Friday, July 3, 2020

59 Countries

From the BBC:

“Coronavirus: What are the UK's travel rules and which countries can you visit?”

Passengers entering England from 59 countries including France and Spain will no longer have to quarantine from 10 July. These countries now pose ''a reduced risk'' from coronavirus, the government says. However, each UK nation sets its own quarantine rules, so this only applies to England.  These are not reciprocal agreements. Travellers from England will have to quarantine when entering Greece, for instance, even though Greece is now exempted from England's quarantine rules. Travellers from 59 countries including France, Spain, Germany and Italy will no longer have to quarantine for two weeks when they enter England, as long as they haven't been in any of the countries not on the exemptions list in the past 14 days.

The full list of exempted countries is:   Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Faroe Islands, 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, Serbia, Seychelles, South Korea, Spain, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Vatican City, Vietnam.

The list focuses on countries in Europe, island nations around the world including the Caribbean, and countries further east - including Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. More countries may be added ''over the coming days,'' the Department for Transport says. The government will also lift its advice against all but essential international travel for selected countries from Saturday.

What happens if I travel to a country not on the list?     You will still have to isolate for 14 days if you arrive back in England from anywhere in North, Central or South America - plus Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia. Travellers from Sweden, Portugal and Russia and anywhere else not on the list will also have to quarantine. The list will be kept under review, and if conditions worsen in an exempted country, the government says it ''will not hesitate'' to reintroduce quarantine for those travellers. Equally, further restrictions may be placed on UK travellers if its infection rate rises. On 8 June, a two-week quarantine period was introduced for most people arriving in the UK. The government said imported cases had become a more significant risk to public health. This easing of restrictions could make it easier for those in England to go abroad on holiday or see relatives.  It could also boost England's tourism industry, which has been devastated by coronavirus and has opposed quarantine rules.

What about restrictions at my destination?    Because these are not reciprocal agreements, travellers leaving England will still face restrictions - including quarantine - when they arrive in one of the exempted countries. Fewer than half the countries and territories on the list have no restrictions at all for arriving UK visitors. Greece, a popular holiday destination with a low number of coronavirus deaths, says it will not accept direct UK flights until at least mid-July. Austria requires Britons to self-isolate unless they have a recent medical certificate or test negative for coronavirus on arrival New Zealand has barred almost all foreign travellers from visiting Those entering Australia require a special exemption visa and face a mandatory quarantine However, the French government has suggested UK travellers will no longer have to go into voluntary quarantine there, now French travellers are exempted from UK rules.

What are the rules in other parts of the UK?   Health measures like quarantine are set by each UK nation separately, so the changes may not apply everywhere. At present: The Scottish government says it has not made a decision on whether to ease quarantine restrictions  The Welsh government has also not decided whether to follow England's measures Northern Ireland will still quarantine travellers arriving from outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland Travel information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be published in ''due course'' by the administrations there.

What happened to air bridges?   Ministers had indicated the government was considering a series of ''air bridge'' agreements. These would allow people to travel between the UK and low-risk countries without having to quarantine at either end. These were also referred to as ''travel corridors'' when including international journeys made via land and sea. However, the government appears to have moved away from these partnerships, which could have posed problems in practice. For example, Portugal was the first country to offer the UK an air bridge but has recently seen a rise in new coronavirus cases around Lisbon. Currently, arrivals from Portugal will still have to quarantine when they arrive in England.

^ This seems like more confusion for the British traveler. Not only does it not mention what happens when a Brit goes to one of those countries, but it also isn’t clear about what happens when the Brit returns to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53221896

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