The queue of hopeful passengers with their luggage and backpacks snaked around St Pancras station in London for miles — a scene I had never seen before.
But there they were, hoping to beat the strictest ever stringent measure in fighting Covid-19 by the French government to close its borders at midnight.
A concerned taxi driver asked his passenger whom he had ferried to the station to catch the Eurostar from London to Paris asked, "What time is the train leaving?"
"In five minutes," said a traveller, standing behind hundreds of other hopefuls inching their way to the check-in counter. Apparently, the train to Gare du Nord was being held to accommodate the anxious travellers making a last-minute bid to save their Christmas and be with loved ones.
The scene is replicated everywhere; ports and airports. Long queues of anxious travellers. Once again, it is a time of uncertainty that makes nonsense any kind of meticulous planning.
Such is the havoc and misery that the latest Covid-19 variant, Omicron, has wrecked on our life. It has been reported that it has claimed its first victim, amidst claims that it is mild, and a few hospitalisations. However, countries on both sides of the Channel and borders are gearing up to what might look like a comeback to a bleak Christmas, with family bubbles of not more than three households around the table and what has been termed default lockdown as workers get infected and stay away from the office. There was even talk of another round of furlough.
My message box is full of messages from friends asking, "Is it safe now to travel to the United Kingdom?"
The pandemic and the subsequence lockdown have seen an absence of Malaysian tourists to favourite spots in the UK. They were making a comeback when things were thought to have improved, only to see some of their favourite stores victims of the vicious virus, shutting their doors forever.
I hesitated to reply to these messages as the British premier's plans starting from the beginning of the alphabet A to B teetered on C, while he fervently promised a Christmas better than last year's.
Then Omicron happened. And Party Gate, allegedly parties held at No. 10 a year ago in spite of the very people uttering the mantra of social distancing, came back to haunt Johnson and his cabinet. Signages to remind people to keep a safe distance from each other, and to wear face mask in buses and trains are back.
Some people are still sceptical about Omicron as claims, especially from scientists in South Africa where the virus is said to have mutated, say that the symptoms are mild compared with the Delta variant.
However, the last few days have seen Scotland, France and other countries, preparing to deal with what is now termed as a tsunami of Omicron cases, that's threatening to overwhelm the national health services.
The hospitality industry, which was the hardest hit and was making a slow recovery, once again is experiencing cancellations after cancellations. Hotels and restaurants are already feeling it.
So, people have once again been advised to work from home "if you can" starting from Dec 13, face masks to be worn in most public indoor venues from Dec 10 AND the National Health Service Covid Passes (proof of double jabs or a negative lateral flow test, for now) at venues with more than 500 people.
However, travellers from all countries in the UK's Covid-19 travel red list can now enter it, but they must undergo additional polymerase chain reaction tests, as well as quarantine. These would translate into additional costs to travelling.
So, how do I advise my friends who are keen to come back for the magical sights of London during Christmas as well as the January sales?
I would really love to see them back as it has been too long, and of course for the murukku and bunga kantan that they will bring for me. However, if we go by the saying we have to live and deal with the virus, then they can travel but at the same time be careful, be extra careful.
And it is worth noting too that plans are being drawn up for a two-week "circuit breaker" — which will include bans of household mixing — before Jan 1, 2022.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!