River Cruisers: How Are Things Where YOU Are?

[notamermaid]

As a photo says more than words, here is one - new out of my supply box, by the way:

 

We also use FFP-2 (which is the equivalent to N-95 I have been told) but you do not have to, they are not recommended to be used over a long time. Ones like those above are fine. You can get them in many places, pack of 5, pack of 10, etc., supermarkets and drug stores all stock them. Edit: sorry, forgot to confirm, cloth is not allowed.

 

@cruisr Exciting time, first travel outside of the states since March last year? Hope everything goes as planned and have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by notamermaid
added info

[cruisr]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

As a photo says more than words, here is one - new out of my supply box, by the way:

 

We also use FFP-2 (which is the equivalent to N-95 I have been told) but you do not have to, they are not recommended to be used over a long time. Ones like those above are fine. You can get them in many places, pack of 5, pack of 10, etc., supermarkets and drug stores all stock them. Edit: sorry, forgot to confirm, cloth is not allowed.

 

@cruisr Exciting time, first travel outside of the states since March last year? Hope everything goes as planned and have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks,  I have a load of those that I don’t use any more.  Update though, I just came back from The Bahamas and the most amazing, probably best Crystal cruise I have ever been on.  It was all perfection.  Got the old passport out and now have 2 more stamps in it.  i am on a non stop flight from the US to FRA and have my covid vaccine card ready to present.  looking forward to being in the beautiful Black Forest again.

[Coral]

15 minutes ago, cruisr said:

Thanks,  I have a load of those that I don’t use any more.  Update though, I just came back from The Bahamas and the most amazing, probably best Crystal cruise I have ever been on.  It was all perfection.  Got the old passport out and now have 2 more stamps in it.  i am on a non stop flight from the US to FRA and have my covid vaccine card ready to present.  looking forward to being in the beautiful Black Forest again.

That is awesome to hear!

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

We also use FFP-2 (which is the equivalent to N-95 I have been told) but you do not have to, they are not recommended to be used over a long time. Ones like those above are fine. You can get them in many places, pack of 5, pack of 10, etc., supermarkets and drug stores all stock them. Edit: sorry, forgot to confirm, cloth is not allowed.

Deutche Bahn recommends using an FFP2 mask. I believe the same is true on French Rail.

[notamermaid]

8 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Deutche Bahn recommends using an FFP2 mask. I believe the same is true on French Rail.

Thank you for pointing that out. Apparently Bavaria (also Berlin) is stricter and there you have to wear an FFP2. In general it is recommended, but you do not have to.

 

@cruisr In case you come across this problem, the FFP2 masks you can also get from the same outlets usually.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Basically the FFP2 mask is a dust mask so it may help with allergies.

[gnome12]

Will I need an FFP2 mask in Frankfurt airport? I see FFP2 masks on amazon.com, but not on amazon.ca. I doubt that I will cross the border before my trip, so I can't send them to my sister's in the US. Will they hand one out on the plane if needed at the airport?

[notamermaid]

Oh, that is a tricky detailed and important question. I have no idea of course, but I imagine the airline should know. As regards Frankfurt indoor spaces: https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights-and-transfer/covid-19/fly-safely.html

 

Can you get the equivalent N95 or KN95?

 

notamermaid

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by notamermaid

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Oh, that is a tricky detailed and important question. I have no idea of course, but I imagine the airline should know. As regards Frankfurt indoor spaces: https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights-and-transfer/covid-19/fly-safely.html

 

Can you get the equivalent N95 or KN95?

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks for the info. Yes I can get N95 or KN95, and if the airport accepts it hopefully the railways will too.

[notamermaid]

I must say this holiday planning is a challenge to get your head round. Now I have just found out that as Würzburg is in Bavaria I have to wear an FFP2 mask in shops. Not fun. While not as complicated as the London transport system (there are stations where you have to wear a mask on one platform but not on the other depending on the train operating company) it is a little complicated in Germany. Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemberg are similar, although RP is a bit more open as regards gatherings, but Bavaria is stricter. And you have to watch the incidence rate which is creeping up. A warning from the health minister of what we may expect in Autumn. My reaction: "Och, neee, ne?" An exasperated way of saying: brilliant, just brilliant. 

 

So for those with just far too much time on their hands and personally to @cruisr as they need to know (you probably have this already), here are the rules again for BW - PDF file for download: https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/aktuelle-infos-zu-corona/corona-information-in-other-languages/

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

19 July: The station where masks are mandatory - and not https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57886933
 

This is the BBC take on the challenge of the face masks. I had a dental appointment this morning and all requirements are still in place (mask off during the work obviously) nearly everyone I could see was wearing a mask. I also visited the chemist which is quite small only two customers at any one time and masks. Don’t forget I just happen to live in the part of the country with the lowest incidence of the dreaded virus.

[notamermaid]

Your area sounds very civil and civilized 🙂. Those "unhinged" clubbing places they showed on telly, oh my goodness, those days are gone for me (and I preferred a less crowded version anyway).  I do want to see Bath some time. So far I have been "circumnavigating" it by going to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Exeter and Bristol. If you know of a small place or two, like market towns with a population between 5000 and 50,000 I would love to hear your recommendations. Especially if it has a castle and or heritage railway.

 

I read that Cornwall is afraid of the holidaymakers and requests them to have tests. Are tests not required for hotel stays? What about restaurants? Only the unvaccinated?

 

notamermaid

 

[cruisr]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

I must say this holiday planning is a challenge to get your head round. Now I have just found out that as Würzburg is in Bavaria I have to wear an FFP2 mask in shops. Not fun. While not as complicated as the London transport system (there are stations where you have to wear a mask on one platform but not on the other depending on the train operating company) it is a little complicated in Germany. Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemberg are similar, although RP is a bit more open as regards gatherings, but Bavaria is stricter. And you have to watch the incidence rate which is creeping up. A warning from the health minister of what we may expect in Autumn. My reaction: "Och, neee, ne?" An exasperated way of saying: brilliant, just brilliant. 

 

So for those with just far too much time on their hands and personally to @cruisr as they need to know (you probably have this already), here are the rules again for BW - PDF file for download: https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/aktuelle-infos-zu-corona/corona-information-in-other-languages/

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks.  Yes, I had reviewed that.  Hopefully incidence rates don’t change.  Germany is level 2 and the UK just went to level 4 according to the CDC so Germany seems to be handling things well.  I watch the BBC and the video clips of the clubbers was madness.

[Canal archive]

During previous eases in regulations Cornwall got inundated and where they had very low incidence it went up that’s why there not happy. My youngest daughter and family have been holidaying there for a few years in a farmhouse (we had a holiday in Cornwall every year when the girls were young). Luckily last year they put dibs on the house for this year and the owners are more happy for them to come than strangers so we’re going to join them at the end of August for a short time. No tests required for hotels or restaurants even unvaccinated but I expect a lot of restrictions will still be in place. It’s up to the owners of the establishment .

[notamermaid]

Things are not that great here as we are on the West and North with our country's territory near the Covid high incidence areas. Talked to someone last week:"Where are you going on holiday?" She: "To a holiday flat with the kids, in the Netherlands, should be alright. Me: "Yes, sounds okay." Now, a week later, she knows that as of new regulations, she and the kids have to quarantine for five days on return. Wrong choice of country. Spain - the same, would also be wrong choice unless you are fully vaccinated. Germany? Right choice!

 

I have had a surprise telephone conversation through work this week, with a flood victim. She said in similar words: "We have been lucky. We may get back into our flat on the first floor in four weeks when the surveyor has been, the ground floor flat looks bad. We have only lost the car in the flooding." After I had put the phone down, I nearly started crying. What do you say to such people?? It is so tragic.

 

Where my friends live in England, the incidence rate is about 1000. I did not know that was possible. Ours is about 16. But we have been warned of our figures going up to 200, perhaps even up to 400, it is up to us...

 

In North-Rhine Westphalia, the incidence rate is going up faster than where I am. They have introduced slightly tighter restrictions again. But I cannot see that affecting river cruises yet.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid you really have to careful when you quote incidence rates - for example 1000 of what?

I've tried to copy in the gov data for Wiltshire but it won’t work.

 

By the way if anyone out there likes cricket try watching The Hundreds great fun and cricket.
 

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Canal archive

[notamermaid]

Oops, sorry, the standard per 100.000 population 7 days. The friend in the North of England has got heart problems, his child lives in Australia and they cannot see each other. That is tough, I am really sorry for him.

 

By the way, the friend from the US is sending excited E-mails, the restaurant table is booked, shall be great fun to say hello again. I think it is four years since the last visit.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by notamermaid

[Canal archive]

According to John Hopkins it’s 191.1

[notamermaid]

41 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

According to John Hopkins it’s 191.1

That demands checking/a comparison for clarification of the figures I have stated and I will get back to you about it. 

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

That demands checking/a comparison for clarification of the figures I have stated and I will get back to you about it. 

 

notamermaid

 

Redcar is still over a thousand, but other areas are a bit better, the official government website I looked at is trailing behind. This is a colour map with direct comparisons across Europe, country averages. Sorry but I cannot see where I may have gone wrong: https://www.corona-in-zahlen.de/weltweit/

 

I am sure this is generally speaking still manageable, do not get me wrong. But I am worried about the Northeast.

 

I saw footage from the Lateral Festival today. The people looked really happy. And they appeared to have really good crowd control, also all had to have tests. People just wanted to be happy and "dance around in a field", a man was cited as saying.

 

I heard today that Worms on the Rhine is having a big outdoor event. It is coming along here, not wild dancing indoors really, but big controlled outdoor events are becoming more frequent.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Canal archive]

The information I gave you was from the U.K. government website and was bang up to date I have just checked the Redcar stats and they are really improving. All the stats for the U.K. are easy to check at .gov.uk

 

[notamermaid]

Thanks, found the version where I can see the automatic updates.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Final planning for Würzburg trip right now and virtual meet happening, hopefully. Not long to go at all. Get ready. ☺️ More info from now on in the water cooler thread.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Yes, it is back. The ominous fact that I have "revived" the thread after more than two weeks can only mean bad things. And purely for the fact that I live in a river cruising area here is the info and the bad news. People from outside of Germany - by that I mainly mean Germans returning from holiday - are fuelling our coronavirus fire and pushing the figures up. One estimate I read in Rhineland-Palatinate is that 40% of all new infections are among holiday returns. From today the 3 G rule has returned to indoor gatherings in many settings, like hairdressers, theatres, etc.

 

In short - when on a river cruise carry your vaccine proof with you at all times, just in case. Exempt is shopping and public transport in Rhineland-Palatinate - so we are not as strict as places in France.

 

The figures to look out for are still 35, 50 and 100. I was a bit shocked to read this morning that both Koblenz and Worms - both river cruise ports - are over 100. The figure means that per federal government rule, the municipality is obliged to put measures in place to get the figure down fast, that can also mean reducing the radius of travel to 15km from home, as well as closures of indoor places, etc.

 

If you want to see a specific place or event outside of your river cruise excursions - check first if it is open before you go out of your way to get there. It did not matter much, but I went to a small church yesterday (a let us say 50km drive) only to find it closed for public health reasons.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that on a river cruise you need to test every 72 hours as per Rhineland-Palatinate regulation, but your river cruise company will know how this works in practice.

 

Just be aware of those facts when you travel. And it does not matter whether you are vaccinated or not - mask wearing and physical distancing still applies to everyone. Sadly, we - as other countries - have seen that several vaccinated people have infected others and a few vaccinated people have died (mostly among the very old).

 

You also need to do contact tracing by filling in forms or sending details to an app - a standard one is called luca app, you will see QR codes at venues (restaurants) sometimes.

 

Oh, and we have a rail strike going on.

 

But the river levels are good.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by notamermaid
see edit

[Daisi]

Sorry to hear this @notamermaid, just when you think it's safe to go out again....

 

I hope for you and your fellow countrymen things get sorted quickly.  I am hoping now that countries are in their 3rd or 4th wave, they know to look at #'s and act fast so massive lockdowns and closures don't have to happen for to long.  In Ontario, we have held back our final opening stage as numbers are on the rise again in some areas, and they are getting ready to re-open schools.  At least for now, we can still do most normal things, even if at at limited capacity.  It's nice to get back to living again.

 

Now if only we could get some rain, and get rid of our 30+ temps.