You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. The UK government has relaxed quarantine rules for travelers arriving in England from a number of destinations, including France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Spain. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “This test on day five of the 14-day self-isolation period will identify positive coronavirus cases and allow those who test negative to return to work and see their loved ones. Derek Moore, deputy chairman of Aito, the Specialist Travel Association, said the move was a good start but was unlikely to lead to a sudden rise in bookings. Travellers arriving in the UK from certain countries must quarantine for 14 days Why you can trust Sky News Travellers who arrive in England from countries with high infection rates will be able to shorten their quarantine from 14 days to five if they test negative for coronavirus on the fifth day, the Department of Transport has said. The travel industry has welcomed the change in quarantine rules that will allow passengers returning to the UK from high-risk countries to reduce the time they self-isolate … The majority of countries on the UK travel corridor list have their own restrictions preventing visitors from entering the country. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. By giving people the choice to test on day five, we are also supporting the travel industry as it continues to rebuild out of the pandemic.”, Read our full mailing list consent terms here. No travel is risk-free, and many countries have closed their borders to UK travellers due to the new variant of the virus. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive, Shai Weiss, said: “The introduction of air passenger testing on day five is a vital first step to reopening the skies in the run-up to Christmas. This applies to UK residents and visitors to the UK. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. “This is the only way we’re going to comprehensively reopen the market.”. But all the key destinations for British holidaymakers — including France, Spain and Italy — have been removed from the so-called “travel corridors” list. However, a five-day quarantine is likely to prove a significant deterrent for travellers, especially those on business.”, Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group, said: “To be world-leading, the government must now work quickly with the aviation industry to refine the regime and introduce faster and cheaper tests.”. From 0.00 a.m. on Monday 14 December, anyone travelling from France will have to provide an address in the UK, where they will be required to self-isolate for two weeks. Travellers arriving in England from 15 December will have an alternative to two weeks in self-isolation: taking a Covid-19 test after five days, and ending quarantine if it proves negative. Quarantine was eased in the summer for arrivals from some destinations. The government says a test after five days of self-isolation provides “materially better results than just having a test on arrival”. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. “Our new testing strategy will allow us to travel more freely, see loved ones and drive international business. The government has come under sustained pressure from the aviation industry to allow testing before departure or on arrival. All international travellers must provide their contact information upon arriving in the city, and those found to be violating quarantine orders could be fined US$1,000 per day, de Blasio said. The number of days required to self-isolate on return will be reduced from 14 to five if a negative Covid test is provided, Last modified on Tue 24 Nov 2020 09.50 EST. Effective immediately, all travelers to New York from Britain will face a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The UK government has announced that, from 14 December 2020, the number of days that English citizens will be required to quarantine upon returning from countries that are not featured on its travel corridor list will now be required to self-isolate for only 10 days, instead of 14.. Travellers arriving in the UK from the Spanish Canary Islands will have to quarantine from 4am on Saturday - as the government announced a new … “It makes a huge difference for skiers,” he said. Travellers to the UK now only need to quarantine for five days All arrivals in the UK can now cut self-isolation to less than a week – as long as they pay for a test By Jones said that the appetite for travel had strengthened since the recent news of effective vaccines, with enquires up in the past week, but pointed out that any rise in enquiries and bookings is from a low base. Sri Lanka, for example, was among the latest tranche of countries added to the corridor list on 19 November but it has a ban on all non-nationals and tour operators believe it is unlikely to reopen until at least March. The city’s mayor promised it will be carefully enforced, with consequences for noncompliance. 3 Dec 2020 by Hannah Brandler The UK government has announced that ‘high-value’ business travellers will be exempt from quarantine as of December 5 … To take advantage of what is called the “test to release for international travel” strategy, passengers arriving by air, sea or rail are asked to book a test from a government-approved list of private providers before they depart for the UK. “They may decide to wait until it has been rolled out.”. Travellers from the United Kingdom without ‘negative test certificates’ for the coronavirus will have to undergo a seven-day quarantine, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque. British media reports claim the compulsory quarantine will apply to all travelers landing at U.K. airports, ports and Eurostar railway stations. Quarantine restrictions currently apply to most people entering the UK. This measure is compulsory and likely to be subject to checks. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Coronavirus (COVID-19) regulations mean that you must self-isolate for 10 days when you arrive in the UK. According to the UK’s Department of Transport, as of 4am on Saturday, November 14, travellers flying to the UK … Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. The British authorities have announced that a 10-day quarantine apply to all passengers arriving from France. Travellers to England from abroad could face a shorter spell in quarantine from mid-December, the UK government announced Tuesday in a move welcomed by the battered aviation sector. Travellers must self-isolate for two weeks upon returning from any of the countries or islands on the quarantine list. Travel companies have been campaigning against the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all returning travellers since it was introduced on 8 June. Mr Shapps said: “We have a plan in place to ensure that our route out of this pandemic is careful and balanced, allowing us to focus on what we can now do to bolster international travel while keeping the public safe. The government is also providing a package of financial support for English airports and ground handlers serving them. “For many of our clients, 14 days was too long to navigate, particularly with families, but they can make five days work.”, But Charles of the PC Agency said the “gamechanger” will be early 2021 when quarantine is dropped altogether and daily tests introduced to allow international travel to begin a full recovery. It’s sending the right message,” he said, but added that the cost of testing will be a barrier for many. Fast track: a negative Covid test on day five can end quarantine, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Quarantine for arrivals to England cut to five days with negative test, Cambridge Dictionary has just revealed its word of the year, Grant Shapps admits ‘confusion’ over tangle of quarantine regulations, Virgin Atlantic to provide free coronavirus insurance, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. The announcement from the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has been welcomed across the travel industry. In the latter case, The Independent estimates the test is likely to cost between £60 and £120, and provide a result in as little as one hour. The travel industry has welcomed the change in quarantine rules that will allow passengers returning to the UK from high-risk countries to reduce the time they self-isolate to five days, if they can provide a negative Covid test result. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. The procedure involves a swift and relatively cheap Lamp test, either at home or an outside testing site. Since lockdown began in England on 5 November, most airports have seen the number of daily departures and arrivals drop dramatically, often to zero. Since May the UK has required all travelers coming from “high risk” areas (those outside the travel corridor list) to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival (this is being reduced to 10 days as of December 2020) The UK had a lockdown that ended on December 2, and with that all non-essential travel was banned If a country stays above 20 … “A counterbalance to this is that for some travellers, now that an effective vaccination is on the horizon, there may be a delay in committing to travelling this winter,” said John Telfer, managing director of adventure company Explore. December 21, 2020 Radio Praha Prague / Czech Local News, Syndicated Content. Mandatory self-isolation was imposed for arrivals to the UK from the vast majority of countries 24 weeks ago, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Rupert Longsdon, founder of the Oxford Ski Company, was more hopeful that a lower quarantine period will have an immediate impact. All passengers arriving to Greece from the United Kingdom, must self-isolate for 7 days as of 6am on Monday, December 21. 0 *Eurokinissi. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the industry body Airlines UK, said: “A test at day five does not get rid of quarantine and that’s why we look forward to working with government to move towards a pre-departure or domestic testing regime that can remove safely the need for self-isolation altogether, as quickly as possible. Greece introduces 7-day quarantine for travellers from the UK by GCT Team. Travelers from the United Kingdom visiting New York City will now be under a mandatory quarantine order, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on … The UAE has been taken off the UK quarantine list. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. A list of new exceptions to the quarantine rule includes business travelers who “deliver a significant benefit to the … Travel to the United Kingdom will require a two-week quarantine—unless you are coming from an exempted country or territory. “It could cost £400-£500 for a family. All travelers into Pennsylvania, above the age of 11, must quarantine for 14 days or provide proof of a negative coronavirus test in the 72 hours before entering the … Passengers wearing face masks arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport in June. Travellers will also be expected to complete a passenger locator form before arrival, and must travel straight to their place of self-isolation. The nation’s largest city is taking no chances, announcing dramatic measures Wednesday to limit the spread. Connecticut: Travelers arriving from states with high COVID-19 infection rates (“higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average”) must self-quarantine for 10 days and fill out a travel health form. CR halts flights from UK, travellers by land must enter quarantine CR halts flights from UK, travellers by land must enter quarantine. At present the plan applies only to England, but the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit. Travellers arriving in England from 15 December will have an alternative to two weeks in self-isolation: taking a Covid-19 test after five days, and ending quarantine if it proves negative. Transport secretary Grant Shapps told the Telegraph “We know that [daily testing] is coming, but we’re not going to get that going until the new year, and then finally there will be the vaccine to take us out of this.”, Some in the industry believe that even after the requirement to quarantine is dropped, consumers will remain cautious about travel. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. It will also include Britons returning from abroad. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. The announcement was made by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection on Sunday. The changes come into effect on 15 December, and will require passengers to book and pay for a Covid-19 test from a private provider on the gov.uk list. “People are looking for an indication that the pandemic won’t go on for ever. Shorter quarantine will ‘boost travel confidence and bookings’, says an industry insider. Some 302 passengers, who arrived on a flight from the UK on Monday, are now in state quarantine for a minimum of 48 hours. The passengers will be sampled and will have to await their COVID-19 test result. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? This drove travel stocks higher on Tuesday. It is 24 weeks since mandatory self-isolation was imposed for arrivals to the UK from the vast majority of countries. Travellers to England can now pay for a test which could cut the number of … Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Paul Charles of the PC Agency, who led the Quash Quarantine campaign, with the backing of 500 travel and hospitality companies, said shorter quarantine will “boost travel confidence and bookings and enable quicker recovery in such a hard-hit sector”. 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