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Weekly UK Media, Travel, Consumer & Social Update — 1 April, 2021

Weekly UK Media, Travel, Consumer & Social Update — 1 April, 2021
1 April 2021 Zac van Manen

Accurate as of: 1 April 2021 

Current UK status:

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

  • As of 4pm on 31 March 2021, a total of 122,824,208 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests have been conducted in the UK. 4,345,788 people have tested positive.
  • 30,905,538 people have had their first dose of the vaccination, while 4,108,536 have been fully vaccinated.
  • 126,713 patients in the UK who tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
  • Guidance for the current lockdown rules in England can be found

UK travel restrictions:

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

  • Boris Johnson has laid out a roadmap out of lockdown, with key touchstones to further open up the country on 12 April, 17 May and 21 June.
  • Currently, UK residents can only travel internationally – or within the UK – where they first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, they should consider the public health advice in the country they are visiting.
  • UK residents cannot leave their home or the place where they are living for holidays or overnight stays unless they have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.
  • In order to enter the UK, a negative Covid-19 test must be completed 72 hours before travel and presented to staff on planes, trains, and ferries in order to board. A further two tests must be completed at the travellers’ expense during their quarantine before they can return to day-to-day life.
  • People entering the UK from high-risk countries, or “red” countries, will have to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense for 10 days.

Latest updates:

  • Groups of up to six people from two different households are now able to socialise outdoors in the latest relaxing of UK lockdown rules.
  • Meanwhile, across the Channel, France is entering its third national lockdown, with schools closing for three weeks and non-essential shops shutting. (BBC)
  • IATA is to launch a travel pass app in April, which will allow passengers to certify their Covid-19 status. (TTG)
  • Research by firm Oxera and consultants Edge Health claims quarantine is unnecessary “if widespread testing is adopted”. The study recommends antigen tests as the favoured option. (TTG)
  • Research among 2,000 consumers by travel insurance provider battleface showed 62% of Britons are in favour of more countries adopting vaccination passports. Conversely, 26% of British holidaymakers would be put off visiting a country if they were required to provide proof of a Covid-19 vaccination. (TTG)
  • The Save Future Travel Coalition has written to government calling for sector-specific grants for travel agencies in England. The coalition of 15 travel industry trade bodies noted the “disparity” between support for affected members in England and other parts of the UK, as well as other countries. (Travel Weekly)
  • The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), which represents more than 2,000 tourism sites across the country, is calling for an extra day off in September to make up for lost business over Easter and the first May bank holiday, which will fall under lockdown restrictions. (Telegraph)
  • An expert predicts some of the “green list” countries for when international travel from the UK is permitted again – Iceland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, and the Caribbean islands. (Express)
  • While all eyes are on Europe and its third wave, across the Pond the US is readying itself for the restart of tourism, with some hotels already at 90 per cent occupancy. (The Times)
  • Reports are surfacing that Biden will lift the travel ban on the UK in May. (Forbes)
  • Universal Studios Hollywood has announced it will reopen to guests from 16 April. (Travel Weekly)

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