Westbound Transatlantic - M117 Departs 9th June - What about the restrictions?

[untailored bostonian]

19 hours ago, ace2542 said:

So they must think the U.S travel ban and UK quarantine situation will be lifted by June 23rd. Perhaps they know something we don't. The UK has a roadmap laid out but we have heard nothing further from the Biden administration regarding the opening of borders.

The CDC will make changes, imnho,  by early summer. I think Cunnard us holding out hope that the UK will lift mandatory quarentines on all non UK citizens if they have a completed vaccinations.  The UK should do that but bureaucracies have a unique inertia to change.

 

As of now any American is allowed to take that TA if they are willing to pay the price of mandated self financed UK quarentine.

 

[IB2]

1 hour ago, untailored bostonian said:

You are dead wrong.  Covid is NEVER going away. Mutations, that we now know occur more rapidly than any viroligist thought, will make covid an ever present danger.

 

Covid is less seasonal than the flu as we discovered last summer with the surge that exceed the initial springtime surge.  The current vaccines, as we already know, are less effective against the UK, South African, and the two Brazilian variants.  I have not seen data on the Californian or NY variants yet, but the specific mutation sights are inline with the first 3.  There is also an Oregon variant that has been this past week discovered, and is believed to be in community spread, that has mutations in specific genetic location that could make it even more virulent and more resistant to current vaccines.

 

Yes, as we get vaccinated we will see less serious disease, but understand that at least 25% of those vacinated will STILL get covid.  People who have had covid will catch covid again even after vaccinations.  Now the best estimates of the experts based on post vaccinated cases show that nearly none get ill enough to become critically ill. In fact many are asymptomatic or mild "stay at home" cases. BUT  they are still infectious and still can spread the virus after vaccination.

 

Certainly the pandemic is going to become endemic.  Yes endemic covid after 2020 will seem more normal. However, public heath experts will still advise mask use in public.  Of courses that will be ignored by the "I have my rights you can't take away my freedoms" simpletons, putting all of us at risk.

 

How can you possibly with any credibility say "That may well be as early as this summer, if the warmer northern hemisphere weather proves as effective at driving case numbers down as last year."  Just look at the surge last summer, and that surge was driven by just 4 states, TX, FL, AZ, and sourhern CA which are extremely hot at that time of the year.  We don't know what we don't know, but we do know the warm weather does not reduce the risk of community spread. Frankly your statement is disinformation and not correlated with the data.

 

Most of the 3rd world will not get vaccinated until late 2022, more likely 2023, because the first world nations are going to hoard vaccines.  Countries like the UK and the US will be able to vaccinate their entire populations by mid-june.  In England they are using the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as a single shot with a second shot several months later. As of now they already have a third of their citizens protected by their first jab.  The US regime and vaccine-types are different.  Only about 10% are fully vaccinated and 20% have had at least 1 jab.

 

By the time of the August 22nd cruise both countries, UK and US, will be nearly fully vaccinated. But in the US the antideluvian anti-vaxer's, the antigoverment folk, and the "It has nanotechnology that will be activated by G5 that will control your mind" dimwits will refuse to take the vaccine. They will tell you it's their right and no one can steal their freedoms.  That will be about 20%+ of American adults. Children under 16 will not be vaccinated until mid to late fall.

 

Yes, 2022 is going to feel "normal" after 2020 and 2021. But we, and the world, are going to see a new surge in April even as we vaccinate because of the current know variants.  It hopefully won't be worse than last summer's surge levels [Remember how some one told us it would all just go away with warmer weather?]  

 

We will control the virus with updated covid booster shots,  maybe twice a year, for a while. But that vaccination regime will not be enough.  2022 will still have public health experts telling us we need to mask up.  They will still advise to not have mass gatherings like concerts and sporting events. Airlines will try to maintain mask requirements, as they should. [The federal mask mandates in transportation may not be lifted for a year or more.] Venues like Universal Orlando and the world wide Disney will likely not change mask standards for a year or more.  Small groups socially distancing is a permanent social standard for the foreseeable future.

 

Think 2023 as when we ease public health best practices.  That is dependent on continued, improved, vaccine efficacy and current antiviral treatments being developed.  Covid-19 has been a teachable moment. The mRNA vaccines will impact next generation flu vaccines and cancer treatment. There is a silver lining to sars-cov-2.

 

But don't fool your self, there will be other zoonotic viral outbreaks.  [Flu btw is a zoonotic virus.]  Do you know about the G4 swine flu in China the is transferring to humans and which may be like the 2009 pandemic flu?

Over time, mutations will make the virus less serious, and it will fade away and become another of the seasonal flu viruses, such that we forget about it.  As happened - without vaccines - after three waves of the Spanish/Kansas flu in 1918 and 1919.

 

It’s weird that, when I said last year that the world was about to change and cruising would be shut down, people said “no, no, that’ll never happen”, and now I am looking toward the end of the pandemic here you are saying “no, no, it will go on for ever”.

Edited March 10, 2021 by IB2

[ace2542]

56 minutes ago, untailored bostonian said:

The CDC will make changes, imnho,  by early summer. I think Cunnard us holding out hope that the UK will lift mandatory quarentines on all non UK citizens if they have a completed vaccinations.  The UK should do that but bureaucracies have a unique inertia to change.

 

As of now any American is allowed to take that TA if they are willing to pay the price of mandated self financed UK quarentine.

 

You do know don't you that "self financed" UK Quarantine will probably be more expensive then the cost on travelling across on the QM2. Unless you take a grills suite maybe.

[untailored bostonian]

2 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

You do know don't you that "self financed" UK Quarantine will probably be more expensive then the cost on travelling across on the QM2. Unless you take a grills suite maybe.

Exactly.  But if you are willing to pay the price you can do it.  Same costs if you fly in.

 

Maybe if you are visiting family for an extended period or a long business trip you might be willing to eat the pain.