UK Media & Consumer Market Update — 23 December, 2020

UK Media & Consumer Market Update — 23 December, 2020
23rd December 2020 Zac van Manen

UK Media & Consumer Market Update — 23 December, 2020

Accurate as of: 22 December 2020

Current UK status:

Visit https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ for all official information.

  • As of 4pm on 22 December 2020, a total of 48,469,931 people have been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19), of which 2,110,314 were confirmed positive.
  • 68,307 patients in the UK who tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
  • As of 2 December, England has come out of national lockdown and has returned to a regional, tiered lockdown approach, based on the latest data.
  • Guidance for the current tiered approach in England can be found

UK travel restrictions:

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

  • The tiered lockdown approach means that international travel is permitted on a country by country basis, depending on whether there is an open travel corridor.
  • As of 2 December, mandatory quarantine upon returning to the UK following travel has been reduced to 5 days, upon receipt of a negative test on day 5.
  • As of 20 December 2020, London and much of the South West has entered Tier 4, which includes rules similar to the UK’s full lockdown.
  • Following identification of a new variant of the virus, international travel from the UK has become increasingly restricted because of international travel bans. Different rules to international travel where borders remain open apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, those in Tier 4 areas in England will not be permitted to travel abroad apart from limited exceptions, such as work purposes.

Latest updates:

  • A tougher fourth tier of coronavirus restrictions for London and much of south-east England is now in place, after a mutated strain of COVID-19 has been found spreading at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, the whole of Wales has entered another lockdown. Mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland start new lockdowns on Boxing Day. (BBC)
  • More than 1,500 lorries are stuck in Kent waiting to leave the UK as politicians thrash out a plan to reopen France’s border to trade and travel. France shut its UK border for 48 hours on Sunday amid fears of a new coronavirus variant. (BBC)
  • The European Union’s 27 member states will try to co-ordinate restrictions on links to the UK, after dozens of countries suspended travel amid alarm over a new coronavirus variant. (BBC)
  • Problems have increased in the bid to get a trade deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom on the rails before a Brexit transition period ends on New Year’s Day, with the EU legislature insisting ever more it will not have time to vet and approve an agreement. (Independent)
  • Virgin Atlantic has announced it will introduce pre-departure Covid-19 testing for all customers travelling from London to the United States from Thursday 24 December. The airline said all travellers must present evidence of a negative Lamp or PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to departure, including on-site at the airport. (TTG)
  • Meanwhile, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Delta will require negative Covid-19 tests from passengers when flying from the UK to New York. The airlines have all agreed to the request made by New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday 21 December in efforts to stop the spread of the new variant of coronavirus believed to be up to 70% more transmissible. (TTG)
  • The availability of Covid-19 vaccines is “no magic bullet” and it will take more to restore consumers’ confidence to travel, according to a leading health and safety expert. Callum Irvine, health safety and environment practice lead at Deloitte, said global standards to tackle the coronavirus remain crucial to restoring travel demand. (Travel Weekly)
  • Ski resorts in Switzerland and Austria remain open for Christmas, although some ski resorts in Switzerland have begun to close, the most notable for Brits being Andermatt. From Tuesday 21 December, Switzerland will enter a ‘light’ lockdown, with restaurants, sports and recreation centres ordered to close for a month, as the country attempts to curb rising cases of the virus. (The Telegraph)

Social media news:

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