Covid-19 lockdown check-in

[Tamas]

Somehow I managed to ignore that in addition  to the Amber Country specific stuff we must show negative tests to be allowed boarding our plane back to England. Only noticed it today morning. Ran off for PCR test and in theory the results should arrive in time but barely, and if they are positive we can't enter England despite being fully vaccinated and in my case a citizen. Ridiculous.

Hope it works out OK for you and family.

Otherwise we'll miss you.   

Both of our tests are negative, so should be allowed to enter the island.

[Tamas]

On paper you are supposed to wear a mask within Budapest Airport but at least half the people are ignoring it.

[Sheilbh]

Both of our tests are negative, so should be allowed to enter the island.

And you don't have to self-isolate once you get back right because double-vaxxed (unless you test positive on day 2)?

[Tamas]

Both of our tests are negative, so should be allowed to enter the island.

And you don't have to self-isolate once you get back right because double-vaxxed (unless you test positive on day 2)?

Correct. Altogether we needed 3 pcr tests and will need two more on day 2. I think these will have cost as around 150 pounds altogether.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - when I was looking at an overseas trips the PCR tests costed more than the flight. It'd be insanely expensive for a family holiday.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Work from home is gone now, so its my first day back in office since I had to do a few weeks in June for a Security Incident.

We have to wear masks. It sucks.  I liked working from home, and we had been expecting to have the option to have flexible schedules.  All that is gone now.

[Savonarola]

We were "Encouraged" to return to work a couple days each week.  Since Alstom is a safety focused company we have to wear masks all day, have to skip seats in conference rooms and the stairs and halls are only one way.

[KRonn]

Work from home is gone now, so its my first day back in office since I had to do a few weeks in June for a Security Incident.

We have to wear masks. It sucks.  I liked working from home, and we had been expecting to have the option to have flexible schedules.  All that is gone now.

We started to work back at the office about a month ago, but I've only been there once. Not many go in very often but everyone has the option to work from home two days a week. Being retired and part time my manager gave me the option to work from home entirely or come in maybe once a week. We have to wear masks too, and Covid Delta started up about the same time we were requested to go back, so it's a bit odd right now going in.

[viper37]

We were "Encouraged" to return to work a couple days each week.  Since Alstom is a safety focused company we have to wear masks all day, have to skip seats in conference rooms and the stairs and halls are only one way.

Don't you feel lucky working for a company that takes such care of its employees?

Hey, thinking of it, now that Alstom has fully integrated my hometown's plant, will you be visiting soon?  Will they let you practice your French or keep insisting you go to siesta land?

[11B4V]

We were "Encouraged" to return to work a couple days each week.  Since Alstom is a safety focused company we have to wear masks all day, have to skip seats in conference rooms and the stairs and halls are only one way.

Been doing that since March 2020 only five days a week. No big deal.

[Sheilbh]

Returned to the office yesterday and wasn't just in back-to-back meetings. Everyone has to do two days in September and then two days a week in the office from October. I think my team have bid for our days but it's all still being planned - apparently almost everyone's trying to get their two days to be between Tuesday and Thursday

Got so much more done and felt very sort of energised/happy just to see people I'd only previously seen as flat faces on the wall of Zoom. Also just very nice to be emailing on a problem - ask to have a quick chat and realise that person's in the office so we can go and run through it in person in 10-15 minutes.

[Iormlund]

It's interesting to read the stories of those who've been working from home so long. I've been at the factory for the whole pandemic, barring the first few weeks of total confinement, so it feels like a whole different world to me.

[Grey Fox]

Still home, could go to the office but no one seems incline into forcing me & I cannot be bothered to go into so much traffic.

[Barrister]

*sigh*

Alberta is back to cancelling most surgeries as ICU beds fill up.  And we're not talking elective surgeries - instead they're triaging which cancer surgeries are going ahead versus being postponed.

So we have another announcement with more restrictions of one kind or another.

Please don't cancel indoor kids sports again...

[Savonarola]

Don't you feel lucky working for a company that takes such care of its employees?

Hey, thinking of it, now that Alstom has fully integrated my hometown's plant, will you be visiting soon?  Will they let you practice your French or keep insisting you go to siesta land?

In the past we've handled Quebec projects out of France.  We've been led to believe that language is something of a contentious issue in La Belle Province.  Would you care to comment on that?



That may change now with the Bombardier acquisition and as a result our North America Headquarters has moved to Montreal.  As it looks most of my work in the immediate future will be in Toronto.  (Famous last words, but) I don't think I'll be heading back to Latin America any time soon; mining is down right now and our largest Latin American Office, São Paulo, is starving for work.