Is the UK Safe for Holidays After the Lockdown?

Coronavirus pandemic has delayed any plans for holidays in recent times. Even parents get frustrated by sitting at homes and asking the question when they can go out and enjoy vacations. But unfortunately, it's not sure when can this happen. Because of the lockdown all over the UK, everyone is suffering from isolation ‘fever’. The lockdown in the UK and international travel has been extended until mid of May. The same is the case in most of the countries in Europe. Travelling in the US and other countries in the Far East seems unlikely until late this summer.

In this article, you will find out about the post-lockdown situation in the UK.

Summer Vacations in the UK After Lockdown

People travel to various foreign destinations to enjoy their summer holidays. This won't be the case in the post-Covid19 world. It doesn't mean that you can no longer enjoy a beach holiday in the Mediterranean. Several reasons will make the UK the best holiday destination in the summer of 2021.

Healthy Holidays

There are several countries with no advanced health services like the NHS; these areas might concern several people regarding their health. If there is no widely available vaccine, the cost of holiday health insurances will also rise. As there is no guarantee that you will find any hygiene and cleanliness in most counties, the UK will be the best option to spend your holidays in the summer of 2021.

Getting Full Value of Your Money

The UK holiday destinations will be the best investment you can make after the lockdown. One of the reasons is that the Pound, Euro, and Dollar values have decreased significantly against other currencies. This also means that travelling to other countries may cost you higher. In the UK, you will be getting the full value of your money. You won't be getting favourable exchange rates in other countries. Moreover, the flight and accommodation charges will be higher too. As a UK citizen, spending your holidays in the UK will also be favourable for the country because the lockdown has affected the UK's economy very badly and spending your money in the UK will change that, and many businesses will revive because of the upcoming holiday season.

Holidays Will Be Cheaper

You are not the only one who want to enjoy the holidays this summer after months of lockdown. After the lockdown period is finished, several holiday destinations will open and crave your attention. Holidays will be in high demand. There will be high competition among all the holiday businesses, and each one of them will be offering several discounts and offers to have a competitive edge over the others. This is why spending your holidays in the UK will be a better option for you this summer.

September Vacations in the UK

No one knows where this coronavirus situation will take us, but we should be optimistic about the September holidays. There will be after-effects of coronavirus pandemic in the summer holidays even after the lockdown is lifted. The best time to enjoy the holidays will come in September, which will prove to be the most favourable time to get yourself out of the homes and give yourself the necessary peace of mind. The first of September will be the ideal time to enjoy the holidays for families with kids. Without kids, these holidays destinations will be quieter.

Late Indian Summers from September to October is not a new thing in the UK. It means that even if you didn't enjoy beach holidays in July or August, you could still have a chance to feel the sea breeze and sandy beaches in September.

Which Places Are Preferable to Visit In the UK?

If you have already made up your mind to spend your holiday in the UK, you might be wondering which places to go to in the UK to spend a memorable holiday. One of the most favourite holiday destinations in the UK is Devon or Cornwall.

 The UK has one of the best coastal and inland holiday destinations in the world. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, every corner of the UK is hit badly. Although Southwest is one of the least affected places in the UK, not many COVID-19 cases and death tolls were recorded. This makes this place one of the safest in the UK.

Southwest countries, especially Devon and Cornwall, have recorded the lowest Covid-19 cases in the UK. According to experts, the locals of Devon and Cornwall were discouraged with the idea of self-isolation; people who owned their second homes in these areas were less affected by the Covid-19 wave. Even when the lockdown will be over, these places are likely to stay safe and healthy for the citizens and the visitors. It is still unclear how the government plans to control these safe areas after the travel restrictions are over because the government doesn't want virus in these areas from outside. The best approach to enjoy safe holidays in these areas is to keep track of the cases until your planned travel dates.

Summer Holidays in Southwest

The ideal places to travel for holidays this summer will be Devon and Cornwall. One of the reasons is that these areas are very rural. Social distancing is easier in these places as there is the countryside around. If you want to enjoy and peaceful holiday without much hustle and bustle of the people, these countries are best to do so.

These areas have it all, the peaceful environment and the mesmerizing views of the South coast. The weather is also nicer than the north coast in this area. The golden beaches and cliff tops of this area have everything to enjoy for.

Salcombe is the perfect area to enjoy natural beauty with peace and relaxation. You will have a lot of things to do in this wonderful town of England.

Devon September Vacations

Salcombe is the perfect holiday destination for families, couples, and solo travellers. You can enjoy the views of the beautiful beaches of this area and the natural beauty of the countryside. This area has everything to offer for your September holidays.

What is a Vaccine Passport and How to Get It?

According to the UK government, the travel activities may be resumed from 17 May. This will be 19 weeks after travel was declared banned in the UK. More countries will follow the UK in reopening the travel again, but people will require to provide various documents, including vaccination status and coronavirus reports.

What is a Vaccination Passport?

The word ‘vaccination passport’ doesn’t mean a specific passport; it will instead have more details than just the vaccination details, including proof of vaccination, results of tests of those people whose vaccinations are yet to come, history of the travel if he ever had coronavirus or recovered from it. This information is necessary to know that the traveller has less possibility of transmitting coronavirus, but a documented proof is needed.

This Covid Health Certificate will allow people to go through securities and restrictions easier than ever. There will be name, surname, date of birth, date of vaccination, and type of batch.

How to Get Covid Health Certificate?

As there are no international agreements, you can't get a covid health certificate at the moment. Airlines, countries, and the European Union are coming up with their solutions to provide Covid Health Certificate. If countries just give away the health database of its citizen to airlines and other companies, it will raise serious privacy issues. The only solution to this problem is that the authorities of each country should provide this certificate in a format which is accepted all around the world.

How is Europe Dealing with This Situation?

Most of the countries have proposed digital green certificates, which is the best idea yet to be presented. Most likely, it is to be perceived positively worldwide. According to the EU, this certificate will have a QR code in it with wet signatures of the concerned offices; this QR code will provide all the necessary information. This certificate will be issued by the respected health authorities of each country.

The European Commission is setting up a system that will verify all the signatures on the certificates across the EU. It doesn’t mean that the sensitive data of health authorities of each country will be shared with other countries.

According to the European Commission, “Only the validity and authenticity of the certificate is checked by verifying who issued and signed it.”

The data of the Green Certificate will be secured with the country which issued it. The EU is also working with World Health Organization to ensure that this certificate works in every country.

When These Certificates Will Be Issued?

According to the European Commission, the digital green certificates will be available around summer.

How Is the UK Dealing with All This?

At the moment, nothing can be said. But last November, the UK government has shown interest in issuing a sort of covid vaccine passport which will contain the information of the traveller explaining that the traveller is safe to enter a country. According to the Global Travel Taskforce, there should be a system through which each country can validate the covid situation of the traveller.

According to the report, “The global harmonization of measures will simplify travel between countries, strengthening public confidence in international travel, and enable travel to be more quickly re-established between countries.” The government should develop a system for the vaccinated person so that he/she can easily travel across the country. European Union has already started working with other countries to build such a system to improve international travel

 safety. 

More than 33 million adults have got vaccinated in the UK, but a not single one of them received any certificate about it.

What Other Options Do I Have?

You can prove your vaccination status on NHS Digital App, but you should know crucial details like vaccine type and batch number. The UK does give the vaccinated people a vaccination receipt, but having this receipt doesn't have enough information to meet international requirements. You can also ask your doctor to provide you with a letter stating your personal information and vaccination details.

What Else is Out There?

CommonPass, a joint effort between The Commons Project (a Swiss non-revenue driven manufacturer of advanced stages for networks), the World Economic Forum, and others, is being utilized, all things considered – however on a limited scale.

Travellers on JetBlue flying from Boston to Aruba who takes the obligatory Covid test from one of the aircraft's perceived suppliers can have their subtleties imparted to the related Common Trust Network – and don't require an exceptional application. They just have their international IDs checked on appearance, and the information base will educate the experts on the Caribbean island that they have been tried.  Such a framework is much the same as Esta, the online authorization expected to enter the US. Assuming you are appropriately enlisted and authorize, the carrier will be given the green light by swiping the "machine-lucid code" in your regular visa.

CommonPass welcomes explorers to "Offer your present wellbeing status so you can securely get back to travel and life". The recommendation is: "CommonPass conveys a straightforward yes/no answer concerning whether the individual meets the current passage models, yet the hidden wellbeing data stays in the person's control."

What Other Developments Airlines Made?

International Air Association has developed an app-based system known as Travel Pass has been adopted by many airlines. This system works with the already established Titanic database to check passengers’ validity and authenticity of the travel.

Singapore Airlines was the world's first carrier to guide the Movement Pass versatile application for advanced wellbeing check for travellers heading out from Singapore to London Heathrow up to 28 March 2021.  Although the Travel Pass didn't all alone give adequate verification of a negative test to agree with UK travel rules, voyagers also needed to bring an actual duplicate of their wellbeing declaration gave by the facility where they took their Coronavirus test. There are handfuls more choices, from independent aircraft applications like Ryanair to an assortment of potential arrangements, which might hamper normalization worldwide.

They incorporate AOKpass (working with Etihad between Abu Dhabi and Paris) and VeriFLY.

What is the Traffic Light System of the Countries for Summer Holidays 2021?

Holidays in foreign for summer 2021 will be based on the traffic light system. Let’s see what this system is.

These are confusing times regarding the summer holidays of 2021. The government is announcing that summer holidays won't be possible one day, but the next day, it seems a highly possible scenario. For the time being, enjoying the summer holidays seems possible. In an interview with Sky News, transport secretary Grant Shapps, current circumstances are more accessible than the previous year. People can book their holidays which will be the case, unlike last months. He also said that the situation is making 'tentative progress. Coronavirus risk is still out there. That's why there is a traffic light system for countries, and people are most likely to choose countries in the green light zone, but the official list of countries in every zone is yet to be published. After all this time, people are looking for relaxation of mind, so it might be possible for the citizens of Wales to visit the country of their liking. Still, the government and people will have to be cautious to prevent the return of Covid-19 in the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also expressed that he is hopeful for the international flights to the limited countries from May 17. This would be a huge step from the government to make the country ‘fly’ again.

The international travel will be based on traffic light system which will have its risks. The countries will be divided into green, amber, and red zones. This means that some countries will have a high number of cases that won't be on either of the lists, and people won't be able to go to them as these countries will be restricted. Before booking your holiday in any of the countries belong to any zone, you must check every country's Foreign Policy and then book your tickets and meet the requirement of the destined country.

What is the Traffic Light System?

According to the Global Task Published by the government, it is explained how international travel will resume for the summer holidays. Every country will be put in green, amber, and red zones. This division will base on the number of cases in each country, infection rate, and vaccination roll-out. Following are the details of each zone:

Green

People who will be travelling to countries won't need to self-isolate themselves on returning to the UK. 2 days after returning to the UK; they will require a pre-departure test and PCR test.

Amber

A 10-day quarantine will be needed for those travellers who choose to travel to the countries in the Amber Zone. The quarantine will be over if the test of these people will come out negative, which will be taken five days after they arrive in the UK. On day two and day 8 of their arrival in the UK, they will require to take a pre-departure and PCR test.

Red

All the travellers to red zone countries will be required to complete an 11-day quarantine in the government-decided hotel, whose cost will be 1750 GBP. Moreover, they will require to take COVID tests before and after their arrival in the UK.

Potential List of Countries in Green Zone

Countries' decision to be put in the green zone is likely to be taken in early May. This decision will base on the data collected on the nearest possible dates to the allowed travel date. There will also be a Green Watchlist; the countries in this list can be moved to the amber list at any time. The decisions will be reviewed on June 28, July 31, and October 1.

Following are the countries which are most likely to appear in the green zone:

Israel

In Israel, the success of vaccination is globally acknowledged. Israel is soon to create a Vaccine bubble with Greece, allowing the people to travel in both countries without any need to quarantine themselves. The UK and Israel are in talks of a travel corridor that will make things easier and safer. According to the tourism ministry, this travel corridor will be in-act in the mid-2021.

Malta

Malts are one of the destinations in which the UK citizens love to travel because of their clear blue water and white sand. This is highly possible that Malta will be on the Green list of the UK. Malta has already announced that from June 1, UK citizens are allowed to travel to Malta if they have their vaccination card, stating that they have completed the two-dose vaccination process. Travels must show their vaccination cards before getting on to the plane to Malta. According to Malta's traffic light system of the countries, the UK is in the red zone, which means that people of the UK can enjoy the Mediterranean Sea by showing the vaccination card.

Portugal

It was announced that Portugal would be out of the red zone of banned countries. It can be possible that it will be in the green zone and enjoy their holidays in Portugal this summer. According to Portugal's Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, Portugal will soon be allowing restriction-free travel for those who are vaccinated and those who are immune or shown negative results on their COVID tests. People from the UK are welcomed in the country from May 17.

Gibraltar

It is one of the countries which finished the vaccination of its entire population. This makes this European country to be in the green zone. The average number of cases of Covid-19 in Gibraltar is 7. Gibraltar is also preparing for the citizen of the UK to visit the country from May 17.

Barbados

Barbados has 70+ miles of beaches. It is a popular destination for water-sport and deep-sea diving. Because the daily coronavirus cases are in a single figure now and only 120 cases are detected in the last 14 days, there are high chances that Barbados will be in the green zone too. As Barbados has put the UK as a high-risk country, travellers from the UK must bring a negative PCR test from an authenticate laboratory 3-days before they arrive in Barbados.

Maldives

Even at the time of lockdown, 5000+ UK citizens have visited the Maldives. But this won't be the case anymore, as the Maldives is likely to be included in the green zone so that there won't be any rule-breaking. The travellers from the UK must have a negative PCR report which is taken 96-hours before they arrive in the Maldives.

USA

President Joe Biden promised that by the end of May, the entire country would be vaccinated. Currently, more than 1.74 million doses are given to the citizens of the USA. There are high chances that UK citizens will be allowed to travel to the States after it is in the green zone.

Other Popular Destinations

The authorities confirm nothing, but we can predict some of the countries that can be in amber or red zones as it stands. The popular countries, including Spain, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Croatia, are more likely to be in the amber zone. After returning from these countries, the travellers have to quarantine themselves for five days at home. Seychelles are in the red zone, but some changes will be in the amber zone soon.

France is on the red list, and it is implausible that this country will be out of this zone. France is now in its third lockdown as it recorded 46,677 new cases and 304 deaths last week.

On April 1, Italy recorded 23,634 new cases and 501 deaths, putting the country in a three-day lockdown. The increased number of cases in Italy explains every reason for it to be in the red zone of the UK, and it is likely to remain so. Although, Italy has lifted the travel ban from many countries. The visitors will only require to be in quarantine for five days, along with the negative PCR test taken 48 hours before the arrival.

Countries in the Red Zone

Following is the updated list of the countries which are in the red zone of the UK traffic light system of the countries:

• Angola
• Argentina
• Bangladesh
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Burundi
• Cape Verdi
• Chile
• Colombia
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ecuador
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• French Guiana
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Tanzania
• UAE
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

If you decide to visit these countries mentioned above, you will require to complete a mandatory 11-days quarantine in a quarantined hotel which will cost 1750 GBP. But it is recommended not to visit these countries unless there is an absolute emergency.