How will a possible new lockdown affect our travel plans?

Q I’m due to fly to Spain early tomorrow morning to visit family, flying back in January. Should the UK government introduce a “circuit breaker” while I’m away, what will happen to travel restrictions?

Isabel

A First, to be clear: the four nations of the UK each make their own Covid rules, so there could be different restrictions in force in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But I can certainly predict what I think is the most likely outcome based on the series of lockdowns and other restrictions that we endured between March 2020 and May 2021. And my promising conclusion: you should have nothing to worry about.

When the UK imposed lockdowns and/or international travel bans in November 2020 and January 2021, people who were abroad at the time were in an enviable position: they could enjoy the rest of their holiday, generally in warm, relaxed circumstances, and return when they were due to come back. Unlike Foreign Office advice in March 2020, which warned against going anywhere outside the UK and urged British travellers to return as soon as possible, there was no demand for people to get home.

In your position, I would mainly be watching for a possible change in the testing and quarantine requirements to come back to the UK. At present, you need a pre-departure test (lateral flow will do) and a post-arrival PCR, with self-isolation until you get a negative result to the latter. Don’t book any of these tests until just before you return, because many people have been flummoxed by a sudden change in testing rules – leaving them out of pocket.

The other aspect of your trip that might be a problem is the homeward flight. If rules are imposed again that effectively prohibit outbound holidays and business travel from the UK, then airlines will understandably cancel many flights rather than operating them near-empty. Were this to happen, under European air passengers’ rights rules the carrier is obliged to get you home on the planned date – even if that means buying you a ticket on a rival airline.

open image in gallery

Q If there is a lockdown before Christmas do you know how that would affect travel booked for this week? I am booked to depart on 23 December.

Muthe

A An excellent question, which had me reaching for the articles I wrote around a year ago to see how national and local lockdowns affected travel. From early November to the start of December 2020, overseas leisure travel was banned – a rehearsal for the 19-week prohibition that came into effect early in January 2021.

During December, everything became very messy with the “tiers” – remember them? In England, many intending passengers found themselves either living in “high risk” tier 3 locations where unnecessary journeys were not permitted – and/or booked to fly from an airport in a tier 3 area.

The tier 3 rules said: ”Avoid travelling out of the area, other than where necessary.” Initially, No 10 indicated that the instruction to “avoid travelling out of the area” was law, rather than merely guidance. But then the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said tier 3 residents would be able to go abroad. Travelling between home and an airport (or ferry port, or international rail station) for an overseas flight was legally acceptable – though travellers were expected to travel only with members of their household or support bubble.

What could happen as Omicron continues its seemingly unstoppable march across the UK and the rest of the world? Rationally, for as long as infection rates in Britain remain well above those elsewhere, it makes sense to export healthy people abroad, so long as they travel carefully and legally. Allowing them to remove themselves from the UK reduces the number of targets for coronavirus here. So any restriction on going abroad would be counter-productive.

As we have seen constantly during the past 21 months, though, what data indicates would be a good plan is not always acted upon. I do not expect a return to the chaotic system of tiers. And clearly, the governments of the four UK nations are not shy of banning international travel. But my sense is that the public will not prove so tolerant of prohibitions in future and the destruction of the travel industry is becoming more apparent. So my sense is that ministers will not restrict international travel as part of any Christmas or New Year lockdown.

open image in gallery

Q A little advice is much needed. We are supposed to fly from London to Belfast on 27 December for four nights. I am double-jabbed, but what do I have to do additionally? And what happens if we go into lockdown again? It’s to see family, not for work.

Emily B

A Assuming nothing else changes in the next six days, the procedure is quite straightforward. The Northern Ireland government asks that anyone coming from the Common Travel Area (which comprises the four nations of the UK, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland) should take a rapid lateral flow device (LFD) test before beginning the journey. In contrast to international travel, you are allowed to use NHS Covid tests. There is no need (or opportunity) to upload the results, but of course you should travel only if the test is negative.

The NI government adds: “You should also take an LFD test on days two and eight of your stay.” In your case, that means a test halfway through your trip.

As I write, there are rumours about the government going back to “step 2” restrictions, as they applied in April and May this year. If ministers were to reimpose the exact rules that applied then, and they applied equally in England and Northern Ireland, your flights would not be affected. The wording in the restrictions was to “minimise your travel as much as possible”.

Once in Northern Ireland, you would (according to the original step 2 rules) be able to stay overnight with members of your household but not with other people. And it would have to be in self-catering accommodation; hotels and B&Bs would be required to close to non-essential guests.

All of this is speculation at present, and I suggest you do nothing yet. My view is that domestic air travel will not be affected, and that stays in hotels may be allowed to go ahead.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder