COVID-19: What are the new travel quarantine rules? Can I book a winter holiday?
What the new rules mean for holidaymakers - and for the travel industry.
Wednesday 25 November 2020 07:56, UK
Passengers arriving in England from 15 December from high-risk countries will now have to self-isolate for only five days if they have a negative COVID-19 test.
Sky News looks into what that means for people wanting to travel, and the implications for the hard-hit travel industry.
What are the new rules?
From 15 December, people arriving in England from countries not on the travel corridor list will have the option to take a test after five days of self-isolation - test and release, as the government is calling it.
If they test negative they will no longer need to self-isolate.
They can take a test at home or at a private provider's site.
People who do not wish to take the test will still have to self-isolate for 14 days or face being fined.
Passengers will have to book a test before they arrive in England and will need to state this on their passenger locator form before arriving.
If they choose to opt in after arrival, they will have to resubmit their passenger locator form.
How much will the tests cost?
To ensure the NHS Test and Trace system is not overloaded, the government has said people will have to pay for private tests from a list of government-approved providers.
A set of minimum standards for the private providers to meet has been published by the government, including meeting a minimum sensitivity of 97%.
The list of companies will be published on gov.uk nearer the time, but the tests are set to cost between £65 and £120.
Travel companies are hoping as this option is used more, the test prices will become more competitive.
Can I just get a test at the airport?
No. The government has said scientific evidence shows a test after five days of self-isolation "provides materially better results" than having a test on arrival.
This allows time for the virus to incubate, if it is present, and helps reduce the risk of a false negative result.
Can I now go on a winter holiday?
The new rule means those who were not able to book a holiday before as they could not self-isolate for two weeks on their return, can do so.
But, there are caveats.
Emma Brennan, spokeswoman for ABTA, the travel agents and tour operators trade association, said: "First thing to remember is the travel corridor system is in place - places like the Canaries and the Maldives, you don't need to quarantine or have a test.
"For those places where you do have to quarantine for 14 days, you've got the opportunity to reduce it.
"That will make a big difference where quarantine has been a big barrier for people booking a holiday in a country where the government isn't advising against all but essential travel.
"But, for those places where the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel, that will mean your insurance is void even if you have a test on return."
At the moment, that includes most ski destinations so that annual trip to the slopes will be off for now.
Ms Brennan added: "The picture is quite different across the world, so your destination might have a different rule from here.
"All the information is available on the Foreign Office website so anybody booking a trip should check there first.
"Sign up for the email alerts for that destination as things can change at pace, so keep checking to see what the latest measures there are, even for things like wearing face masks."
What does this mean for the travel industry?
"Things are moving in the right direction," Ms Brennan said.
"We've been asking for testing for quite some time and it comes at quite a good time for people rushing to go away over Christmas to see friends and family.
"But, there's still quite a way to go before travel is fully opened up."
She added that after every positive announcement for the travel industry, they have seen a surge in bookings - but they are only expecting 10% of normal Christmas bookings.
"We're hoping as time progresses, the quarantine lists will become smaller and the government will take a more regional approach, as we've been suggesting for a while," she said.
"Unfortunately our industry hasn't had the same financial support as others such as hospitality and the arts.
"We need a more flexible furlough scheme because we get times during lockdown where people book holidays but it's not sustainable.
"Grants are available but we've found it's a bit of a postcode lottery."