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On 6 January, the UK went into a national lockdown. While there are slightly different rules for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the principles are the same: a stay-at-home order is in place and residents cannot travel domestically or internationally until mid-February at the earliest. In response to the rapid surge in new-variant infections, many countries have closed their borders to UK travellers.
Post-lockdown, you can legally go on holiday abroad if your region goes down to tiers 1 or 2. However, holidays are effectively off the cards until the spring, while local lockdowns and travel bans are in place. Please keep up to date with the latest travel and guidance from the UK’s Foreign Office website.
Information is changing every day, which can make it very hard to keep up with the facts that are most relevant to you. We’re continually reviewing the impact that the pandemic may have on your travel plans.
We know that travel is especially difficult right now. Alongside the latest COVID-19 travel advice and updates, we want to continue to inspire you with new travel content so that when the world opens its doors once again, you’re ready. The Travel Planner is always on hand to help with any queries or provide any advice.
How does the COVID-19 outbreak impact travel within Europe and the rest of the world? Click on this link to find out more. This page is updated regularly, so please continue to check for up to date information.
Have you been impacted by coronavirus flight cancellations? Get more useful advice in our article on what to do if your flight is cancelled or delayed.
On arrival in the UK
It was announced on the 8th of January that all international passengers will soon have to test negative for Covid-19 before travelling to the UK.
People arriving by plane, train or boat, including UK nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country they are in. Even with a negative test, arrivals from countries not on the travel corridor list must still quarantine.
The new rules are expected to come into force from the 13th of January, anyone who arrives in the UK and has not got proof of a negative test could face an immediate £500 fine.
There will be exemptions for:
- children under 11
- hauliers
- those travelling from countries without the infrastructure to deliver tests – although details of those have not been released yet
- arrivals from the Common Travel Area with Ireland.
All passengers arriving from countries not on the government’s travel corridor list must still self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of their test result.
It’s also compulsory for every arrival into the UK to fill in a passenger locator form before you enter the country. You can fill this in online. It includes your passport and travel details, UK address and booking reference number and the name of the test provider, if you’re using Test to Release. You might be fined if you haven’t filled out the form by the time you reach the UK border.
We know that travel is especially difficult right now. Alongside the latest COVID-19 travel advice and updates, we want to continue to inspire you with new travel content so that when the world opens its doors once again, you’re ready. The Travel Planner is always on hand to help with any queries or provide any advice.
COVID vaccine news for The UK
On 2 December, the long-awaited news broke that the UK will be the first western country to start rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has been authorised for emergency use and the first doses were available first to to older people, those in care homes and their staff.
The UK bought an initial 40 million doses of the COVID vaccine, which has shown 95% efficacy in extensive trials. Specialist vaccination centres are being set up, and a network of hospitals are rolling out the vaccine to deliver the first jabs to vulnerable people. The first jabs were delivered during the week of 7 December.
On 4 January, the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was administered in the UK. The UK has ordered 100 million doses and is given in 2 doses. This may be one of the easiest vaccines to administer, because it does not need to be stored at extreme cold temperatures.
On 8 January it was announced that the Moderna vaccine had been approved for use in the UK. The UK has pre-ordered 17 million doses which it will receive in the spring.
To date approximately 1.5 million people have been inoculated in the UK and it is hoped that 13 million people would have had the vaccination by mid-February.
The coronavirus vaccine should have been made available to all by Easter 2021, meaning that despite the current situation, a more normal summer next year (and perhaps post-coronavirus travel plans) looks increasingly likely.
