Several Countries throughout Europe are experiencing new waves of the Covid-19 pandemic and Boris Johnson has said that such problems can end up on our own shores and that it was only a matter of time before they did so. There continues to be evidence of new Covid-19 variants existing in the UK. Against this background, the UK Government continues to maintain strict restrictions on travelling to and from the United Kingdom. However, these restrictions do not apply to those travelling from Ireland, The Channel Islands or the Isle of Man provided passengers spent the last 10 days in one of these areas.
The current position of the Government is that anyone who enters the UK must present a negative Covid-19 PCR test when they travel and they must also complete a Passenger Locator form and quarantine for 10 days. They will also need to show proof of their Covid-19 test bookings for the second and eighth day of their quarantine and take the required tests.
If a passenger has been to a country on the red list travel ban in the 10 days before their arrival in the UK, then they must quarantine at a Government approved hotel and meet the cost of £1,750.00 themselves. The Government is regularly reviewing the red list travel ban countries and it is therefore important to review the current list in order to ensure that you have the latest information.
Certain people are exempt from the red list travel restrictions because of the work they are doing such as Aircraft Pilots and members of the crew along with Seaman. However, specific criteria needs to be met before the position will be regarded as exempt. Whilst the Prime Minister has outlined his road map as a way of coming out of lockdown, many restrictions are still in place for international travellers and it really is a question of keeping right up to date with the Government guidance to ensure that all applicable regulations continue to be adhered to.
For advice on this or any other immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact Sohan Sidhu by email at sohan.sidhu@ellisonssolicitors.com or by telephone on 01284 763333.
