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Corona virus threat to birding (2 Viewers)

No entry to foreigners to Slovakia and now also to Czech Republic, so don't plan on any birding there. Also no travel out of the countries for citizens and residents. I am still not sure whether blocking movement across arbitrary lines is such a useful target - to me it seems like everyone in V4 has been hoping for an excuse to shut down borders for years now and this is just the point when one appeared conveniently. In other news, my life appears to be headed for an absolute disaster, because in times like these, nobody thinks about people whose life arrangements do not fall into the broad standard categories. Not sure if my ending up living on a street in a yet-to-be decided country helps the spread of the pandemics though.
 
From the BBC

'Argentina said it would suspend for 30 days flights from all European countries, as well the US, China, Iran, Japan and South Korea, which have also been impacted by the virus.

Peru has suspended for an unspecified period of time all flights from Europe and Asia while Paraguay is cancelling all direct flights to and from Europe until 26 March.

Venezuela had already suspended all flights from Europe for a month.'

So bang go any planned tours there.
 
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Just in: EU commission is against border closures within EU, claim that epidemiologists consider such measures ineffective. However I can't see the Czech government giving up easily, they have already blocked measures to redistribute refugees etc... the whole V4 is simply not that hot on EU integration. But there is some hope that this nationalist approach will be eventually turned around by the EU. In any case, I wouldn't count on crossing ANY borders in the near future. Poland has yet to move on this, but I think the possibility of it getting closed as well is high - and I know foreigners come here for spring birding relatively often - so don't make any such plans this year if you hold your money dear.
 
Just in: EU commission is against border closures within EU, claim that epidemiologists consider such measures ineffective. However I can't see the Czech government giving up easily, they have already blocked measures to redistribute refugees etc... the whole V4 is simply not that hot on EU integration. But there is some hope that this nationalist approach will be eventually turned around by the EU. In any case, I wouldn't count on crossing ANY borders in the near future. Poland has yet to move on this, but I think the possibility of it getting closed as well is high - and I know foreigners come here for spring birding relatively often - so don't make any such plans this year if you hold your money dear.

Like it was in the UK you mean.....:-O

What descretion do EU, Schengen signatory states have in unilaterally closing a border, there will be pushback from the EU I think?
 
Like it was in the UK you mean.....:-O

What descretion do EU, Schengen signatory states have in unilaterally closing a border, there will be pushback from the EU I think?

Well there are two things: Schengen Treaty and EU free movement, these look interchangeable superficially but are not. Normally even countries that are not signatory to Schengen, but are EU member, are legally obliged to let an EU citizen in. Back in the day when UK was an EU member, there was simply no way for me to be denied entry, even though I had to submit to a border check - upon submitting valid documentation I was guaranteed entry (unlike a non-EU foreigner).

Now in Schengen Treaty, I know that there are provisions to reinstate border controls temporarily - this has happened repeatedly in the past mainly due to security reasons, such as the Pope's visit to Poland or some international summit attracting anti-globalist protesters etc. However this checks were still freely permeable to EU citizens unless they had outstanding warrants or some personal restrictions from a country (which was possible). I am completely in the dark when it comes to the next step of actually blocking EU citizens of crossing and I don't think this has ever happened. We'll see though.
 
Eyes are a major entry point for Covid-19, so don't share your scopes and microscopes.

We just got word yesterday that my university will be shut down for the time being...no clue if it's 4 weeks or the entire semester.

On the birding from, the Wisconsin Ornithological Society has cancelled all field trip until the end of May, which scuttles one of my weekend plans. No word yet on what the local birding club might do, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cancel their meeting/trips.

I can't help but feel that the only reason the pandemic is happening is due to the fact I actually have an international birding trip in two months, and that I have just recently started seeing someone romantically. Literally, this pandemic could have come out at practically any point in the 5 years, and my normal social distancing self would have just shrugged and prepared to spend more time watching Netflix....
 
I think it's safe to say that with travel restrictions being applied by numerous countries daily at present that overseas birding will be off the table, at least for the next few months at least. I looked at back up plans to my failed Israel trip and each one of those on a very short list has been removed in a very short period of time.

Domestic birding can continue but I don't think it'll be long before locations such as Scilly, Shetland and other isolated communities introduce restrictions on travelling to/from them and that will lead to birding at prime sites at peak times off the table as well.

I'm due to go to Fair Isle in late May but it's not inconceivable that the island could become off limits to all visitors during all of this, the islanders wouldn't want someone bringing the virus to the island, the population being very small and with no medical facilities other than the nurse.

I think before to long many of us may struggle to get to even our local patches let alone to the other end of the country or the other side of the world.
 
Thinking about it, if I actually do become homeless because of it, I may as well pitch a tent on some good site. So maybe this will actually boost my birding!
 
If this is the UK's stance on the coronavirus, then I would think it's game over for overseas travel on the part of British birders at least for the foreseeable future:

https://twitter.com/13sarahmurphy/status/1238368172908195841/photo/1

I am not qualified to comment on whether this makes sense from a medical/economic standpoint, but if the idea is to let the epidemic run its course, infecting large numbers of people until herd immunity is achieved, then I would think that pretty much every other country in the world that's adopting a more aggressive approach will ban all travel to/from the UK for quite some time
 
If this is the UK's stance on the coronavirus, then I would think it's game over for overseas travel on the part of British birders at least for the foreseeable future:

https://twitter.com/13sarahmurphy/status/1238368172908195841/photo/1

I am not qualified to comment on whether this makes sense from a medical/economic standpoint, but if the idea is to let the epidemic run its course, infecting large numbers of people until herd immunity is achieved, then I would think that pretty much every other country in the world that's adopting a more aggressive approach will ban all travel to/from the UK for quite some time

I can kind of see the reasoning behind it.

They're stating that if we go into lockdown now, we'll have to stay in lockdown for months and months, with the problems that will cause, and then a new wave may occur anyway.

I wonder if it's too late, and we're all going to get it anyway?

Measures to protect the elderly, and automatic self-isolation for anyone feeling ill or having come into contact with anyone with it may be more effective than worrying about catching it from random strangers. No handshaking, washing hands and other measures etc of course. (I imagine none of this was happening in Iran or Italy until too late??)

But it doesn't seem a popular idea. Unfortunately it's all unknown territory.
 
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Is that the Polish version of "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" ? B :)

In the last 4 years life has given me pretty much every citrus imaginable, so yep, this is how I have to be thinking nowadays ...

Meanwhile, talk of closing Polish borders intensifies. Ukraine closes soon if I understood correctly.
 
If this is the UK's stance on the coronavirus, then I would think it's game over for overseas travel on the part of British birders at least for the foreseeable future:

https://twitter.com/13sarahmurphy/status/1238368172908195841/photo/1

I am not qualified to comment on whether this makes sense from a medical/economic standpoint, but if the idea is to let the epidemic run its course, infecting large numbers of people until herd immunity is achieved, then I would think that pretty much every other country in the world that's adopting a more aggressive approach will ban all travel to/from the UK for quite some time

"Pandemic means Pandemic"
"The virus needs us more than we need the virus"
"Let's get pandemic done"
etc
 
If this is the UK's stance on the coronavirus, then I would think it's game over for overseas travel on the part of British birders at least for the foreseeable future:

https://twitter.com/13sarahmurphy/status/1238368172908195841/photo/1

I am not qualified to comment on whether this makes sense from a medical/economic standpoint, but if the idea is to let the epidemic run its course, infecting large numbers of people until herd immunity is achieved, then I would think that pretty much every other country in the world that's adopting a more aggressive approach will ban all travel to/from the UK for quite some time

I'm no Boris fan but he has taken the advice of highly qualified scientists and epidemiologists who are far more able to judge the best way forward than he is or we are, he has acted on their advice.

I think the response in the UK has so far been measured, with many businesses both large and small having their existence threatened, why push the panic button too soon and finish them off prematurely.

The irony of the US travel ban given the numbers there, is that we are probably more at risk from them, than they are from us, at least in the UK.

Trump gets fact checked..............

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51818627
 
I can kind of see the reasoning behind it.

They're stating that if we go into lockdown now, we'll have to stay in lockdown for months and months, with the problems that will cause, and then a new wave may occur anyway.

I wonder if it's too late, and we're all going to get it anyway?

Measures to protect the elderly, and automatic self-isolation for anyone feeling ill or having come into contact with anyone with it may be more effective than worrying about catching it from random strangers. No handshaking, washing hands and other measures etc of course. (I imagine none of this was happening in Iran or Italy until too late??)

But it doesn't seem a popular idea. Unfortunately it's all unknown territory.

It was stated today that this virus will probably now occur seasonally, every year and yes, I think it is too late to stop it and we'll all be exposed sooner or later.
 
What do you Andy think about the possibility that Johnson is not acting in the interests of the general public, but monetary interests of the rich? Is that really that far-fetched, especially from a Conservative (or how do you call them in the UK)? Also, isn't it a bit absurd when one country decides to act completely orthogonally to its neighbors? If this goes on and Europe contains is to some level while the UK lets it run loose, does the UK understand the consequences of being cut off from the rest of the continents possibly for years?
 
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