Are holidays still allowed?

[pontypridd]

Or going to holiday homes?

I don't think you can get covid from a petrol pump - and some cars are electric.

I am not a second home owner and find the ethics of them at best troubling. However, if you go to your second home by tomorrow and stay there for the four weeks, I can't see the issue. As long as you stay in one place. The problem will come if the lockdown then remains in place, then you're stuck there for longer than you anticipated.

If you are going from tier one to tier one (but NB London is tier two).

annabel85

Who goes away in November anyway?

Not exactly holiday season.

There are many places where November is the perfect time to visit like UAE or South Asia. I'm more confused about why people want to go abroad in the summer when we have lovely weather here (mostly) tbh!

@SqidgeBum

FWIW many airports around the world manage to run an outbound passenger police and/or Border Official check on passports and travel documents after passengers have had the opportunity to check in bags..Yes there's then the risk of a delay if those passengers get rejected by "Border" after they have checked bags but sadly baggage offloads are not uncommon anyway, even now, for all sorts of reasons (BTW I've been at the business end of a few of these events and I've never heard of the airline being fined for a resultant late take-off).

If the UK government want's to seriously police people's motives for outbound travel then it needs to do provide the personnel and the system to do so. I suspect in reality this will like a lot of the other Covid precautions and measures that have been introduced with much fanfare - it'll end up be a bit of a half baked, will not be monitored and therefore will only have an effect if people volunteer to stick to the rules.

[quote SqidgeBum]@RainingBatsAndFrogs the issue is regarding essential travel. If you are going travelling to the UK because your parent has had a heart attack or you adult child is dying, will you be turned away? [/quote]
Countries with strict Covid border restrictions - so genuinely essential travel only - are allowing compassionate travel.

Visiting a seriously ill or dying close family member is far more essential than banker ski work trips.

@Doryhunky I have family members on holiday in Cornwall now. The guidelines say if you’re on holiday when lockdown starts you can stay (apparently, not read it myself) but the holiday people want them off site before lockdown starts.

@MummaBear4321

The aviation industry is in deep deep doo doo..

As someone who relies on the aviation industry to be able to see my family, specifically the cheap airlines so my DDs get to see their GPs regularly, I agree, and I am very worry about the future of air travel.

It would've been so much cheaper to have used our island advantage back in January or February.

Restricted borders - essential travel only (food, medicine, military, emergency).
And - given the travel industry a financial support package.

Instead we've spent billions on furlough (including the fraud), EOTHO, and the failed test, track, and trace system.

That said, air travel will pick up again. Not for a couple of years but eventually. Climate change campaigners aside.

@Doryhunky I have family members on holiday in Cornwall now. The guidelines say if you’re on holiday when lockdown starts you can stay (apparently, not read it myself) but the holiday people want them off site before lockdown starts.

Perhaps we could employ some of people made redundant as border control?

Others could be employed on the revised and now functioning test, track, and trace...the one that doesn't yet exist but if the government had any sense they'd sort out over the next four weeks.

This is what Australia is currently doing looks sensible if you can actually get a flight. Our system will no doubt be less rigorous.

Individual exemptions
The Commissioner of the Australian Border Force may grant you an individual exemption if you are:

A non-citizen travelling at the invitation of the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority to assist in the COVID-19 response
Providing critical or specialist medical services, including air ambulance, medical evacuations, and delivering essential medical supplies
A non-citizen with necessary skills or working in a crucial sector in Australia
A non-citizen sponsored by your employer to work in Australia in an occupation on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL)
A non-citizen whose entry would otherwise be in the national interest, supported by the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority
Military personnel, including those who form part of the Status of Forces Agreement, Commonwealth Armed Forces, Asia Pacific Forces, and Status of Armed Forces Agreement
A student completing year 11 and 12, with support from the relevant Australian State or Territory government health authority and education department
Travelling for compassionate and compelling reasons.
You must hold a visa and an exemption to Australia’s travel restrictions before you travel. You can request an exemption online and must provide appropriate evidence to support your claims. Requests may be finalized without further consideration if insufficient evidence is provided. All documents need to be officially translated into English.

You need to apply for an exemption at least two weeks, but not more than three months, before your planned travel.

To complete a travel exemption request, you should already hold a visa, and you should provide information and documents to support your claim. Proposals may be finalized without further consideration if insufficient evidence is provided. This may include the following:

Proof of identity
Proof that you hold a valid visa
Travel itinerary
Marriage, birth, death certificate/s
Proof of relationship or residence (such as a shared tenancy agreement, joint bank account, etc.)
Letter from a doctor or hospital, indicating why travel is necessary
Letter from an employer indicating why travel is necessary
Supporting letter from a business or government agency, advising why your skills are critical
The statutory declaration to support your claims.

This is what Australia is doing and sounds sensible no doubt our system will be less rigorous.

Individual exemptions
The Commissioner of the Australian Border Force may grant you an individual exemption if you are:

A non-citizen travelling at the invitation of the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority to assist in the COVID-19 response
Providing critical or specialist medical services, including air ambulance, medical evacuations, and delivering essential medical supplies
A non-citizen with necessary skills or working in a crucial sector in Australia
A non-citizen sponsored by your employer to work in Australia in an occupation on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL)
A non-citizen whose entry would otherwise be in the national interest, supported by the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority
Military personnel, including those who form part of the Status of Forces Agreement, Commonwealth Armed Forces, Asia Pacific Forces, and Status of Armed Forces Agreement
A student completing year 11 and 12, with support from the relevant Australian State or Territory government health authority and education department
Travelling for compassionate and compelling reasons.
You must hold a visa and an exemption to Australia’s travel restrictions before you travel. You can request an exemption online and must provide appropriate evidence to support your claims. Requests may be finalized without further consideration if insufficient evidence is provided. All documents need to be officially translated into English.

You need to apply for an exemption at least two weeks, but not more than three months, before your planned travel.

To complete a travel exemption request, you should already hold a visa, and you should provide information and documents to support your claim. Proposals may be finalized without further consideration if insufficient evidence is provided. This may include the following:

Proof of identity
Proof that you hold a valid visa
Travel itinerary
Marriage, birth, death certificate/s
Proof of relationship or residence (such as a shared tenancy agreement, joint bank account, etc.)
Letter from a doctor or hospital, indicating why travel is necessary
Letter from an employer indicating why travel is necessary
Supporting letter from a business or government agency, advising why your skills are critical
The statutory declaration to support your claims.

The Australian system is very sensible. Unfortunately I suspect you're right @vera99 I don't see our government coming anywhere close to doing the same. Which is why we'll see a rinse and repeat of all this in another couple of months time.

Incidentally, the domestic travel industry is doing well in Australia. My family in Australia enjoyed a within state holiday a month ago.

Separately it's not my phone then. I thought it was just me somehow ending up posting duplicate posts!

Most flights won't be going or economic so a few fleeing the UK won't make much of difference whether validated as essential or not I would have thought.

The system was hanging so the reason I posted twice. We are all on the internet tonight all over the world!

The system was hanging so the reason I posted twice. We are all on the internet tonight all over the world!

Countries with strict Covid border restrictions - so genuinely essential travel only - are allowing compassionate travel.

The UK then? I hope so. Some family are visiting an end of life relative and hoping they can return OK. To the Netherlands.