The requirement for red list arrivals to spend 11 nights at a pricey hotel quarantine facility instead of isolating at home could soon come to an end, the Prime Minister has suggested.
At Wednesday’s Downing Street news conference, a member of the public – Rachel from Essex – asked: “Why can’t fully vaccinated British travellers stuck in red listed countries self-isolate at home when they return instead of a hotel?
“Quarantine hotels are too expensive especially as this was implemented at short notice, not giving travellers a chance to get home,” she said.
Boris Johnson responded: “I think that’s a very fair challenge, given the way omicron’s now seeded around the world and not just in red listed countries, we will be looking at the red list and the way that we do it.”
The health secretary similarly suggested that travel restrictions could be scrapped if omicron becomes the dominant variant.
Speaking in Parliament earlier this week, Sajid Javid said that as omicron becomes dominant, all international travel restrictions could end “very soon”.
Meanwhile, the EU is expected to introduce a nine-month expiry date for Covid passes for travel, two EU sources told Reuters.
If applied, EU citizens wanting to travel freely next summer across the bloc would need a booster shot.
Follow all the latest travel updates below:
Key points
- Hotel quarantine could be swapped for self isolation
- EU expected to introduce expiry date on travel Covid passes
- Brazil imposes quarantine on unvaccinated travellers
Show latest update
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Business travellers cancelling flights due to travel restrictions, says Heathrow
Many business travellers are cancelling trips because of new travel restrictions, Heathrow bosses say.
The November traffic figures for Britain’s busiest airport show demand still at just 40 per cent of pre-pandemic levels – even though the US opened up to European travellers early in the month.
Heathrow’s statement said: “High level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions.”
Simon Calder10 December 2021 08:05
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Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s travel liveblog. We’ll be posting all the latest updates throughout the day.
Helen Coffey10 December 2021 07:55
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Belgium requires negative Covid test from today
From today, visitors travelling to Belgium who are not Belgian residents must present a negative Covid-19 test.
Eurostar tweeted to alert customers to the changes, posting: “Travelling to Belgium? From Thursday 09/12, you’ll be required to present a negative PCR or antigen test result if you’re not a Belgian resident.
Helen Coffey9 December 2021 17:02
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Hotel quarantine could end, says Boris Johnson
The prime minister has said that hotel quarantine could be replaced by self-isolation at home.
At Wednesday’s Downing Street news conference, a member of the public – Rachel from Essex – asked: “Why can’t fully vaccinated British travellers stuck in red listed countries self-isolate at home when they return instead of a hotel?
“Quarantine hotels are too expensive especially as this was implemented at short notice, not giving travellers a chance to get home,” she said.
Boris Johnson responded: “I think that’s a very fair challenge, given the way omicron’s now seeded around the world and not just in red listed countries, we will be looking at the red list and the way that we do it.”
Simon Calder9 December 2021 15:48
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New Orient Express trains slated for 2023
In 2023, the La Dolce Vita programme will launch, offering six trains taking in several popular European itineraries spanning 14 regions.
Passengers can experience five-star luxury as they travel flight-free onboard the 1960s and 1970s-inspired trains, designed by Dimorestudio.
Each train comes with 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, one honour suite and a restaurant carriage, where haute cuisine will be served alongside Italian wines.
Helen Coffey9 December 2021 13:43
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Red list: no changes expected today
The Independent understands that the current list of 11 African countries from which arriving travellers are required to enter hotel quarantine will not be changed today.
Thursday 9 December is the next due date in the three-weekly cycle of Department for Transport (DfT) announcements of “traffic light” changes. But South Africa and neighbouring countries were place on the revived red list two weeks ago, and Nigeria added this week.
The other nine nations on the list are Angola, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile the government has failed so far to provide any more details about the possible ending of hotel quarantine.
In the Downing Street news conference on Wednesday, Boris Johnson responded to a request from a member of public for self-isolation at home to be permitted.
He said: “We will be looking at the red list and the way that we do it.
“But it’s been very important in the immediate period, the immediate response to omicron, to have very tough border measures to slow the arrival of the variant in this country.
“That was the objective of those measures and continues to be the objective.“
Etosha National Park in Namibia
(Simon Calder)
Simon Calder9 December 2021 12:51
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Simon Calder answers your travel questions
The Independent’s travel correspondent has answered 28 readers’ questions in the latest Ask Me Anything.
Most were focused on the recent travel restrictions imposed by the UK government.
Over the past two weeks the UK has revived the red list and hotel quarantine for arrivals from 11 African countries, introduced mandatory self-isolation for all incoming travellers until they get a negative PCR test result and brought back pre-departure tests.
Questions included: “When I return, am I allowed to circulate meet people and go shopping before my test and then isolate after the test until I get the result?”
Lucy Thackray9 December 2021 12:11
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What are the latest rules in the US, Italy and France?
A flurry of new testing and entry rules have been imposed by countries across the world as leaders prepare for the spread of new Covid-19 variant omicron.
The scattergun announcements made by ministers in destinations such as US, Italy, France and Ireland at different times have made them hard to follow, especially since new domestic restrictions have been announced in the UK.
If you’re feeling confused, read this round-up by The Independent’s travel expert Simon Calder, who has gathered all of the latest restrictions and testing requirements in one place.
Lucy Thackray9 December 2021 11:00
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Hotel quarantine is ‘breach of human rights’, court told
The UK’s hotel quarantine policy is a “breach of human rights”, lawyers will tell the Royal Courts of Justice later today.
Group litigation firm PGMBM is seeking a judicial review over the recently reinstated policy, which sees people travelling to the UK from red list countries forced into a 10-day quarantine at a cost of £2,285 per solo traveller or £3,715 per couple.
Members of its legal team will argue that mandatory hotel quarantine of fully vaccinated people is unlawful and an interference with their right to personal liberty.
After the recent, sudden changes to the red list – when 11 African countries were added amid fears about the omicron variant – many British travellers had short windows of time to get back from countries such as South Africa and Nigeria before the expensive, mandatory isolation packages kicked in.
Lucy Thackray9 December 2021 10:12
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Megabus doubling services on Christmas Day
The inter-city coach operator, Megabus, will run twice as many services on 25 December this year as it did in 2020.
The firm will operating over 9,000 miles on Christmas Day, linking London, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, Reading, Leeds, Birmingham and Nottingham.
The company’s managing director, Mark Venables, said: “We’re determined to help bring as many people together as possible this festive season. Complying with all current government guidelines, we have over 13,000 seats available for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.”
On 25 and 26 December, Megabus will run services as frequently as every half hour between Heathrow Airport and London Victoria.
Megabus is upping its services for Christmas Day
(Simon Calder)
Lucy Thackray9 December 2021 09:35
