It’s that time of the week, where HM Government shuffles tiers and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office decide if “Die Hard” is a proper Christmas film.
Yes, it’s the Travel Corridor update.
Countries/Regions being removed from the UK Travel Corridors List
- Namibia – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/namibia
- Uruguay – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/uruguay
- US Virgin Islands – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa
If you are returning to the UK from any of these destinations above on or after 4am on 19th December, you will need to self-isolate on your return. Check the latest guidance for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Countries the are being added to the UK Travel Corridor List:
- None.
The countries lists
As usual, there are two lists you need to be aware of:
- The travel corridors list, its at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors.
- The list of countries where FCDO’s “Do not travel” does not apply is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-countries-and-territories-exempt-from-advice-against-all-but-essential-international-travel.
But when you are returning to the UK…
All travellers, including those from exempt destinations, will still be required to show a completed passenger locator form on arrival in the United Kingdom unless they fall into a small group of exemptions. Failure to do so will lead to fines if you are caught entering the country without a completed form.
Remember to self Isolate or enjoy a hefty fine.
Yes, it’s not going to be a fun time if you have to self-isolate on returning to the UK. It’ll be a less of a fun time on your wallet if you breach the self-isolation rules when returning from non-exempt countries, with fines increasing have increased from £1,000 for a first offence up to £10,000 for subsequent offences, mirroring penalties for those breaching self-isolation following a positive COVID test or contact from Test & Trace.
Remember that the isolation time has changed from 14 days to 10 days. This has been covered on this blog and the update is here.
What about Test to Release?
Test to release is now live for arrivals that will be staying in England. I’ve covered the changes on the blog here. In theory, you can cut down the time you spend in isolation if you get
The official guide is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-test-to-release-for-international-travel, with test providers at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing#test-to-release-for-international-travel. Whilst the list of providers has grown since the launch, there have also been a lot of complaints of services being swamped.
You’ll need to pay for testing though…
The next update
According to the Right Honourable Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield, Transport Secretary Grant Snapps, this will be the last update for the year (unless emergency removals are needed).
The next update will by 7th January 2021
In a tweet, he said:
Providing certainty to those travelling over Xmas, we will only make EMERGENCY removals to the #TravelCorridor list if needed for the next two weeks. Next regular update 7th Jan 🎅✈️
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps (@grantshapps) December 17, 2020
For now, keep up to date with the lists. And your options to when you enter the United Kingdom.
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