RogerBW's Blog

No Essen, Again 07 September 2021

Essen SPIEL are doing a better job than UK Games Expo did, but I've very reluctantly decided that I'm not going anyway.

It's masks all through, and proof of vaccination or a recent test (though they're accepting antigen tests, which isn't great). So that's not bad. But it's a lot of work:

  • special expensive test to get into France (though in-EU land borders should be OK);
  • possibly another special expensive test to get into the show if the UK doesn't get its finger out and arrange vaccination certificate reciprocity (it hasn't even asked the EU to start this process yet);
  • and another test to get back into the UK.

And whatever happens with that, probably still 100K+ people on site, many of them not local… and I'm guessing they won't close the food vendors, or completely ban eating and drinking in indoor spaces, so some people will have to be unmasked at least some of the time…

And then, well, the chance of my bringing back something dodgy may be quite low, but it's not practicable for me not to expose my wife to anything I have brought, and I really don't want to do that. I was fully vaccinated back in June, but it's still a vastly higher risk than staying at home and maybe having a few friends over would be.

In the end, it's a risk (and an expense) purely for my fun, and I'm old-fashioned enough to rate my fun as a lower priority than many other things.


  1. Posted by Owen Smith at 12:02am on 08 September 2021

    No test is required at all to get into France from the UK provided you are fully vaccinated, your NHS covid vaccination certificate is accepted for entry to France. Indeed many EU nations are accepting UK covid vaccination certificates (via the App or phone 119) even if the official reciprocity process hasn't started.

    I fully understand the rest of your concerns and why you're not going to Essen, and I don't expect the lack of test to get into France to change your mind. But let's get the facts right.

  2. Posted by RogerBW at 08:44am on 08 September 2021

    A test is however required to get onto any commercial aircraft, ferry or train that is going from the UK to France (or vice versa), at least according to the operators' current information, and alas I lack my own aquatic or airborne transport.

  3. Posted by Owen Smith at 06:43am on 09 September 2021

    No test is required to get on Eurostar or the shuttle to go from the UK to France, I have colleagues in France at present who used those modes of transport. All were fully vaccinated, I don't know what the rules are for unvaccinated or different modes of transport.

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