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DEEP DIVE: Tier 4 Lockdown in England and International Travel

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With the announcement of London and the South East of England is to go into a Tier 4 Lockdown (as of 00:01 today), lets do a little more of a deep dive into what the travel restrictions mean to you.

a screenshot of a web page

Firstly, the full advice is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home, which I strongly advise you read if you live or have need to go there over the festive period.

A reminder of the initial limits of Tier 4

If you live in a Tier 4 area, you must follow the rules below from Sunday 20 December. This means that you cannot meet other people indoors, including over the Christmas period, unless you live with them, or they are part of your existing support bubble. Outdoors, you can only meet one person from another household. These rules will not be relaxed for Christmas.

Let’s look at the travel advice

International travel to or from a tier 4 area

If you are in Tier 4, you should not be travelling abroad unless it is permitted. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.

If you live outside a tier 4 area you may still transit into or through a tier 4 area to travel abroad if you need to, but you should carefully consider whether you need to do so. In addition, you should follow the public health advice in the country you’re visiting.

If you do need to travel overseas from a tier 4 area (and are legally permitted to do so, for example, because it is for work), even if you are returning to a place you’ve visited before, you should look at the rules in place at your destination and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice.

UK residents currently abroad do not need to return home immediately. However, you should check with your airline or travel operator on arrangements for returning.

To break down the points:

  • If you live in a Tier 4 area, you should not leave theareaunless it is for essential purposes.
  • If you live outside a Tier 4 area and need to go to a Tier 4 area to leave the country (eg, Dover, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City), you can travel to these points, but you need to consider if you actually do.
  • Check FCDO Travel advice, both ongoing and returning to the UK
  • If you’re abroad, you do not need to return home straight away. Check with your airline/operator, however.

Staying away from home overnight

You cannot leave home for holidays or stays overnight away from your main home unless permitted by law. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed. This includes staying in a second home or caravan, or staying with anyone you do not live with or are in a support bubble with.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

  • are unable to return to your main residence
  • need accommodation while moving house
  • need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event
  • require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
  • are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
  • are homeless, seeking asylum or a vulnerable person seeking refuge
  • are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition

If you are already on holiday in a Tier 4 area, you should return to your home as soon as practical.

To break down these points:

  • No cheeky one-night aways unless it is for one of the reasons above.
  • No escaping to your second home, caravan or another abode.
  • No staying with people who are not in your support bubble.

How are airports and airlines reacting

Airports were quick to jump onto this.

In terms of Airlines, Virgin Atlantic have reacted. EasyJet is to operate is current schedule for now.

Check the regions

Both Wales and Scotland have enacted new rules, with Scotland applying ban on travel to the rest of the UK over the festive period, with only essitetnal travel allowed. Wales is to enter a from today too.  If you live in Wales, you will be able to travel to meet one other household – and a single person household – on Christmas Day anywhere in Wales. You can also leave Wales to meet your household, but you must return by the end of the day.

Other parts of the country remain in Tier 1/Tier 2/Tier 3. These have limits on movements too.

Changes ahead

Let’s be honest – no one wants to be in a Tier 4 situation, nor many people were planning for this (your author included who had plans to be elsewhere other than Birmingham this Christmas).

Expect changes ahead as everyone adapts again to being in a situation they don’t want to be in, with airlines reacting to reducing loads over the festive period.

And possibly beyond.

There is a stark warning from the UK FCDO as this went to publishing:

And indeed – those changes are live – Economy Class and Beyond is monitoring the situation.  Latest updates can be found in Countries close their borders to travellers from the United Kingdom.

 

Editors note: I’ve tried to keep a lot of emotion out of this. Bear with me, please. It’s tougher than usual. 

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Filed Under: Travel Restrictions

Comments

  1. Greg says

    I mean, there really isn’t any big enforcement, nor is it possible to enforce this. So all this is just a fear-mongering exercise. People will go meet their families if they want to, what the government is going to break down your house door and arrest you for having dinner with your mum on christmas day?

    Rules are only useful if they’re enforceable. These are not.

  2. DaninMCI says

    So basically everyone is to stay at home locked down unless they are a doctor, nurse or “elite” athlete. Got it. This would upset me if I had gotten the vaccine but I’d guess that only doctors, nurses and “elite” folks have that by now.

    • Ana says

      I am a nurse, and I can say this is false. And btw, Covid is here since march and we are only being tested now. Be informed before you talk. The people who have been vaccinated were the nursing and care homes staff and patients. Stay safe.

  3. Nikki says

    I’m a UK citizen but I’ve lived the last 3 years in the Netherlands, married and have 2 kids here.
    I’m seeing so much about not leaving tier 4 and travel out of the UK. But what about travel to the UK, and then self isolating with family?

  4. Mandy says

    Im in tier 4 now and to see the road and the air traffic its just a normal day im sure not everyone will stick to the restriction i for 1 have to go to work i cant sit in the comfort of my own home and work unless i take all 21 residents home with me. people are fed up of broken promises and will make their own minds up to see love ones i for 1 will be at work christmas day so wont see my love ones much.

  5. Alexander Allan says

    This is rubbish can they let people live their lives there is more deaths related to suicide than COVID

  6. Steven says

    You wouldn’t be immune to it yet. 3 weeks between 1st and 2nd jags, and then full immunity response takes roughly another couple of weeks or so best case scenario is 5 weeks, maybe longer depending on your own bodies response

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