Munster still in SA

[Neils]

https://www.munsterrugby.ie/2021/11/27/latest-update-munster-in-south-africa/

[Neils]

Must put our home match in some doubt.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

As a 10 day quarantine has just been announced they need to be back before 1 Dec and even then as they won't have time to prepare so it really is hard to see how it goes ahead.

[Neils]

Talk about the Welsh clubs before the Dragons match this evening suggested the would have a day to get prepared together. Shane Williams opined that the matches had to be postponed.

[MarleyWasp]

If Munster fly back tomorrow, they at best get out of quarantine on 9th December. I can't see how the match can go ahead.

One option could be to swap the European games that weekend for the League matches on 7-9th January, although only 2 out of the 8 URC games that weekend would be able to go  ahead. The URC doesn't play on international weekends and has other breaks in its schedule so could avoid midweek matches, unlike us if we had to postpone the Leicester match to play Munster. Midweek games mean smaller crowds which could also impact finances, which is the last thing clubs need now. Sadly it feels far too logical to actually happen though!

As an F1 fan, I wouldn't be devastated if we get a weekend off. Saves me bringing my tablet on and watching the last race of the season in the stands before the game.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I am pretty sure that 'logical' shuffling of events was rejected when teams had to withdraw due to Covid before. TV rights (the need to get cameras and crews where they need to be) and other venue specific issues would arise.

[Steve from Cov]

If Munster fly back tomorrow, they at best get out of quarantine on 9th December. I can't see how the match can go ahead.

One option could be to swap the European games that weekend for the League matches on 7-9th January, although only 2 out of the 8 URC games that weekend would be able to go  ahead. The URC doesn't play on international weekends and has other breaks in its schedule so could avoid midweek matches, unlike us if we had to postpone the Leicester match to play Munster. Midweek games mean smaller crowds which could also impact finances, which is the last thing clubs need now. Sadly it feels far too logical to actually happen though!

As an F1 fan, I wouldn't be devastated if we get a weekend off. Saves me bringing my tablet on and watching the last race of the season in the stands before the game.

Are you sure Ireland’s quarantine rules are the same as ours?

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I think they would have to quarantine for 7 days, but as soon as they tried to come to the UK, they might have to quarantine again due to the recent visit to SA. It gets messy when you, effectively, pass through other countries to arrive in the UK (in this case pass through Ireland).

Something very odd is going on with testing in SA though. A plane load of passengers, all of whom tested negative to be allowed on the plane, were tested again on arrival in the Netherlands. 60 tested positive. If that has been replicated on every plane leaving SA in the last few weeks, the Twickenham event could effectively have been super spreader event, despite claims everyone was checked (I don't believe for one minute that actually happened).

As with all previous variants, it's here already, and probably spreading fast. I hear the words 'control this ...'

You don't 'control' any of the Covid variants (which have been around for many years). You deal and cope with them. The only difference is that Covid-19 and its variants is far more deadly, and overloads the health system. Throughout the pandemic, I keep hearing media and politicians saying we can get it under control so our underfunded and under resourced (staff numbers and facilities - number of beds and hospitals) can get back to normal. Normal is that Covid is here to stay and it will eat up those resources, no matter what. It will infect seriously ill patients who also need to be in the hospital, and some will catch it and die.

Yet I have seen no planning for this new landscape.

[MarleyWasp]

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/people-arriving-from-southern-africa-must-quarantine-as-new-variant-prompts-fresh-restrictions-1.4739658

10 days at home, but there is talk of hotel quarantine coming in.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

On the face of it we do appear to be over reacting:

“ BREAKING: Chairwoman of South African Medical Association says Omicron coronavirus variant is causing 'mild disease' and 'no prominent symptoms'”

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1464731705764302855?s=21

[andermt]

The Welsh teams will need to quarantine in a total, RP states between the 2 they have 97 staff in SA, and at almost £2300 a head that’s a big bill.

Just started looking at how this affects the Toulouse away game for us as we are going and have tickets. Tickets non-refundable, need to now take a PCR test within 2 days of getting back.

[andermt]

On the face of it we do appear to be over reacting:

“ BREAKING: Chairwoman of South African Medical Association says Omicron coronavirus variant is causing 'mild disease' and 'no prominent symptoms'”

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1464731705764302855?s=21

Not wanting to stand up for the government but they got a load of grief for the slow reaction to delta variant, and are now getting grief for a quick reaction to this one.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

On the face of it we do appear to be over reacting:

“ BREAKING: Chairwoman of South African Medical Association says Omicron coronavirus variant is causing 'mild disease' and 'no prominent symptoms'”

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1464731705764302855?s=21

Not wanting to stand up for the government but they got a load of grief for the slow reaction to delta variant, and are now getting grief for a quick reaction to this one.

They can't win. Trump was accused of being a racist when he proposed stopping flights from China, no doubt Boris would have been as well.

The question here is what is the economic impact of what they are doing and is it worth it.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

What has already been done will have far reaching consequences. Each time this type of reaction happens, sports franchises will become increasingly averse to crossing borders. The financial costs and risks will be too high to bear, and I doubt insurance underwriters will want to get involved. This time it was South Africa. Next time the new variant might be here, Italy, USA, who knows?

Tourism will also take a hit, with sufficient people becoming increasingly averse to booking in advance such that airlines, airports, car hire, hotels will be tipped over the financial edge. They were already teetering, some already in administration.

IF, and it is IF, governments want the economic system we had to continue, they cannot perform these sudden lockdowns, indeed probably cannot do lockdowns at all. But, governments are about expediency, looking to the next election.

[Shugs]

Would it mean we get the points?