New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around. New Website Launched. Come have a look around.

UK Media & Consumer Market Update — September 9, 2020

Rooster
UK Media & Consumer Market Update — September 9, 2020
UK Media & Consumer Market Update — September 9, 2020
9 September 2020 Zac van Manen

Accurate as of 9 September 2020.

UK Media & Consumer Market Update

Current UK status:

Visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus for all official information.

  • As of 6pm on 8 September 2020, a total of 17,619,897 people have been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19), of which 352,560 were confirmed positive.
  • 41,586 patients in the UK who tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
  • Local lockdowns continue in the North of England, Leicester, Blackburn, Oldham, Pendle and Bolton.
  • The Government has announced that stricter rules on gatherings will come into force on Monday, with groups of up to 6 permitted to meet indoors and outdoors. The current maximum group size is 30. These measures come into force following data that shows that young people are increasingly contracting and spreading the virus. Total daily cases dropped to 516 in early July, yet the UK saw 2,988 cases in one day last week.

UK travel restrictions:

Visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office for all official information.

  • As countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel and border restrictions, the FCO advises British nationals against all but essential international travel.
  • A 14-day mandatory quarantine for all UK arrivals except for those announced as exempt. See here for the full list of exempt countries. Countries can be added or removed from this list at any time.
  • FCO travel advice includes information on any health measures in place for visitors to a country or territory. These can include a requirement to self-isolate, quarantine or undergo testing for coronavirus, or even restrictions on entry.
  • All travellers entering the UK or returning to the UK must complete a comprehensive passenger locator form or risk a fine.
  • Transport secretary Grant Shapps has outlined how the UK could eventually move to testing passengers for coronavirus when they arrive at British airports, but stressed it would not eliminate the need for people to quarantine. This comes after increased scrutiny and mounting pressure from airlines and travel companies, which are warning of further rounds of job losses in their sectors unless the UK’s quarantine rules are ditched.

Latest updates:

  • England’s first regional quarantines have come into effect, with arrivals from seven Greek island now required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return (TTG)
  • A petition to extend the furlough scheme beyond October for travel businesses has now been signed by nearly 30,000 people. Petitions lodged on parliament’s official petitions platform require government to issue a formal response within five days if they achieve more than 10,000 signatures (TTG)
  • The European Tourism Manifesto alliance is calling on countries to co-ordinate any related border restrictions as it backed renewed efforts by the European Commission to improve co-ordination on cross-border travel (Travel Weekly)
  • Despite rumours that Portugal would be taken off the UK’s quarantine exemption list after just a few weeks, the government did not make that change last week. However, Portugal has since seen a record increase in cases and remains at risk of being removed from the list, alongside Denmark (I News) / (Express)
  • Nearly two-thirds of people would prefer a COVID-19 test on arrival to the current 14-day quarantine, a new opinion poll has found. The survey of 2,139 UK adults found 62% said they would prefer testing on arrival compared to 38% who would opt for quarantine (TTG)
  • Two in five Britons are turning away from longer holidays in favour of shorter “minication” breaks of around three days, a survey has suggested. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the tourism industry, a poll of 2,000 people by Travelodge found 42% had switched to taking several shorter breaks (I News)
  • The Thomas Cook travel brand is close to being re-launched following the company’s spectacular collapse last year that cost thousands of jobs. However, the new firm will be online-only without the aircraft, hotels and shops of the old business (BBC)
  • Boris Johnson has been urged by an alliance of more than 400 British and US businesses to introduce compulsory COVID-19 testing of travellers 48 hours before they fly so they can by-pass quarantine and restore international aviation (Telegraph)
  • Ryanair has threatened to leave Ireland if travel restrictions remain in place. The budget Irish carrier has warned it will move operations out of Ireland during the winter season unless the government does away with its “green list” (Independent)
  • Travellers planning to visit the Maldives will need to show negative COVID-19 test results from 10 September. All tourists and visitors heading to the tropical archipelago must present a negative PCR test on arrival. The move comes less than two months after the country reopened to tourists, initially with no requirements for quarantine or COVID-19 testing for visitors (The National)
  • A new proposal could lift the quarantine restrictions on those who want to travel between the US and UK. Government officials are reportedly in talks regarding a new “air bridge” between New York and London (Express)

Social media:

Confused about how best to communicate with your customers during this period? Get in touch.