Countries across Europe are tightening travel restrictions on British travellers.
Spain has confirmed that it’ll require British visitors to either be fully vaccinated or present a negative Covid test for entry from 2 July, following a month of no restrictions.
Malta tightened its rules to mention it might only admit vaccinated British travellers aged 12 and over, which effectively ends any hope of a family holiday; while Portugal demands quarantine from those that haven’t been fully jabbed.
Meanwhile, hopes are fading for US-UK visit restart before the top of the summer. consistent with reports, travel between the 2 nations is unlikely to resume anytime soon, despite intense pressure from airlines and lobby groups.
Travel between the US and therefore the UK, usually a thriving market, has been largely frozen since March 2020.
KEY POINTS
Stricter entry requirements for Spain to return into force from Friday
US-UK air corridor delayed until ‘end of summer’
Malta and Portugal tighten entry requirements
Spain reimposes PCR test requirement for unvaccinated Britons
British tourists travelling to Spain will now got to present negative PCR test or proof of vaccination to go to .
The change is predicted to return into effect on Friday 2 July after being signed into law today.
The move is in response to concerns over the Delta variant.
Read more details here:
independent.co.uk/independent/travel/news-and-advice/spain-pcr-balearics-mallorca-ibiza-uk-b1873868.html
Which Covid test do i want for travel?
If you’re planning a summer holiday this year, you’ll got to believe Covid testing – whether for the outbound journey, or once you return to the united kingdom .
Alongside the testing involved in travelling to a “green” or a”amber” country, each individual country has its own stipulations for arrivals. There are myriad hoops travellers must jump through, including pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus tests taken within a particular timeframe.
The number and sort of tests travellers got to get – both before and after travel – depends on the country they’re visiting. Each destination has its own requirements for entry, while the restrictions for those returning to the united kingdom will vary counting on whether the country they’re coming back from is red, amber or green.
Helen Coffey has the complete download on travel testing here:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/covid-pcr-tests-travel-green-amber-red-b1874540.html
Simon Calder is doing an exclusive Zoom tomorrow night – here’s the way to check in
Travel has rarely been so complicated – or more desperately hankered after this summer.
As we edge closer to the summer peak and continue on the roadmap out of domestic lockdown, the myriad issues around travelling abroad remain. The government’s infamous traffic signal system for travel has been a hot topic for several weeks, and positively long before the green list was announced on 14 May.
Now, several weeks on, confusion and frustration still surround the planet of travel, with many unclear of the principles because the government continues to tread cautiously round the countries Brits can visit without the imposition of onerous restrictions upon their return.
To help you understand the continued chaos a touch better, our award-winning travel team is gathering together to place on an exclusive virtual event during which the newest advice are going to be discussed and as many of your travel questions as possible are going to be answered.
Our experts – travel editor Cathy Adams and travel correspondent Simon Calder – are going to be available for an hour to interrupt down everything from the principles around visit specific countries to the newest advice and recommendations on booking a UK holiday for your summer break.
More details on the way to check in here:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/simon-calder-travel-event-zoom-b1871418.html
Irish Ferries begins Dover-Calais route
Irish Ferries has started sailing from Dover to Calais, with the primary departure from the Kent port of theIsle of Inishmore.
Even though France remains on British government’s “amber list” and has increasing concern about coronavirus cases within the UK, a replacement entrant has set sail on the key cross-Channel link.Irish Ferries will operate up to 10 daily crossings in competition with P&O Ferries and DFDS.
Andrew Sheen, director at Irish Ferries, said: “Our newly-launched route between Dover and Calais brings even more choice for freight customers who can now experience our outstanding service while travelling between the united kingdom and France.“
We’re delighted to bring a touch little bit of Ireland to the present route, and after months of travel limitations, we all know that folks are very wanting to see family and friends, re-ignite business relations, and escape their everyday and take a much-needed holiday.
“We are within the business of connectivity and need to enable those special memories to be created once travel is permitted again.”
Fares start at £69 for a car and up to nine passengers
Saga reports boost in searches and bookings
Saga Holidays, which specialises in holidays for travellers over 50, has said it’s seen a “huge spike” within the number of searches and bookings.
As countries start to enforce arrivals being fully vaccinated, younger travellers who haven’t yet had their full course will got to wait a couple of more months.
Portugal and Malta are two holiday destinations that now enforce Britons being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to go to .
Saga said it’s seen a “surge” in searches for holidays to Spain, up 205 per cent; while breaks to Portugal have seen a 421 per cent increase. Madeira has seen an uplift of 344 per cent and therefore the Balearics’ searches are up by 365 per cent.
Chris Simmonds, CEO of Saga Holidays, said: “Our customers are so looking forward to happening holiday again. They were early within the queue for both vaccines and are trying to find some warmth, a change of scenery and new experiences.”
Labour renews involves all ‘amber’ countries to be red-listed
Labour has renewed its involve tougher border controls.
The opposition is urging the govt to scrap the “amber list” and move the countries currently on the medium-risk register to the “red list” – requiring arrivals from France, Italy, the US at around 150 countries to travel into hotel quarantine.
It will use an urgent question within the House of Commons to demand the govt scraps the amber list, introduces an “international vaccine passport” and publishes the available data on the decision-making behind the “traffic light” system.
As a reminder, there are currently 56 countries on the red list, and every one arrivals must enter mandatory hotel quarantine for 11 nights.
Here’s the complete story here:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/amber-red-list-labour-holiday-b1874592.html
Hong Kong will reintroduce its ban on passenger flights from UK from 1 July because it becomes the newest territory to impose restrictions on British travellers.
Flights from the united kingdom to the territory were previously barred from December 2020 to May.
The move is to curb the spread of the Delta variant, the govt said.
The UK is now classed as “extremely high risk”. Passengers who have stayed within the UK for quite two hours would be banned from boarding flights to the town , it said.
Cathy Adams29 June 2021 11:17
20 hours ago
Ooh, we’re getting to Ibiza…sort of
Spain has confirmed that tighter entry restrictions for Britons will inherit force from Friday.
Last month, Spain axed all extra requirements for British visitors because it sought to recharge its battered tourism industry.
However, following a rise in Delta variant cases within the UK, Spain has tightened its rules again.
From midnight on 2 July, British travellers must either show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test.
Read the complete story here:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/spain-rules-holiday-green-list-ibiza-b1874632.html
US-UK travel unlikely before September
The long-awaited travel corridor between the US and UK is unlikely to open before the top of the summer, consistent with reports.
In June, coinciding with the G7 in Cornwall, a replacement transatlantic travel taskforce was found out to explore ways to reopen UK-US travel.
Travel between the 2 nations has been frozen since March 2020, because of a series of presidential proclamations, while the US is on the UK’s amber list of nations , requiring a 10-day quarantine when returning to the united kingdom and two post-arrival PCR tests.
Now talks have stalled, with officials involved saying it had been unlikely a conclusion would be reached by the top of next month, consistent with the Financial Times.
Read the complete story here:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/us-uk-travel-america-b1874628.html
European vaccination travel guide
Many countries across Europe have tightened restrictions for Britons and now enforce a full course of vaccination against Covid-19.
The general rule is that a minimum of 14 days should have elapsed from the date of your last jab, and you ought to take proof within the sort of your NHS app.