Covid: What are the new UK travel rules?

Published: 1 day ago

What are the new rules on testing?

From 04:00 GMT on Monday 18 January, people travelling to the UK will have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before setting off. This may be taken up to three days before their journey begins.

The government says it will accept any test with at least 97% specificity and 80% sensitivity.

image copyrightReuters

Those who don't comply will face a fine of £500, with Border Force officials carrying out spot checks.

Who is exempt from testing?

Children under 11
Passengers from the Common Travel Area (the Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man)
Travellers from the Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands and St Helena
Hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew
Travellers from St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda arriving in the UK before 21 January

Who must quarantine and how have travel corridors changed?

Even with the new testing requirements, travellers - including British nationals - must still self-isolate for 10 days on arrival.

People arriving from dozens of countries on the UK's list of travel corridors are no longer exempt from quarantine, following the decision to suspend them from 04:00 GMT on Monday.

All travellers must provide contact details and their UK address.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own quarantine rules, which differ slightly.

What are the rules if I'm asked to self-isolate?

image copyrightGetty Images

image captionMost UK arrivals need to self-isolate for 10 days

Who is exempt from quarantine?

Some business travellers no longer have to quarantine when re-entering the UK, and a small number of other jobs are exempt, including arts professionals, journalists, defence personnel and drivers.

image copyrightGetty Images

image captionEssential business travel is still allowed during the lockdown

Can I pay for a test to shorten quarantine?

People arriving in England from some countries can reduce their quarantine period by paying for a private Covid test.

The test must be booked by travellers before their journey, and it can only be taken after five full days of self-isolation.

Tests cost between £65 and £120, and results are normally received within 24 to 48 hours.

People who test negative can stop self-isolating once they have their result. Those who test positive must quarantine for another 10 days from the date of the test.

The government has published a list of approved private testing companies.

Can you be fined for breaking the rules?

Breaking quarantine rules is a criminal offence, and people risk being fined and could end up with a criminal record.

Failure to self-isolate can mean a £1,000 fine in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or £480 in Scotland. Fines in England for persistent offenders have doubled to £10,000.

People can be fined up to £3,200 in England for providing inaccurate contact details, or £1,920 in Wales.

There is also a fine of £100 for not filling in the passenger locator form.

Which countries have a travel ban?

Anyone who has been in - or transited through - any country in South America or Portugal in the previous 10 days will not be allowed to enter the UK.

Portugal is included because of its strong links to Brazil, as are Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa and Panama in central America.

The ban is a measure to try to protect the UK against a new and potentially more contagious strain of coronavirus that has emerged in Brazil.

Travel is already banned from any country in southern Africa, in response to another Covid variant which was identified in South Africa.

The rules do not apply to British and Irish nationals, long-term visa holders or those with residency rights - but they must self-isolate, even if they would normally be exempt.

Hauliers travelling from Portugal to transport essential goods will also be exempt.

How worrying are the new Covid variants?

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LOOK-UP TOOL: How many cases in your area?

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CoronaVirus translator

What do all these terms mean?

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Antibodies test

A medical test that can show if a person has had the coronavirus and now has some immunity. The test detects antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body to fight off the disease.
Asymptomatic

Someone who has a disease but does not have any of the symptoms it causes. Some studies suggest some people with coronavirus carry the disease but don't show the common symptoms, such as a persistent cough or high temperature.
Containment phase

The first part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, which involved trying to identify infected people early and trace anyone who had been in close contact with them.
Coronavirus

One of a group of viruses that can cause severe or mild illness in humans and animals. The coronavirus currently sweeping the world causes the disease Covid-19. The common cold and influenza (flu) are other types of coronaviruses.
Covid-19

The disease caused by the coronavirus first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. It primarily affects the lungs.
Delay phase

The second part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, in which measures such as social distancing are used to delay its spread.
Fixed penalty notice

A fine designed to deal with an offence on the spot, instead of in court. These are often for driving offences, but now also cover anti-social behaviour and breaches of the coronavirus lockdown.
Flatten the curve

Health experts use a line on a chart to show numbers of new coronavirus cases. If a lot of people get the virus in a short period of time, the line might rise sharply and look a bit like a mountain. However, taking measures to reduce infections can spread cases out over a longer period and means the "curve" is flatter. This makes it easier for health systems to cope.
Flu

Short for influenza, a virus that routinely causes disease in humans and animals, in seasonal epidemics.
Furlough

Supports firms hit by coronavirus by temporarily helping pay the wages of some staff. It allows employees to remain on the payroll, even though they aren't working.
Herd immunity

How the spread of a disease slows after a sufficiently large proportion of a population has been exposed to it.
Immune

A person whose body can withstand or fend off a disease is said to be immune to it. Once a person has recovered from the disease caused by the coronavirus, Covid-19, for example, it is thought they cannot catch it again for a certain period of time.
Incubation period

The period of time between catching a disease and starting to display symptoms.
Intensive care

Hospital wards which treat patients who are very ill. They are run by specially-trained healthcare staff and contain specialist equipment.
Lockdown

Restrictions on movement or daily life, where public buildings are closed and people told to stay at home. Lockdowns have been imposed in several countries as part of drastic efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Mitigation phase

The third part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, which will involve attempts to lessen the impact of a high number of cases on public services. This could mean the NHS halting all non-critical care and police responding to major crimes and emergencies only.
NHS 111

The NHS's 24-hour phone and online service, which offers medical advice to anyone who needs it. People in England and Wales are advised to ring the service if they are worried about their symptoms. In Scotland, they should check NHS inform, then ring their GP in office hours or 111 out of hours. In Northern Ireland, they should call their GP.
Outbreak

Multiple cases of a disease occurring rapidly, in a cluster or different locations.
Pandemic

An epidemic of serious disease spreading rapidly in many countries simultaneously.
Phase 2

This is when the UK will start to lift some of its lockdown rules while still trying to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
PPE

PPE, or personal protective equipment, is clothing and kit such as masks, aprons, gloves and goggles used by medical staff, care workers and others to protect themselves against infection from coronavirus patients and other people who might be carrying the disease.
Quarantine

The isolation of people exposed to a contagious disease to prevent its spread.
R0

R0, pronounced "R-naught", is the average number of people who will catch the disease from a single infected person. If the R0 of coronavirus in a particular population is 2, then on average each case will create two more new cases. The value therefore gives an indication of how much the infection could spread.
Recession

This happens when there is a significant drop in income, jobs and sales in a country for two consecutive three-month periods.
Sars

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, a type of coronavirus that emerged in Asia in 2003.
Self-isolation

Staying inside and avoiding all contact with other people, with the aim of preventing the spread of a disease.
Social distancing

Keeping away from other people, with the aim of slowing down transmission of a disease. The government advises not seeing friends or relatives other than those you live with, working from home where possible and avoiding public transport.
State of emergency

Measures taken by a government to restrict daily life while it deals with a crisis. This can involve closing schools and workplaces, restricting the movement of people and even deploying the armed forces to support the regular emergency services.
Statutory instrument

These can be used by government ministers to implement new laws or regulations, or change existing laws. They are an easier alternative to passing a full Act of Parliament.
Symptoms

Any sign of disease, triggered by the body's immune system as it attempts to fight off the infection. The main symptoms of the coronavirus are a fever, dry cough and shortness of breath.
Vaccine

A treatment that causes the body to produce antibodies, which fight off a disease, and gives immunity against further infection.
Ventilator

A machine that takes over breathing for the body when disease has caused the lungs to fail.
Virus

A tiny agent that copies itself inside the living cells of any organism. Viruses can cause these cells to die and interrupt the body's normal chemical processes, causing disease.

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Who is still allowed to travel?

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