GeoffH

I'm not sure if cheap tickets, let alone throw away ones are even available now, during Covid and fully refundable ones have left people high and dry too with some only offered credits. Bit of a non-issue I guess since tourist visas are suspended as of now.

I am very sorry to hear about L's and you loss of her papa, no matter ones age it is never an easy thing to lose a parent. My sincerest sympathy Tom

Australia seems to be following the British path albeit more slowly and cautiously. The Aussie government have also announced that a digital app will be released which will include proof of vaccination status and which can be used to obtain access to areas that require vaccination for entry such as old age care facilities and certain hospital wards. Interestingly one of the state governments stated, in no uncertain terms, that private business will be able to use the app as a condition of entry to their premises. I'm hoping that these types of changes will lead to a gradual opening

You're probably correct about that but Australia also has a $10,000 limit and they're a lot more strict about it.

I used Western Union in $5000 sends twice per day a few years back when buying the house in CDO, Australia has a limit of $10,000 per day for sending currency unless you fill in bank forms (which I'd have had to do every single day and that's slowww) so the limit wasn't a big problem.

The vaccine does not stop everyone whos taken it from being infectious (although it reduces infection rates but there is evidence that it is basically 100% effective in preventing serious disease. And given that everyone on the planes will be vaccinated (due to the Travel Pass or Vaccine Passport or whatever they call it, name doesn't matter) it therefore follows that none of the people on the plane will end up taking up valuable hospital beds in the destination country. And when you combine that with testing prior to departure you can also reduce the number of low infectious vaccina

I found widespread suspicion amongst the less educated and poorer members of the extended family about vaccines and many of them do not take advantage of the free vaccines that are available at the barangay during the health clinics. I made it a condition for agreeing to be 'ninong' to two of the babies over the last few years that the parents would be agree to getting the babies vaccinated. This was done with the support of family members that are educated (couple of teachers and a radio announcer and a real estate agent). The Dengvaxia scare was specifically mentioned as the reaso

As the old sayings go "A Rose by any other name would smell as good" and "A difference that makes no difference is no difference"

They're probably not blocking it but they may be prioritizing other types of traffic ahead of streaming video from the major sources (like Netflilx). It's probably possible to tell but that's beyond my limited IT skill set.

Hopefully that means they're maintaining the integrity of the cold chain properly.

Possibly but how could you be sure that it was actually a Covid vaccination you were getting. It would be much simpler to substitute something else...

A lot of them won't though... they will bitch and moan and throw tantrums. You only have to look at the cases of people getting violent on airplanes when told they're required to wear a mask. I don't have a problem with people refusing to wear a mask or get the vaccine, what I have a problem with is them forcing themselves into areas that have entry regulations that require masks and/or vaccines against the regulations.

They have relaxed the entry requirements twice so it might not be too much longer before it's practicable. And if people have had a vaccine already then I wouldn't be surprised if their path to entry isn't as difficult.

You will I expect shortly be faced with a choice between vaccination and not flying, and I'm ok with that. It is of course your right to refuse a vaccination but it is equally the right of the airlines to require it for entry to their private places of business.

I suspect that eventually there will be amongst first world countries something along those lines but at this point when many countries (even first world ones) don't have enough vaccine... well it's going to be a while for that in most places I suspect.