How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Do you have a query on how to get things done in Andalucia, where to find things, who to call? Find out by posting and hear about others experiences.
AndyLucyOne
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How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby AndyLucyOne » Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:25 am

Yearning to see Andalucia again !

What differences have the llast 12-18 months made to living in Andalucia ?

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fyfin
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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby fyfin » Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:41 am

Apart from the inconvenience of having to wear masks when it wasn't necessary, thankfully now reversed, not a lot. Other countries have suffered in the same way with restrictions but in our small town of 3,800 inhabitants we've done really well. Only 3 very old people died from covid and not much incidence of it, in fact, none in the last 4 weeks.
We have the weather and the countryside and all is good. Travelling, now that's another story as we're still amber apparently.
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elusive
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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby elusive » Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:49 am

Hasnt made a huge difference. Bar mask wearing its pretty normal re covid. Bar the lockdowns things are the same re everything been open

Brexit the same. If you live here legally theres not a huge difference. I have worries re uk bank account closures and other than possible custom issues if you buy something from the uk theres not much else imo

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Wicksey
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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jul 16, 2021 10:52 am

Ditto what others have said really. It was lovely and quiet during the periods of lockdown but feels fairly normal now. The real problem is just travel. For those that want to go and see family and friends in the UK it's seems a logistical and expensive nightmare. Even to go to the Canaries for us is a pain as we need tests for that, so we haven't planned our usual trips so far this year.

If you are here legally and already have your residencia etc sorted, then I would say that Brexit doesn't really affect us permanent residents. We have our shiny new TIE cards which is a bonus for us as we wanted a better version of the old green card residencias that didn't have our photo on.

From what I read in the papers everyday about the UK I must say I am glad I don't live there any more.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Free at Last » Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:39 am

Apart from what has been said already, there are still some differences due to Covid. During the first lockdown public transport services were cut back quite severely, and have not been restored to anything like the same frequency of service as before. Some routes have been scrapped altogether. It now takes longer to get an appointment with a GP (I had to wait a week just recently, whereas before the pandemic I could go online before around 10 am and get a face to face appointment with the doctor for that same day). When you do get one, it is a telephone appointment in the first instance. If you need to visit any kind of public office (Ayuntamiento, INSS, Hacienda etc) you now need to make an appointment in advance so getting anything done takes longer than before, and sometimes it is virtually impossible to get an appointment (I believe INSS are particularly bad in this regard). If you have a digital certificate a lot of things can be processed online. In resort towns a lot of businesses (bars, restaurants and shops especially) have closed and there are many empty commercial premises, although this is less noticeable in areas which don't have a lot of tourism.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby fyfin » Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:37 pm

Yes I missed out all that but it's true enough where we are. In truth I had forgotten how difficult it was when my wife tried to get a doctor's appointment. So it's not back to the old normal and may never return.
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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby olive » Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:34 pm

I don’t believe we will ever return to pre pandemic times. Why would you have and maintain a waiting room when you can just tell your customers to wait outside ( my 95 year old father , dentist, Scarborough)?

One good thing you can look forward to is the long awaited improvement of the road north of Loja is underway again. This time in earnest as the contractor has been given yet more EU money . The road has been closed since 10th June till “ end of summer”. They have also been fixing the new banks and drainage ditches that perished during the winter which didn’t even have nuch rainfall. If you arrive before it is completed the alternate routes are torturous and long!

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:54 pm

I'd forgotten about the Dr too ..... it's been like that for so long, it seems ages ago when you could just make an appointment to see them. The dentist though has been OK, allowed to wait in the waiting room and no difficulty in seeing him.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Free at Last » Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:18 pm

Yes, it's a puzzle isn't it, how we can see our dentists and dental hygienists face to face, and sit in their waiting rooms, without a problem but doctors are still a no no in most cases. I didn't bother making an appointment for my dental check-up and cleaning last year, but I went this March and it was fine. The hygienist hadn't even been vaccinated at that stage either, she actually got a call giving her an appointment for her first one whilst she was with me. The only change was that there were fewer chairs in the waiting room, the window was left open, and there weren't any magazines! Shame because they always had some good English ones, I used to quite enjoy flicking through those.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby elusive » Fri Jul 16, 2021 4:03 pm

Agree re the drs and travelling,which has been the biggest issue to me. Restrictions from leaving the province and region until may/june. And now its so hot i cant really be bothered to the point of being past going anywhere at all. Which is really the only thing i'm here for.

Agree re the dentists. They opened up pretty quickly with no extra rip off covid charges that family members in the uk had pulled on them. Dentists are in a position of high risk with water/saliva etc going all over the place when cleaning etc. Yet we got appointments as normal. To many drs etc using covid a an excuse to frankly toss if off imo. Like the uk except those working on covid wards what exactly are the rest of them doing seeing as all other appointments have come to a stand stil. They had enough time to stand outside clapping themselves enough times

I can understand phone appointments being a good thing in once sense but then they need to have the technology to deal with it. Ie book on salud responde and have the option to write in a comment section that i need a face to face appointment instead of wasting peoples time with a t.phone one. Or have a section on the app where you can ask for a repeat prescription without having to talk to anyone.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jul 16, 2021 5:08 pm

Just spoken to my Fil who has been in agony with gout. Started a week ago but it was impossible for him to even get through to the surgery. He ended up going private and paying 100 pounds to see a Dr and get a prescription. Turns out to be caused by his blood pressure tablets. We thought he ought to have called an ambulance being 94 and unable to move. At least here you can get something done although a little slower than before, having to get a telephone appointment first. The ambulatorios are good here. The Nerja one is like a mini hospital with XRay facilities I've only recently discovered.

Covid has been such an excuse for just shutting up shop and not doing anything. At least most things here as far as I am aware are functioning fairly normally, although I know that it has been very difficult to get appointments with government departments.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Pamela1 » Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:19 pm

Just goes to show though doesn't it Wicksey, the covid subject suddenly isn't an issue if there is money involved and that just confirms to me that it is being used as an excuse.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby katy » Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:23 pm

Funny, you all know more about the YUK than I
do :wave:

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby pepe jose » Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:37 pm

I have really enjoyed empty planes although severely disrupted service has been a pain. Luton to Malaga this morning was a very busy flight. 10,000 people used Luton today compared to a few hundred in the height of the pandemic. Guy on security said it will be busy day for 12 months

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:09 am

Are you back over there again pepe jose? :D good for you. :thumbup:

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby pepe jose » Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:54 am

Yes, we arrived Friday morning Pamela. Now arrivals from France have to quarantine into UK so I expect arrivals from Spain to follow. Getting fed up with this quarantine nonsense. That aside its lovely here.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:38 am

You are not the only one fed up with it...They would have gone as far as banging France on the red list if it wasn't for the fact it would cause even more disruption for the Uk.Not only that it's British holiday season and hotels are probably busy with British holiday makers which could also mean hotel prison quarantine rooms will be in short supply. :lolno: :lolno: Have a great stay. :thumbup:

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby pepe jose » Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Pamela1 wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:38 am Have a great stay. :thumbup:
Thank you. I am sure we will.

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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby BENIDORM » Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:21 pm

For me personally living in a small Andalucian pueblo and having only spoken in person to a handful of Brits in over a year it's been an awakening, some may say a rude awakening, but it's been a time when I've realised who my true friends are.
Every day during the plague there has been a knock on the door , a wave and shrugged shoulders from across the street, a text message, even a few phone calls, how are you they say, do you need any help.?

Many of these locals I don't really know, only perhaps usually just to say hello or wave to, I don't know their names, but they are probably Maria , Antonio etc., but I now know that they are my real friends, there if I need them..,

I've kept in touch with quite a few Brits online, but it was more me asking them if they were ok,rather than them asking if my wife and I were ok.
There has been a few exceptions, messages and phone calls from a few caring Brits, strangely not the people who I would have expected to call.
Seems very much that out of sight is out of mind for many Brits.?

Some of the kind messages have come from A.com forum members, virtual friends I guess that they would be called, but much appreciated by Pauline and myself.

Anyway I received a 100 year life licence when I was born in 1946, so I suppose as I've used up 3/4 of it I should apply for a credit note or refund or even a licence extension, but on the other hand I could say that I've just come out of rehab and I can now change my lifestyle and throw away my rose tinted spectacles and start to live my new born again life experience..?

May I wish everyone a very pleasant weekend,
Saludos,
Gordon the Re-invented. :idea:

elusive
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Re: How is everybody getting on, what with Brexit and Covid ?

Postby elusive » Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:50 pm

Welcome back gordon . Ive missed your great antidotes.

We have noticed quite a few going back in our area . Also friends who lived in portugal for probably 20 years decided to return .something we nor probably they ever thought would happen. Unfortunatly (or maybe fortunately)all these people come into the same category. Pro bexit even though they live in the E.U. and to some extent were illegal either not registered or registered but didnt see why they should pay tax here so never declared anything and then some got caught out along the way. Etc etc. Now because lots of the birds of feathers in the brit bars were getting pulled by the tax man they started to panic and decided to leave before they started to get their state pension. And the worry of not declaring that ontop of everything else. Its a shame the taxman cant go back 20 years!

So now they can enjoy being back in the uk. I guess you can call that karma!
Last edited by elusive on Sat Jul 17, 2021 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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