a 20 minute drive.
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More to the point when will travel restrictions be lifted to fully vaccinated UK travellers?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I’ve had all my jabs, I’ve stayed at home when asked, I’ve cancelled holidays, basically I’ve done everything that has been asked off me BUT enough is enough.
The vast majority of people who want vaccinated have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, let’s get on with life.
Set up Covid wards in hospital, once they are at capacity well the choice was yours not to get vaccinated or travel or mix in society. Basically the innocent suffering of other illnesses are not paying the price for your choice.
This is a rant from a very stable mild mannered rule following person, so god knows how to youth feel.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
I’ve had all my jabs, I’ve stayed at home when asked, I’ve cancelled holidays, basically I’ve done everything that has been asked off me BUT enough is enough.
The vast majority of people who want vaccinated have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, let’s get on with life.
Set up Covid wards in hospital, once they are at capacity well the choice was yours not to get vaccinated or travel or mix in society. Basically the innocent suffering of other illnesses are not paying the price for your choice.
This is a rant from a very stable mild mannered rule following person, so god knows how to youth feel. |
+12
Enough is enough. Incidentally, the positive percentage of tests is fairly unchanged in both the UK and France. The huge spike in cases maps onto a huge spike in testing.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
I’ve had all my jabs, I’ve stayed at home when asked, I’ve cancelled holidays, basically I’ve done everything that has been asked off me BUT enough is enough.
The vast majority of people who want vaccinated have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, let’s get on with life.
Set up Covid wards in hospital, once they are at capacity well the choice was yours not to get vaccinated or travel or mix in society. Basically the innocent suffering of other illnesses are not paying the price for your choice.
This is a rant from a very stable mild mannered rule following person, so god knows how to youth feel. |
+12
Enough is enough. Incidentally, the positive percentage of tests is fairly unchanged in both the UK and France. The huge spike in cases maps onto a huge spike in testing.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
I’ve had all my jabs, I’ve stayed at home when asked, I’ve cancelled holidays, basically I’ve done everything that has been asked off me BUT enough is enough.
The vast majority of people who want vaccinated have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, let’s get on with life.
Set up Covid wards in hospital, once they are at capacity well the choice was yours not to get vaccinated or travel or mix in society. Basically the innocent suffering of other illnesses are not paying the price for your choice.
This is a rant from a very stable mild mannered rule following person, so god knows how to youth feel. |
+1. But I think you posted in wrong thread 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Pirate42 wrote: |
| @timlongs, that’s interesting only ever had a -ve PCR didn’t know they told you about viral load and infection status though that’s useful info |
A lot if it depends on the machine they use for the PCR. Now it has been 10 years since I did PCRs and I know tech has moved on. The way I did it was like this
Two housekeeping genes (same level in all cells )so it is an indication of the sample size IE the amount of tissue you have on the swap. I used Beta galactosidase and beta tubulin or beta actin (probably tubulin) but can't remember which.
Then you PCR in the same tube with primers for CoViD.
After a number of cycles you can see the relative amounts of reference gene (housekeeping) and CoViD gene. This gives you an idea of the amount of viral load.
Now the above may be done differently and also cheaper. Eg
When I did it the main system was the Roche light cycler at £50k 10x a normal PCR machine. But I was.speaking to a manufacturer of PCR systems last year and they have a system that can do quantitative PCR all digitally for about £7k.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@GlasgowCyclops, we'd wondered if they included a "housekeeping gene" to control for sampling differences, though it would be difficult to know what to choose given they are sampling mucus that might or might not contain virus, rather than cells.
However for the test that allows early identification of Omicron through "S-dropout" I suspect not - I remember reading about that and how it depended on looking for three virus genes simultaneously, spike protein, nucleoprotein and some other open reading frame (maybe a viral enzyme). You are going to be reasonably confident losing one signal is informative if the other two are still there, but the question is whether their machines can detect four genes at once as they would need to if there was a housekeeping gene.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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From icebreaker chalets on Facebook, am I being silly in expecting any rule changes in regards to Travel ?
Edit. Actually read the posts above and yes i am being silly
Just a message to all guests booked over the next few weeks.
We are waiting to see what happens after todays security council meeting here in France.
I’ll be in direct contact with everyone soon as I have more details.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Macron updating at 19:15 CET apparently.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Skimum1 wrote: |
| NickyJ wrote: |
| Skimum1 wrote: |
| @NickyJ, lockdown will never prevent you attending a vaccination appointment. |
It will when it is booked for somewhere 167miles from our house as we are scheduled to attend a funeral in that area on the 29th and she hit 12 week mark on the 30th and I found I was able to book her, her second local to where we would be on that day (as long as lockdown doesn’t prevent us going and staying with inlaws!) |
Gosh - remember your post now. Fingers crossed. I did read they are very keen for life events (weddings, funerals) to continue as normal so hopefully her appointment will also be able to continue as normal. I sympathise as could only get second appointments for my teens an hour or so drive away when there are several centres within a 20 minute drive. |
Thank you! Announcement today of no new measures has come with immense relief. I have noticed that they have been adding on more places for that age group. When I booked my eldests for Wednesbury, I tried to book youngest for date she was due but couldn’t get closer than 60miles away. Tried a week later and was able to book 12miles away so snapped that up.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sitting with my breath very much bated; fingers, toes and eyebrows crossed! (While also googling alternative, package, trips…)
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I've got a feeling that tonight's announcement will be the final straw for my January plans... tough to take when you don't agree with the restrictions anymore. Jab me as many times as you want but it's time to move on and live life again.
Fingers crossed that everyone gets away this year!
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France 24 waiting for PM Castex news update to start.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@colinstone, I don't think it's even Castex, I believe it's Attal (gov spox) so nothing big happening.
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Nothing is going to change here regarding travel restrictions the way he's talking!
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FAQ
