To travel or not to travel?
by Kamala Santos
While many are happy to spend holidays in the UK this year, others are planning to travel abroad for a variety of reasons.
The current international UK travel advice is ‘essential travel only’ and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently published a list of over 50 countries that ‘no longer pose an unacceptably high risk’ in relation to the pandemic.
These countries, and every other country in the world, have been categorised as either high, moderate or low risk. Information is constantly updated, and statuses subject to change; a bit like a pandemic weather forecast that travellers need to keep a close eye on.
Airlines and hotel chains are doing all they can to ensure international travel continues to be possible, however, flight schedules are greatly reduced and some hotels have been forced to close down. Carefully researching any trip in advance is essential.
So what are the guidelines if I do travel?
Considering it is hard enough to keep up with COVID-19 guidelines at home, following the rules of another country, plus any transit countries, might seem impossible!
Thankfully the websites of NHS Scotland and Public Health England (‘Fit for Travel’, and ‘Travel Health Pro’) as well as the UK Government have published excellent guidance on travelling during this time (links are included at the end of the article). This includes guidance on what to expect at airports and on planes.
Advice from the travel websites includes:
Before Travel
· What happens if you contract COVID-19 or a virus with similar symptoms before your journey?
During Travel
· Keeping informed of local restrictions
· Avoiding becoming infected with COVID-19
· What if you contract the virus while abroad?
After Travel
· What are the rules about returning to your own country at the end of your journey?
· Will you need to quarantine?
Travel Insurance
· What you may or may not get cover for.
Travel Immunisations
· The COVID-19 advice pages don’t cover the travel health requirements for your destination i.e. making sure you are covered for any non-covid threats such as malaria, hepatitis A or rabies. But the websites do have links to destination checkers - where you can access information on health risks for every country.
Unfortunately the situation is in constant flux worldwide. Travellers need to be prepared for cancellations, re-routes and changing guidance along the way.
For those considering international travel, it does appear to be possible, but only if the coronavirus catchphrase of ‘stay safe’ is adhered to at every stage of your trip.
Advice varies depending on which of the four nations of the UK you live in, so please check you are looking at the correct information for your area.
LINKS
COVID-19 Travel Advice:
Fit for Travel (Scotland) https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/covid-19-health-considerations-for-travel
Travel Health Pro (England, Wales, N.I.) https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/499/covid-19-coronavirus-general-advice-for-travellers
UK Government (United Kingdom, though some guidance for Scotland might be different) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
Air Travel Advice
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-air-travel-guidance-for-passengers
HealthLink360
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