We’ve been long looking forward to the summer and the thought of getting away to sunnier climes, although the weather here has almost made up for the disappointing Spring.  To great fanfare July 19th, or ‘Freedom Day’, has brought with it changes to the travel situation which we’ve summarised here for you.  These guidelines apply to England (other regulations may apply in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland).

As we’ve said all the way through, please keep a close eye on the Government website for the latest news, as things can change very quickly.

What ‘colour’ country are you visiting?

We are still operating with a ‘Red, Amber, Green’ list of countries which determines what action to take according to where you are travelling to or from. 

Some countries have moved from Amber to Green in the months since this was launched, and more changes are likely in the future.  But just to prove that we can never take our eye of the ball,  recently we saw additional guidelines imposed on France with some in the press coining it ‘Amber Plus’.

Have you been vaccinated?

Since our last blog post, more and more of us have been vaccinated or even double vaccinated.  It’s estimated that over 54% of people in the UK are now fully vaccinated.  

This has also had an impact on how we travel, although this depends on the country you are visiting.  Some will accept proof of double vaccination (providing it’s an approved vaccine and it was done over 14 days prior to travel)  others still require you to take a Fit to Travel Test.

• If 14 days has passed since you were double vaccinated – you can prove this by showing the NHS Covid Pass on your phone, or by obtaining an NHS Covid Pass Letter. You can find out more here.

• If you haven’t OR the country you are visiting still requires a Fit to Travel Test, you can book your test here.

Please continue to both the Red/Amber/Green and Vaccination status countries as these are liable to change.

Find out what test you need to have booked for use on your return

If you are going to a:

Green Country: 

Check to see whether you need a Fit to Travel Test (or produce evidence of your double vaccination)

Book your Day 2 Test for use on your return.  If your result is negative, you don’t need to self isolate.

All of our PCR tests can be done in the comfort of your own home or if you’d prefer, you can book an appointment in our Truro clinic.

Amber Country: 

Check to see whether you need a Fit to Travel Test (or produce evidence of your double vaccination)

If you’ve been fully vaccinated: Book your Day 2 Test for use on your return

If you haven’t been fully vaccinated (OR are coming back from France): Book your Day 2 and Day 8 Test OR Day 2, 5 and 8 Test if you want to use Test to Release if you want to cut short your quarantine.

Red Country: 

You will need to book your Quarantine in a Hotel for 10 days.  Tests will be included in the price of this.  You can find more details about this here.

Before you go on holiday

Don’t forget to:

Fill in your passenger locator form

Take a Covid Test before you go

Keep yourselves up to date with Government guidelines

Photo by Andreas Johansson on Unsplash