Last updated on January 4th, 2022 at 03:39 pm
In today’s update:
- Updated guidance on travelling abroad
Updated guidance on travelling abroad
On the Friday 7 May (2021), It was announced by the Government that the first steps toward unlocking international travel would begin.
The Government confirmed that, from 17 May, the ‘Stay in the UK’ regulation will cease and international travel will be allowed to restart, governed by a new traffic light system.
The system will allow the public to understand COVID requirements when travelling to England. Health measures at the border will vary depending on whether travelling from a green, amber or red country.
You can see the full list of countries in each category on GOV.UK.
The traffic light system
The Government warned that as the virus is still spreading in many parts of the world, people should not be travelling to amber or red countries.
Green List
Given the need for caution, the green list will initially be modest with only the following 12 countries and territories on the initial list when international travel resumes on 17 May:
- Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
- Israel and Jerusalem
- Gibraltar
- Iceland
- Singapore
- Australia
- Brunei Darussalam
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- New Zealand
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Countries on the green list pose the lowest risk, therefore passengers who have only visited or transited through a green list country will not be required to quarantine on arrival in England.
They will be required to fill in the passenger locator form, provide a valid notification of a negative test result prior to travel and take a sequencing test on day 2 after arrival.
Amber List
You should not be travelling to destinations on the Amber list
Passengers who have visited or transited through an amber country will be required to fill in the passenger locator form, provide a valid notification of a negative test result prior to travel, quarantine at home for 10 days,
and take a test on day 2 and day 8 after arrival. Passengers will also have the option to opt into Test to Release at day 5.
During the period of isolation you will have to use your annual leave or take unpaid leave.
Managers please enter the following codes
ESR- Special Increasing Balance>Infection Precaution>Coronavirus>Post Travel Quarantine
E-Roster –Unavailability> Other (Post Travel Quarantine)
Red List
You are not allowed to travel to the red list countries
Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK, will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a government approved quarantine facility for 10 days.
During the period of isolation you will have to use Annual Leave or Unpaid Leave
Managers please enter the following codes
ESR- Special Increasing Balance>Infection Precaution>Coronavirus>Post Travel Quarantine
E-Roster –Unavailability> Other (Post Travel Quarantine)
The risk posed by individual countries will be continuously monitored and the green, amber and red lists will be updated every 3 weeks.
If the situation in a country changes dramatically, the Government will not hesitate to act swiftly and decisively to protect the health of the UK public and our progress on vaccination.
Demonstrating COVID-19 vaccination status
From 17 May, people in England who have had the vaccine will be able to demonstrate their COVID-19 vaccination status for outbound travel using the NHS app or letter for countries on the Green list In due course,
the app will allow people to show evidence of negative tests as they travel out of the country.
Messages to passengers
Given the virus is still spreading in many parts of the world, staff are advised to think carefully about their holiday plans and are advised against travel to amber and red countries, and instead should only travel to countries on the green list.
Where guidance changes during your holiday stay and destinations move from green to amber, requiring you to quarantine, staff will be required to take unpaid leave, annual leave or work the hours back over the month you are back in work.
The Government has updated the guidance on GOV.UK setting out the requirements of all passengers. We will continue to promote messages on how to prepare for travel via all our usual channels.
You should check the GOV.UK travel abroad page to help plan your journeys.
Future reviews
The traffic light system will be reviewed through a series of checkpoints in June, July and October, taking into account the latest domestic and international data.
The Government is committed to giving people the freedom to travel with confidence and supporting the wider travel industry.