IT workers join elite sports stars, fat cat biz execs, celebs and posties for special treatment under England's COVID-19 travel isolation rules
- Reference: 1607347630
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/12/07/on_the_uk_governments_covid19related/
- Source link:
As of 15 December, those who meet the criteria in almost 60 areas can arrange a private coronavirus test to cut down the time required to stay indoors to five days, providing, of course, they return a negative result.
However, it is unlikely the government's definition will give a green light to cutting isolation times for all trips for IT-related work.
According to the [1]official website , the exemption is limited to, “information technology or telecommunications professionals whose expertise is required to provide an essential or emergency response to threats and incidents relating to the security of any network and information system and ensure the continued operation of any network and information system.”
That leaves a lot of important but not “emergency” work outside that definition.
The new rules will, however, apply to people working on data infrastructure maintenance or “the repair of data infrastructure required to reduce and resolve outages, or in the provision of goods and services to support these activities.”
Meanwhile, “people engaged in urgent or essential work on electronic communications networks” will also be exempt from the two-week isolation rule, following travel from listed at-risk nations [2]outside the UK’s safe travel corridor , which excludes France, Germany, and the United States.
Techies also share the exemption list with postal workers, seasonal poultry workers, and bus drivers, who also qualify under the government’s new rules.
El Reg notes that journalists are also covered by the new regs but the vultures here in the northern hemisphere haven't really left their nests since the end of February.
In the UK, rules designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus are formed by respective national governments with [3]Scotland , [4]Wales , and [5]Northern Ireland having their own regulations in place around isolation after international travel. ®
Get our [6]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules
[2] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors
[3] https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-public-health-checks-at-borders/pages/self-isolation/
[4] https://gov.wales/how-self-isolate-when-you-travel-wales-coronavirus-covid-19
[5] https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice
[6] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Emergency or not?
Ask most customers and I'm sure they'd swear on oath that every support request they raise is an "Emergency", especially when it relates to email or printing. :)
No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
I read the Government website and i am still unsure of the details, so here is the moan :
The website indicates that some professions are wholly exempt from isolation when they arrive in the UK.
So it is possible when you arrive in the UK, do not need to self isolate, that you are a super spreader, infect many people who subsequently die, all sanctioned by the UK Government ?.
Does the virus know who to, and not to, infect ?
Is this UK Government sanctioned manslaughter ?
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
Professional sportsmen are taking measures to avoid the virus such as bubbles and regular testing.
If somebody is coming to the country to take part in a significant business deal which will provide employment, it is worth the minuscule risk.
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
"Significant business deal" implies that just because money is at stake it takes priority over health. What about the meetings these "business people" have with others? If there is an outbreak they are all to blame. I get fairly pissed off with these people who, for whatever reason that the think is legitimate, they are allowed to break the rules or face no consequences for being found out (in some cases repeatedly).
Just because it is a "significant deal" does not mean it cannot be done over video or in a COVID secure way. It it is repairing equipment then I would equally expect it to be done with appropriate risk assessments and protective measures in place.
We are not in the situation like Chernobyl or Fukushima where people, usually at the other end of the pay scale get told or chose to put themselves at significant risk of death for the greater benefit of everyone else.
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
I believe the UK Government has a duty of care for everyone, equally, and should not sacrifice other peoples lives for the illusion that travelling is important for making a deal.
If they travel abroad for a deal, the work is done abroad, so coming back into the UK they can self isolate as required by every other person.
It is a sick elitist law that shows the current UK Governments thinking - we are expendable at the elites personal freedom, which we cannot have.
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
Knock that chip off your shoulder.
It's about trying to increase employment so that people without jobs can have one.
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
There is no chip on my shoulder.
No one in this country is expendable.
Re: No Isolation for Special People or Elites ???
"Professional sportsmen are taking measures to avoid the virus such as bubbles and regular testing."
Then why do so many of them seem to be getting it?
Rudy Giuliani ~ 3/4 weeks?
Sounds a bit like wishful thinking. How sure exactly are they that you can detect this in 5 days?
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1971559/two-thais-test-positive-for-covid-after-quarantine?cx_placement=underbox
"The second woman returned to Thailand on June 24 and stayed in state quarantine for 14 days, when two lab tests indicated she had no virus, so she went home to Loei. The woman drove to Bangkok on Sunday and visited the hospital at midday to get her Covid-19 health certificate allowing her to work overseas -- but this time her test was positive. "
Even Rudy Giulliani, newly found to have Covid19 had some very suspicious profuse sweating (the hair dye running down his face incident) ~20th November, 3-4 weeks before he tested positive and developed symptoms.
As good Christians, I'm sure the Radical Right Republicans will "do unto others" and take away Giulliani's healthcare, kick him out of the hospital. It's how he would want it. Thoughts and prayers Rudy.... not healthcare, just thoughts and prayers. I also assume this means a lot of his Russian military intelligence friends will need testing too.
Re: Republican health care
You have misunderstood how Republican health care is supposed to work. Rich people get proper treatment. Anyone else can go straight to heaven.
Re: Republican health care
God will save him, all he needs to do is go find a televangelist to "blow away" the virus!
Perhaps if he visits churches using the new Supreme Court ruling (courtesy of Amy Cohen Barrett), he can go and those pesky health chiefs cannot stop him! The worshipers can thank Amy for defending *his* freedom to attend church services in person and infect *them* with *his* deadly highly infectious disease. "Thank you Amy!"
Next year, Trump will try to undermine the vaccine rollout and keep trying to spreading via his Fox News supporters. He'll pretend he's the Republican Shadow President, he'll be there everyday on Fox News pretending to be the leader of the Republicans, he'll siphon off *their* PAC contributions to *his* PAC and undermine the RNC independence.
"Vaccines are poison, I saved you from it, I was holding back that poison, now your kids will get Coronavirus from the vaccine!" Trump will say.
For the 2024 election they won't be allowed to have primaries, they'll be forced to auto select him as their presidential candidate, because they've made it appear as if he's their boss by cowering to him. He will then lose the 2024 election as-well taking them with him.
They should really come out strongly now, work with the Democrats and stop him gutting the military bases abroad. Stop his quid pro quo to Putin. Then he'll be finished, they'll be shot of him already. They can promote the vaccines, and recover some credibility, to have a new candidate in 2024 and a chance at winning.
Otherwise he'll make them his bitch and they'll lose again and again and again.
Because Corona just ignores emergencies...
Wow, just wow. VIPs and emergency personnel don't get Corona? What does that make Boris? Head clown?
It works!!
Not sure this is news, as I used this very policy to return from France in September after a Family Holiday and October after Half Term.
There have to be some benefits of being a self employed IT bod!
But now everybody knows I'm sure they'll remove it.
As long as they don't tin the business lunch exemption as I've issued all my friends a 0 hours contract for a Christmas works do.
These are the new rules?
I'm sure the rules allowing certain people the freedom to not self-isolate have been in place since early April. The current rules for data infrastructure maintenance personnel are:
People involved in essential maintenance and repair of data infrastructure required to reduce and resolve outages, or in the provision of goods and services to support these activities. You will need to complete the passenger locator form before you travel to the UK.
You will NOT need to self-isolate.
So according the El Reg, the rules after 2020-12-15 are that you can now take a test, to shorten your non-existent curfew.
The only recent change I'm aware of is the one that controversially lets in business travelers who promise jobs and money.