18th March 2022 is Freedom Day

[Xenia]

Covid travel rules end in England on 18 March (which is particularly important for those of us who are unvaccinated).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60741158

Also Tui has announced no masks on planes (other than those destinations where the law requires otherwise) for those from England www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/preparing-to-travel

yet theres still people moaning on other threads that isolation has ended and people need to isolate, unpaid if necessary

It's not for those in hospital who still cannot have visitors. Or those whose cancer treatment is still delayed because many hospitals are still running beyond capacity, not least because of the number of unvaccinated people needing treatment for covid.

But you don't give a shit about those people, do you Xenia?

Jet2 have abolished masks on flights, regardless of destination.

Whilst I'm glad to see the end of travel rules to enter the UK, being unvaccinated, for now, depending on the country you are travelling too will still cause issues, you'll either be declined entry altogether,ie Spain or you'll need to pay for PCR tests to enter. Theres very few other countries that have dropped their entry requirements like the UK will be doing on Friday

Are they getting rid of that passenger location form?

This change benefits overseas visitors to the U.K.. if you want to travel to, as an example the US you need to be fully vaccinated.

I know there are very strong views on both sides. I understand that. I was just letting people know. Very very very few of us in the UK are not vaccinated. 91% of adults have had at least the first vaccine. I am in a rare 9% and I know many people think we 9% are killers or worse.

On the question of the locator form - the BBC suggests that will go too.

"His announcement means that passengers who are not fully vaccinated will no longer have to take Covid tests before and after travelling to the UK. The passenger locator form will no longer be necessary either."

Mexico remains the best holiday destination from England if would want a destination with no tests on entry.

Hopefully a step in the right direction.

Businesses need to trade in the U.K. and other countries need tourism money.

This feels to me like the beginning of a return to sanity.

Childminders are still unable to work with a positive case in the house! So my husband could go to work with covid but I would be unable to open even if I didn't have it myself. Yet every other restriction is lifted....

@Flyonawalk

Hopefully a step in the right direction.

Businesses need to trade in the U.K. and other countries need tourism money.

This feels to me like the beginning of a return to sanity.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements

Depends which tourist country you want to travel it - Spain, popular with British tourists, still has restrictions.

@Parker231 Yes, I agree there’s a long way to go. But hopefully more countries will rediscover normality.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat That seems very inconsistent, especially given rules around schools. Hopefully things will change.

[quote Flyonawalk]@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat That seems very inconsistent, especially given rules around schools. Hopefully things will change.[/quote]
Indeed I can look after a child who tests positive but if they give it to me, I have to shut. Nuts isn't it?

Not sure it really makes much difference to the average tourist traveller from the UK. I guess I won't have to complete a PLF- tbh though that takes less than 5 minutes. Mask wearing wasn't particularly adhered to on my last flight anyway - especially long haul when you are fed and given drinks so have a lot of official mask off time anyway.

We are still subject to whatever rules other countries impose.
So, a mix of vaccines, tests, forms, masks there etc are all still needed for a lot of countries, for most travellers leaving here.

I'm actually planning to travel back to UK and am rather alarmed by the increase in numbers and lack of masks on public transport etc. We've had one week so far of not having to wear them in shops/school and many people still are.

I didn't know that GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

"Childminders are still unable to work with a positive case in the house"
I think there may be no legal obligation on you every to do a test so I suppose the rule may never therefore apply to you if you never do a test?

I agree we are still subject to whatever rules other countries impose so in terms of holiday destinations Mexico is one of the few possibles.

Yes that would be ideal except it also includes anyone 'with symptoms'. So you need to test to hope for a negative result. It's truly fucking awful that we're being segregated like this.