Irish in London say new British blockade is ‘punch in the stomach’

For many of the Irish living in London, the new Level 4 restrictions announced on Saturday, along with the “stay home” order, did not cause a change in their plans for Christmas.

Karl McDonald and his partner often return to Dublin every Christmas. However, this year they made the decision to stay in London long before the new restrictions were put in place.

And Aisling Flowers, from Co Offaly, said that “Ireland was out of the question” long before the news of Level 4, or the 48-hour ban on traveling to Ireland, came through.

But the announcement of the restrictions still came as “a punch to the stomach,” complicating his plans to spend Christmas in London.

But there are many Irish in London who had their plans to travel home upset by the news. Alix Gaisford was packing for her flight home when her brother alerted her to the Level 4 restrictions.

He planned to spend Christmas with his family in Ireland, but made the decision to stay in the UK, before the Irish government announced a 48-hour travel ban, hoping for “a safer Christmas”, as mayhem. and confusion. Passages abound about travel bans and the tiered restriction system.

On Sunday there were several flights to Dublin from London airports. Many of those who spoke to The Irish Times were unwilling to elaborate on whether they had changed their plans to fly home in light of the new regulations.

Millions of people living in London and across the southeast of England are facing their Christmas plans being thwarted by new Covid-19 restrictions announced on Saturday.

Thanks to the increasing number of cases and growing concern about a new strain of the virus, believed to have a significantly higher transmission rate, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reversed the government’s original plans to ease restrictions on the virus. December 23-28.

Ahead of the commotion announcement Saturday afternoon, original measures were put in place to allow up to three households to mix indoors and allow people to travel across the country in a five-day window.

Now, those who live under these much stricter restrictions, known as Level 4, cannot travel outside of their region. And the ban on mixing at home will remain. But before these measures took effect at midnight, thousands made last minute attempts to get out of London. Images of crowded trains and crowded main train stations circulated on social media.

Police said Sunday they will fine people for traveling in and out of Level 4 areas without a reasonable excuse, but admitted that they have no intention of routinely setting roadblocks or stopping vehicles, amid warnings not to persevere with the Christmas plans now destroyed.

As police forces grapple with the fallout from new government restrictions, additional agents were deployed to train stations to crack down on non-essential travel, following crowded scenes in London’s transport hubs on Saturday.

However, it wasn’t just about train stations. A spokesman for London Heathrow Airport noted earlier this afternoon that the airport seemed busier than normal, though he emphasized that they had not seen people flooding the airport in the same way as train stations.

He added that airports do not have a responsibility to monitor travelers who may be breaking the rules.

Scenes that have been described as a “mass exodus” on Saturday caused concern in the government, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the behavior as “totally irresponsible.” But London Mayor Sadiq Khan responded by stating that these scenes were “a direct consequence of the chaotic way the announcement was made.”

Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced this morning that more British Transport Police officers would be deployed amid the increased restrictions. However, a government source explained that the tenor of the police presence was intended to offer advice and guidance, rather than “intimidating” travelers.