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.

Weekly UK Media, Travel, Consumer & Social Update — 19 May, 2021

Rooster
Weekly UK Media, Travel, Consumer & Social Update — 19 May, 2021
Weekly UK Media, Travel, Consumer & Social Update — 19 May, 2021
19 May 2021 Zac van Manen

Accurate as of: 19 May 2021

UK Media & Consumer Market Update

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

  • As of 4pm on 19 May 2021, a total of 168,404,482 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests have been conducted in the UK. 4,452,527 people have tested positive.
  • 36,985,505 people have had their first dose of the vaccination, while 20,870,453 have been fully vaccinated.
  • 151,904 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 17 May and 21 June.
  • 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. Depending on whether a traveller comes from a “green” or “amber” list, determines the rules they need to comply with upon return.
  • 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.
  • The rules for travellers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/travel-abroad

Latest updates:

  • The US Travel Association has reiterated its call for the US to reopen its borders following the announcement that the European Union ease entry restrictions this summer. Roger Dow, USTA president and chief executive, said: “The European Union’s risk-based, science-driven plan to reopen international travel will hopefully spur the US to heed the many calls for a plan and timetable to safely reopen our borders.” (Travel Weekly)
  • Matt Hancock has said that the final decision on the unlocking of the UK will be made on 14 June. The presence of the Indian variant is a cause for concern, with a 28% increase in cases since Monday, but research claims that the vaccines are still effective against this variant. (Telegraph)
  • EU ambassadors have backed proposals to reopen borders for non-essential travel from countries with low infection rates, with a list to be agreed this week. Diplomats in Brussels said visitors should be allowed to come from countries with an incidence rate of below 75 cases per 100,000 people. Under those terms UK travellers would be eligible, but there are concerns about the Indian Covid-19 variant. (BBC)
  • Sources close to the EU have confirmed that the bloc is having second thoughts over whether to lift an EU travel ban on British tourists this week because of the spread of the Indian variant. Diplomatic sources said that a decision on whether to include Britain could now be delayed until next week. (Telegraph)
  • The number of UK travel and tourism jobs lost if international travel is not reopened could top 500,000, the World Travel & Tourism Council has warned. (TTG)
  • Government ministers have spread even more confusion over whether travel to an amber destination is allowed or strictly off limits. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “It’s very important for people to grasp what an amber country is. It is not somewhere where you should be going on holiday,” in contradiction to FCDO advice that confirms travel to an amber list country is possible. (Travel Gossip)
  • After months of speculation about which London airport would host flights to New York on JetBlue, the airline has finally revealed it will depart from both Heathrow and Gatwick. (Independent)
  • Consumers could be given new rights when booking holidays as part of a shake-up of the current system by the government. The Department for Transport (DFT) is set to carry out a consultation into possible changes to consumer protection around holidays later this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. (TTG)
  • Ryanair has forecast “a strong recovery” this summer, with group chief executive Michael O’Leary predicting Greece and Spain will be added to the UK green list of destinations without quarantine restrictions from June. (Travel Weekly)
  • Iceland’s newest airline PLAY has officially launched its ticket sales for seven destinations across Europe. Its inaugural flight will be London Stansted on 24 June. (Simple Flying)

Social media:

Need help navigating the UK’s reopening? Get in touch.