Summer holidays are back on the cards, but the experience is likely to be very different
GettyUPDATE 26 July 2020
The government has announced that Spain is no longer on the list of countries that are exempt from quarantine requirements.
This means that, with immediate effect, travellers returning from Spain to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will need to self-isolate for two weeks.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is now advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.
There is no advice against travelling to the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands. However, anyone returning from anywhere in Spain - the mainland or the islands - will need to self-isolate.
There is no requirement for anyone who is in Spain at the moment to return immediately or to return ahead of schedule. However, upon return, they will be required to enter self-isolation.
They should also confirm their travel arrangements with their holiday company or airline in case any changes are made to timings.
Anyone with a flight and/or holiday booked in Spain that is cancelled by the provider as a result of the government announcement will be entitled to a refund, although there may be delays in the money coming through due to the volume of cases involved.
If the flight or holiday is not cancelled, you may be able to claim on your travel insurance provided you made your booking and bought your policy before the start of the coronavirus crisis in March. The majority of policies sold since then explicitly exclude claims arising out of the pandemic.
It may be possible to move bookings that have not been cancelled to a later date.
Anyone who decides to travel to mainland Spain against government advice is highly likely to render their travel insurance void, meaning they will have no cover whatsoever, including for non-coronavirus risks, such as injury or theft.
Anyone with arrangements to fly to the Spanish islands (where the FCO advice does not apply because coronavirus infection rates are lower than on the mainland) may still travel. But if they decide not to go for fear of falling ill, they will have no grounds to claim on their travel insurance.
Such claims are barred because they are viewed as 'disinclination to travel', which is not an insured circumstance.
Government requirements that travellers returning to England, Wales and Northern Ireland from abroad must self-isolate for 14 days were partially relaxed as of 10 July.
Those arriving into England, Wales and Northern Ireland* from more than 60 'travel corridor' countries, including popular destinations such as France, Italy and Greece, are exempt from the quarantine rules.
Travellers from countries not on the list, such as the United States, Canada, Portugal and others (see below), must adhere to the rules.
Spain has now been removed from the list of exempt countries, and the government is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.
*The list for Scotland can be found here.
The change means that people can potentially go on holiday without having to self-isolate when they return. Both visitors and returning UK residents will still have to complete a 'passenger locator form' before arrival into the UK, though.
It should be noted that not all countries will reciprocate the exemptions to quarantine restrictions, so outbound travellers from the UK should check what will be expected of them when they reach their destination.
In early July, the FCO published separate exemptions from its advice against “all but essential” international travel for a number of destinations, with the change coming into effect on 4 July. The announcement says it will “exempt certain destinations that no longer pose an unacceptably high risk of COVID-19.”
Its list is slightly different to the travel corridor list and can be found here.
Cruise travel advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also issued further advice against cruise travel, issuing the following statement:
"The FCO advises against cruise ship travel at this time. This is due to the ongoing pandemic and is based on medical advice from Public Health England.
"The government will continue to review its cruise ship travel advice based on the latest medical advice.
"If you have future cruise travel plans, you should speak to your travel operator, or the travel company you booked with, for further advice.
"The Foreign & Commonwealth Office continues to support the Department for Transport’s work with industry for the resumption of international cruise travel."
Which countries and territories are on the travel corridor list?
The countries and territories where returning traveller quarantine rules have been lifted for the UK are below:
Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Croatia; Curaçao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmar; Dominica; Faroe Is lands;Fiji; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macau; Malta; Mauritius; Monaco; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Norway; Poland; Réunion; San Marino; Seychelles; South Korea; St Barthélemy; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Pierre and Miquelon; Switzerland; Taiwan; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; Vatican City; Vietnam.
Ireland is already exempt as part of the common travel area, as are the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The Department for Transport also said: "In addition, we will be exempting the 14 British Overseas Territories." You can see these here.
Can I now travel to all countries on the travel corridor list?
Some countries that the government has placed on its travel corridor lists may not have the same quarantine exemptions or entry requirements in place for British tourists on arrival there, so check the rules in the destination you’d like to visit.
At the moment, for example, Australia requires you to apply for a special exemption visa to visit, and only Australian citizens and returning permanent residents and their immediate family members are permitted to enter without an exemption until further notice.
All travellers entering Australia need to quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, such as a hotel, on arrival too. Find out more here.
Are there any notable exemptions from the travel corridor list?
The United States, Canada, Portugal, Sweden and Russia have been left off the list, along with many countries in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
As noted earlier, Spain has now been removed from the list, so anyone returning from anywhere in the country - the mainland or the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands - will need to self-isolate.
What happens if I travel to a country that isn’t on the travel corridor list?
If you travel to a destination that is not on the travel corridor list, you will have to self-quarantine for 14 days when you arrive back into the UK.
The FCO has published a slightly different list of countries that will be exempt from its advice against ‘all but essential’ international travel. You can see this here.
There are discrepancies. For example, Canada is on the FCO list of countries that have been assessed as no longer presenting an unacceptably high risk to British people travelling abroad, but it is not exempt from quarantine requirements for people travelling back from there to the UK.
The FCO says its advice will remain under constant review to take into account the latest situation in each country, so it will be worth cross-checking with each list to see how your destination stands.
Travel insurance issues
If you travel to a country that is not on this FCO list of exempt destinations, your travel insurance is likely to be invalid – with select exceptions in specialist policies. This means you’d have to pay your own costs if something went wrong.
It is important to check your cover if you already have a policy, and to understand what protection you will be getting if you buy now.
It is worth reiterating - if you travel somewhere against FCO advice, you will highly likely invalidate your policy.
If your destination is in Europe, however, you could use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to benefit from free or cheap medical treatment (on the same terms as a local).
This arrangement will be in place at least until Britain comes to the end of the Brexit transition process at the end of this year.
Will all holidays restart from now?
Despite the changes to travel advice and quarantine requirements, not all travel companies will start operating straight away – so check the policy of the company you have booked with or are considering booking with.
All TUI holidays on or before 10 July have been cancelled already, for example, while Trailfinders has cancelled the majority of holidays until 25 July.
Check the rules in the country you are planning on visiting too before assuming you can now visit. Greece, for example, has extended its ban on direct flights from the UK until 15 July.
Is there anything else I need to consider?
While this is an exciting change, keep in mind that holidays are likely to feel a little different with social distancing measures in place in destinations, rules around mask wearing and some bars and restaurants remaining closed.
Do some research on the rules in the country you are visiting before travelling. A good place to start is on the FCO site, and you can find links to individual country’s pages.
As the FCO advice is based on a number of factors, including coronavirus risk, capacity of local healthcare and transport options, it may be reviewed if there is a change in the situation in the country.
Look carefully at your travel insurance policy before you travel too to make sure you are covered for what you expect. A number of companies have added extra pandemic cover to new and existing policies but some policies may exclude claims made as a result of pandemics.
There will be a number of changes to air travel and airports as well, such as having to wear a mask on board flights and in airports, social distancing measures and a number of services, such as food and drink, being limited. Read more on this here.
This page will be updated as we get more information.
The Link LonkJuly 26, 2020 at 02:03PM
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Quarantine Latest: Spain Removed From Travel Corridors Exemptions List - Forbes
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