Happier diner Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 minute ago, P.K. said: Not really. Don't forget the number of paying travellers is a trickle. As I posted about a dozen on one of our sailings. The rest would presumably be sent there by 111 and they get tested free, gratis and for nothing. Which makes the £50 charge look even more mean-spirited... If the number if tests is a trickle then that makes to cost higher doesn't it. How many are being done at the moment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 7 minutes ago, Happier diner said: How can that possibly be? Surely it depends massively on the number of tests undertaken per day. The staff costs are fixed so if there was only 1 test then you would have all the costs on that one and if there were 700 it would cost 1/700th. Like I have said before the true cost might be hard to calculate. If you clicked the link (no one ever does) you'll see that Rachel based her calculation on 60 tests a day, which at the time was a bit low, which was why I said the costs might be high. But staff costs aren't quite fixed because the higher the number tested, the more you need extra people to do the swabbing, lab work, paperwork, 11 calls etc. Even if they are existing NHS staff, there may need to be overtime, bank staff to cover other duties or whatever. Accountancy and costing isn't always easy and rarely definitive, but that's not an excuse for not making an effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happier diner Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 7 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: If you clicked the link (no one ever does) you'll see that Rachel based her calculation on 60 tests a day, which at the time was a bit low, which was why I said the costs might be high. But staff costs aren't quite fixed because the higher the number tested, the more you need extra people to do the swabbing, lab work, paperwork, 11 calls etc. Even if they are existing NHS staff, there may need to be overtime, bank staff to cover other duties or whatever. Accountancy and costing isn't always easy and rarely definitive, but that's not an excuse for not making an effort. HaHa. That's all true. What I meant was its hard for us to calculate as we don't know all the facts. It should be easy enough for DHSC to work out though. It seems the £50 might have been a deterrent to travel. I'm not saying its cheap or even good value, but its hardly a rip off. I think some countries were charging £100's at the border and Boots charge £99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 hour ago, P.K. said: If tests are now a more realistic £30 what are my chances of claiming £160 back for being ripped off previously? Reasonably high, refunds of sorts will be available https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/returning-residents-to-get-partial-refund-on-covid-tests/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 5 minutes ago, Happier diner said: I'm not saying its cheap or even good value, but its hardly a rip off. I think some countries were charging £100's at the border and Boots charge £99 I suspect they just took a figure out of the air that was less than what was being commercially charged. But because they were insisting on three tests per person it was still a lot more for travellers. Whether it acted as a 'deterrent' I don't know - most people affected were probably too well off to care or forced to go off-Island anyway. Charging was always a stupid policy in the circumstances, but there is this obsession in the Civil Service about showing that you are 'commercially aware' even if the process ends up costing more money than it makes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 11 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: Charging was always a stupid policy in the circumstances, but there is this obsession in the Civil Service about showing that you are 'commercially aware' even if the process ends up costing more money than it makes. I agree completely but it's a damned if you do damned if you don't scenario as you can bet if they hadn't charged there would be a question in Keys about money spent on it and a 8 month total figure that waters eyes and causes loud choruses of rhubarb and harrumph 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 28 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: I suspect they just took a figure out of the air that was less than what was being commercially charged. But because they were insisting on three tests per person it was still a lot more for travellers. Whether it acted as a 'deterrent' I don't know - most people affected were probably too well off to care or forced to go off-Island anyway. Charging was always a stupid policy in the circumstances, but there is this obsession in the Civil Service about showing that you are 'commercially aware' even if the process ends up costing more money than it makes. No profiteering says Ashford! https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/government-isnt-profiteering-over-covid-tests-says-ashford/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happier diner Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 34 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: I suspect they just took a figure out of the air that was less than what was being commercially charged. But because they were insisting on three tests per person it was still a lot more for travellers. Whether it acted as a 'deterrent' I don't know - most people affected were probably too well off to care or forced to go off-Island anyway. Charging was always a stupid policy in the circumstances, but there is this obsession in the Civil Service about showing that you are 'commercially aware' even if the process ends up costing more money than it makes. That's probably not far from the truth Charge £50 Cost of Administering charge - £51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happier diner Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 22 minutes ago, Rhumsaa said: I agree completely but it's a damned if you do damned if you don't scenario as you can bet if they hadn't charged there would be a question in Keys about money spent on it and a 8 month total figure that waters eyes and causes loud choruses of rhubarb and harrumph Yes that's the good point. If it was free everyone would be moaning about why should we pay of people choose to go off Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 16 minutes ago, Banker said: No profiteering says Ashford! https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/government-isnt-profiteering-over-covid-tests-says-ashford/ Which means Ashford must know the true cost. Care to share....? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambon Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 4 hours ago, trmpton said: And many were refused. And the point is they should have been testing people, if they had we wouldn't have had lockdown 2 The point is they should have let people in but tested them. When we were put into lockdown two, the person travelling tested negative on arrival and negative on day 13. It was the local person they were isolating with that caught it from the traveller and passed it on as only the travellers were tested then. It was a case that slipped through at a time when travellers could isolate with family. It was changed just before Christmas. Too late for this specific case. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trmpton Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 minute ago, Cambon said: When we were put into lockdown two, the person travelling tested negative on arrival and negative on day 13. It was the local person they were isolating with that caught it from the traveller and passed it on as only the travellers were tested then. It was a case that slipped through at a time when travellers could isolate with family. It was changed just before Christmas. Too late for this specific case. Yeah I know. Thanks for the update. Had they tested the traveller when they arrived they would have known to test the rest of the household. They didn't, because they are clueless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trmpton Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Jesus Howard just tell us 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoTail Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Just learnt that the India variant is called the India variant because it was first identified in India Well! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Just now, NoTail said: Just learnt that the India variant is called the India variant because it was first identified in India Well! Plus Henny waffle about what we already know in UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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