March EU Travel Restrictions, Covid-19 Test Requirements, Quarantine By Country

Austria—stay-at-home order still in effect

The country is in a state of lockdown but some public spaces, such as shops, libraries, zoos and museums, are open. A stay-at-home order is in effect from 8pm to 6am. Restaurants can only offer takeaway service and hotels cannot allow tourists to stay. Theatres, gyms and pools are closed but in the region of Vorarlberg, things are slowly reopening more.

Austria is only allowing entry across its borders to anyone other than Austrian nationals if they come from an EU or Schengen area country plus the agreed small list of safe countries allowed into the EU (Australia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea and the Vatican).

All arrivals must be in possession of a negative PCR or antigen test result taken no more than 72 hours before arrival into Austria. If they cannot provide a certificate, travelers must take one within 24 hours. Everyone must then go into a ten-day quarantine and can test out after 5 days with another negative test result.

Belgium—lockdown until 1 April

Belgium is still under lockdown until 1 April, as reported by the BBC, with many regions having closed non-essential shops and curfews are in place. A maximum of 1 person is allowed to visit someone’s home with a ‘rule of 4’ for outside gatherings. People must shop alone and not stay in a shop for more than 30 minutes.

All non-essential travel is forbidden for Belgian citizens into other countries (compelling reasons are family emergencies or work, and people must download a form to carry with them to explain why they can travel).

If residents must travel, they must fill in a a “Public Health Passenger Locator Form” 48 hours before arrival. Based on their answers, visitors will receive a test message if they are high risk and need to quarantine for 10 days. If they do, they must take a Covid-19 test on days 1 and day 7. If visitors do not receive a text message, they do not need to quarantine. Answers are based on the ECDC’s traffic light system of risk.

Belgian residents returning from United Kingdom, South Africa or South America must follow all the steps but the quarantine is longer–10 days.

Arrivals from EU, Schengen area and the EU’s safe list are technically allowed entry to Belgium at present provided they can prove the trip is essential. It becomes much harder to gain entry if travelers are arriving from outside the EU/Schengen area, from which currently all non-essential travel is banned.

Bulgaria—ban on all U.K. travelers until end of April

Bulgaria was put into a severe lockdown on 27 November 2020 which was eased on 1 February and gyms, cinemas and malls reopened with shorter opening hours and capacity restrictions. Restaurants and cafés opened on March 1 at 50% capacity until 11pm. From 1 April, discos and bars hope to reopen.

From 2 February to 30 April, Bulgarians and residents of EU/Schengen area countries who arrive in the country (and their families) must take a PCR test before entry or they must go into a ten-day quarantine.

Bulgaria does not follow the ECDC’s traffic light system and is operating its own list of who is able to come into the country from overseas. Travelers from the following countries are allowed to enter–if they are in possession of a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours prior: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Belarus, Kuwait, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, Ukraine and North Macedonia.

There is currently an emergency travel ban on all arrivals from the U.K. and Northern Ireland which was put in place on 23 December and will stay in place until 30 April.

Croatia—EU/Schengen area arrivals only

There are social restrictions in place such as making sure that public events finish at 10pm, that churches and cinemas secure at least 7 m2 of space per person and that alcohol is not sold between 10pm and 6am.

Travelers arriving from EU/Schengen countries must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 test result upon arrival. If not, they must have one taken at the airport and go into quarantine until the tests arrive. Travelers from outside the EU/Schengen are not allowed except for specific circumstances, such as medical workers.

Cyprus—easing lockdown restrictions

As of 1 March, Cyprus started easing lockdown restrictions with schools and malls reopening under certain conditions. After March 16, restrictions were eased further.

At its borders, Cyprus has three categories (green, orange and red) based on a country’s epidemiological situation, and updates the list to announce who can enter and how. Every passenger must fill in a Cyprus Health Pass upon arrival.

There are currently only 5 countries on the green list, the most epidemiologically sound: Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. From 1-31 March, arrivals are required to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival but from 1 April, this will not be necessary.

The orange list–China, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Korea, Macao, Norway and Thailand–from which people must arrive with proof of a negative Covid-19 test result.

All other EU/Schengen countries are on the red list, where people can only enter if they take a Covid-19 test upon arrival at their own cost of €60 ($73) and they must quarantine until their result is issued.

There is also a gray list from which arrivals are allowed under a certain range of circumstances–the U.K., Israel, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Belarus and Rwanda.

Czech Republic—state of emergency extended 28 March

The government has extended the state of emergency until March 28, 2021, which involves the restriction of free movement and retail sales. People can leave for second homes provided they stay there for the duration of the lockdown and whilst some schools are open, day care for young children has been suspended. The country is seeing high rates and an increase in deaths and health officials, as reported in The Guardian, expect the situation to get worse in the coming weeks.

The requirements were updated 1 March following the ECDC’s traffic light system, where arrivals have been grouped into dark red, red, yellow, and green categories, with red being the most at risk.

Travelers from green areas can enter without restrictions whilst those arriving from yellow areas must fill in the arrival form and be in possession of a negative Covid-19 test result (antigen or PCR). The criteria for arrivals from red zones is the same, but in addition, people must enter quarantine and take a second PCR test on day 5, which must come out negative for people to release themselves. Arrivals from dark red countries must take PCR tests for entry and again on day 5 of quarantine (rather than antigen).

For all arrivals into the Czech Republic from yellow or any red zone, for a period of 10 days, it is obligatory to wear respirators with a protection class of at least FFP2, KN95, N95, P2, DS, or at least a disposable medical mask, everywhere away from home.

Denmark—some easing but restrictions still in place

Denmark lifted its lockdown on 28 February, which it had been in since December. As of 1 March, as reported by the BBC, some shops are now open and people can resume outdoor activities such as sport, so long as there is no more than 25 people congregated together. However, despite protests against the lockdown, many restrictions have been extended until 5 April such as the closure of bars, restaurants, cinemas and schools.

All foreign travel is ill-advised and the border is effectively closed for all arrivals until at least 5 April, except for essential travel. A flight ban exists on anyone arriving who isn’t in possession of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours.

Estonia—enters lockdown for one month

On 10 March, Estonia entered a one-month lockdown as Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas described the country’s pandemic situation as “extraordinarily critical.” All stores will be closed except pharmacies, filling stations, grocery and pet stores, telecom shops and medical supply stores. Children will be kept at home, returning to distance learning, and all public spaces will be closed.

Estonia’s borders are open to arrivals from the EU safe list countries which are considered to have low infection rates if they are showing no symptoms of Covid-19. Its borders are also open to EU and Schengen nationals but they must quarantine for 10 days if they are listed as red on the updated list.

Finland—restrictions extended to 17 April

Restrictions for entry into Finland were extended to 17 April 2021. For countries with high incidence rates, travel for recreational reasons is forbidden and any arrivals must enter a 14-day quarantine, which they can shorten with a negative test on arrival and one five days later.

Travelers from EU and Schengen countries are allowed in but they must have proof of a negative Covid-19 test, taken in the 72 hours prior to arrival. There are no restrictions on entry for residents of Australia, South Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand nor from the Vatican.

Finland currently has internal restrictions on operating hours for some businesses, restaurants and bars and home working is encouraged at all times; these will stay in place until March 28, 2021. The government is recommending remote working until at least June 30.

France—20 regions under high alert

Residents can move about freely during the day, although remote working is advised, and people must be at home between 6pm and 6am. There are situations where people can leave the house during curfew but they must have an attestation, a form filled in and signed by an employer, for instance. Shops are open but cafes, restaurants, gyms, cinemas and theatres have been closed since October 2020.

Due to rising Covid-19 rates across certain regions, new stricter measures have been put in place in March 2021–in Calais and the French Riviera, people are currently under a weekend lockdown.

France had banned all travel from outside the EU/Schengen areas but from Friday 12 March it relaxed rules to 7 non-EU countries, meaning that it is no longer necessary to have motif impérieux (compelling reasons) to travel to and from these countries–Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K. and Singapore. Within the EU, arrivals must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 test result, taken not less than 72 hours before departure.

Germany—reopening paused as country now “in grip of third wave”

As reported by The Guardian, the head of the country’s infectious disease agency “acknowledged that the country was now in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19.” Due to the arrival of the B.1.1.7 variant of Covid-19, first discovered in the U.K. (which now accounts for 50% of all cases), the Robert Koch Institute predicted that Germany was at the beginning of an exponential growth rate of cases which would lead to higher rates mid April than before Christmas, as reported by The Local.

Germany had been in lockdown until 7 March, closing non-essential shops, hotels were not allowed to offer overnight stays to tourists, and schools were mostly closed, as well as cinemas, theatres and other public venues. However, due to the increasing rates, Berlin has become the first city to pause the country’s emergence from lockdown. That means, that whilst children are allowed to return to schools, restaurants and other public spaces will remain shut for the time being.

Currently, entry is possible for EU members, Schengen states and the countries approved by the EU with low infection rates: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Journeys must be approved the German border police.

Since January 24, states that exceed an incidence value of 200 per 100,000 people have been considered high-incidence areas and arrivals from these EU or Schengen areas must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before they can board an aircraft, ferry, bus or train. Regardless of the result, arrivals from these high-risk areas must quarantine for ten days. Entry from other countries is only possible at present for urgent reasons.

Greece—everyone must currently quarantine

Until March 22 all non-EU citizens are not allowed to enter, except those from the EU’s safe list, plus the U.K. the UAE, the Russian Federation and Israel. The addition of the latter four countries reflects specific deals between Greece and these countries to facilitate travel from heavily vaccinated nations through air corridors.

All passengers must fill in a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) and have taken a Covid-19 PCR test and received a negative result no more than 72 hours before departure. They will also be subject to random testing. All arrivals will still have to self-isolate at the address on their PLF for 7 days but U.K. arrivals will have to take another test upon arrival as well as after 7 days. If any of these results are positive, the quarantine will be extended to 14 days.

A maximum of 500 Russian residents are permitted to enter Greece at the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion, Crete every week, subject to the same controls.

In order to pass through land borders (a certain number of people, such as truck drivers, are allowed to), people must have proof of a negative PCR test, not older than 72 hours.

The country has been under a nighttime curfew since November, from 9pm to 5am, but in areas with higher rates (currently this includes Athens), the curfew begins earlier at 6pm. The Greek government are holding a meeting 17 March to determine if and how the country can come out of its protracted lockdown; it is hoped that shops could begin a ‘click and collect’ service from next week with services such as hairdressers opening up shortly after. Schools are hoping to reopen early April with restaurants and bars by mid April.

Hungary—new lockdown from 8 March

Hungary brought in new restrictive measures on 8 March because, as The Guardian reported, health officials in the country were expecting the situation to worsen in the coming weeks regarding rates and hospital admissions due to Covid-19.

There is still a curfew from 8pm to 5am, all public events are banned and family and private gatherings are capped at 10 people. All non-essential shops were closed for two weeks on 8 March and only takeaway service is allowed for restaurants and bars. All schools have been closed until 7 April with digital learning in place for secondary schools and higher learning. Everyone is asked to work from home if possible.

The country had opened its borders without restrictions to citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area (excluding the U.K.) and Switzerland on June 21. However, it closed its borders on September 1 to all foreign nationals, after spiking rates of infection–and this order still stands.

Iceland—Vaccinated Americans welcome from 18 March

From 18 March, any travelers arriving from anywhere in the world are allowed to enter if they can show proof of having been vaccinated (obviously twice, with a two-dose vaccine) or having had Covid-19. However, once inside Iceland, travel is not permitted to other Schengen area zones for non-Schengen residents.

There are no entry restrictions for visitors holding passports (or valid residency) from EU/EFTA countries but this no longer includes the U.K. All arrivals (who haven’t had Covid-19 or the full vaccination) must show a negative PCR result upon boarding the aircraft and upon arrival.

This is in addition to the policy of double screening which is currently in operation: international arrivals must take two tests; one when they arrive and one after 5 or 6 days of quarantine, after which they are free to travel without restrictions around the country if they are negative.

Ireland—lockdown extended to 5 April 2021

The country is currently under a national lockdown. Under the government’s ‘Plan for living with COVID-19′ there are five tiers of restrictions and Ireland is currently under tier 5, the highest level of restrictions. This means that everyone who can, must stay at home and exercise within 5 km of the house and only essential retail is open.

Ireland is using the ECDC’s traffic light map of travel restrictions, meaning it adheres to the same guidelines as most other EU countries. Passengers from green regions are not required to restrict their movements for 14 days on arrival but passengers arriving from an orange, red or gray region are requested to restrict their movements for 14 days, although people can ‘test out’ of quarantine with a negative Covid-19 test on day 5.

All arrivals into Ireland must complete a Passenger Locator Form and be in possession of a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours before departure. Arrivals from South Africa, South American countries or the U.K. must also self-isolate for 14 days.

Italy—under new lockdown from 15 March

Almost one year to the day that Italy first went into lockdown, it was forced to head into new restrictions on March 15 after rising Covid-19 rates. The country is divided into mostly red zones (11 out of 20 regions) where all but essential shops are shut and schools must hold online classes and orange zones (everywhere else, bar Sardinia) where shops and schools are open but bars and restaurants must offer only takeaway service. Sardinia is the only white zone.

From 6 March until 6 April, entry is only possible for residents or those with an absolute necessity including urgent work, health needs or study requirements. Arrivals are only allowed from EU and Schengen area countries (and must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within the past 48 hours) or the EU-approved list of safe countries (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Rwanda, Singapore and Thailand), from which all arrivals must enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The only current exception in the EU is Austria, where anyone who has been there in the past 14 days must have proof of a negative PCR test AND quarantine for 14 days, with another test taken on day 14. Arrivals from the U.K. (except Italian residents) are banned indefinitely and anyone arriving from Brazil is banned until 6 April.

Latvia—state of emergency until 6 April 2021

Anyone arriving from an EU country where the 14-day cumulative indicator is higher than 50, must go into a 10-day quarantine, which currently affects most EU countries plus the U.K., as per ECDC recommendations. All arrivals must fill in an electronic form 48 hours before arriving in the country and all arrivals must have proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

There is currently a state of emergency in place until 6 April 2021 and public gatherings are banned and households are not allowed to mix. In-person shopping is only allowed in stores where food accounts for more than 70% of the produce, as well as in book stores and pharmacies.

Lithuania—lockdown extended until 31 March

On November 7, the country went into a three-week lockdown which has been extended every month since; it was recently extended until 31 March. The government statement reads “some businesses will have to halt or reduce their operations, tighter infection control measures will be enforced, and work and education will be arranged with a minimum of contacts.”

The country has been following the ECDC traffic light map for allowing access. Lithuania is allowing access from EEA countries but all arrivals must have proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken up to 48 hours before entry and a 10-day mandatory quarantine is required regardless of the result. An updated list of countries can be found online.

Luxembourg—still under 11pm curfew

Luxembourg has not restricted its border from other European visitors, regardless of the purpose of the visit, although travel from outside Europe is banned except for those visitors from the countries deemed low risk by the EU. However, since 29 January 2021, anyone boarding an aircraft to Luxembourg must have had a negative Covid-19 test result taken in the 72 hours beforehand.

Since October 30, it has had an 11pm curfew in place. Other measures are in place, such as limiting visitors to households to two people and restaurants, bars, cafes and gyms are closed.

Malta—new lockdown measures until 11 April

Malta announced new lockdown measures on 11 March to run until 11 April, where all non-essential shops as well as all gyms, pools, cinemas, theatres and museums have been closed. Hotels can only offer room service and all weddings and religious services have been cancelled.

For international travel, Malta is operating a system of green, amber and red lists.

Travelers arriving from countries on the green list don’t have any restrictions and will not be subject to a swab test upon arrival: Australia, China (Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan included), Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy (Sicily and Sardegna), New Zealand, Norway, Portugal (Madeira, Azores), Rwanda, South Korea, Spain (Canarias) and United Arab Emirates.

Other countries are on an ‘amber list’ where visitors need to show negative Covid-19 tests taken within 72 hours prior to boarding flights to Malta and will be subject to random swab tests upon arrival. As of February 17, amber list countries are: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy (all airports except Sicily and Sardinia), Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (all airports except Madeira, Azores), Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (all airports except Canarias), Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay and Vatican City.

All other countries are on the red list and arrivals from these must have spent at least the 14 days prior in a safe corridor country before reaching Malta. It is also recommended that they take a PCR test 72 hours before they arrive.

The Netherlands—travel and sex workers off limits

From 1 March, pupils were allowed to return to secondary school on one day only, where they had previously been attending remotely. As reported by the BBC, hairdressers and other close-contact professions (apart from sex workers) could reopen from 3 March and shops could open by appointment only. From 16 March, shops were allowed to admit more people by appointment if the square footage allowed. However, the controversial curfew has been extended until 31 March (it runs from 9.30pm to 4.30am).

The government is strongly advising that no one travels to the Netherlands, and will review this on 15 April. There is a 7-point check list for anyone looking to travel to the Netherlands, namely:

1) you must be resident in the EU/Schengen area but there are exemptions.

2) there is a current flight ban for U.K., South Africa and South America flights.

3) travelers arriving by aircraft, ship, train or coach must have proof of a negative PCR Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before arrival. There are some exemptions, e.g. lorry drivers.

4) anyone arriving by air or sea from a high-risk country must also take a rapid nasal swab test four hours before departure.

5) if you are coming from outside the EU or Schengen area, you must fill in a negative test declaration.

6) if you are traveling by air, you must fill in a health declaration form.

7) all travelers must quarantine for 10 days and can test out after day 5 with a negative test result.

Travel is also allowed for nationals or residents of the EU-wide safe list.

Norway—new restrictions for 1.2 million people

Norway’s borders are closed to everyone except Norwegian nationals and residents, even other EU countries. Of these travelers, anyone arriving from a red high-risk region must have a negative Covid-19 test result with them. A ten-day quarantine is also required.

From 16 March, Norway has imposed strict lockdown measures in Oslo and Viken County, affecting 1.2 million residents, mostly because of the increase in cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of Covid-19, as reported by The Local. Everyone should work from home, all non-essential shops must close, restaurants can only serve takeaway and schools are operating under strict case-by-case measures.

Poland—new restrictions as cases rise

Whilst Poland started to lift internal restrictions on 14 February, it reported its highest number of new daily cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday 10 March (17,260), the highest since November 2020, as reported by The Guardian. Most schools are closed and there are strict restrictions on public gatherings.

Borders are open for EU and EFTA nationals but anyone arriving by public transport must self-isolate for 10 days, unless they have a negative Covid-19 test result with them.

Portugal—lockdown eased from 15 March

Portugal began easing its two-month lockdown Monday 15 March with plans to gradually reopen over the next seven weeks, as reported by France 24. Prime Minister António Costa tweeted that the process must be “very prudent, gradual and piecemeal.”

Portugal extended the tight control of its air, sea and land borders from 16 March except to a few exceptions, such as seasonal workers and freight drivers. Many countries are now considering taking Portugal off ‘red lists’ for travel–in the U.K. this means that arrivals from Portugal would not have to quarantine in government-approved hotels upon their return from holiday.

Romania—14-day quarantine unless vaccinated

The government has extended its state of Covid alert until 15 April but shops and restaurants are open, although they must close at 9pm. All intra-city and inter-city travel should not happen between 10pm and 5am.

From 15 March, people coming from the following countries must quarantine for 14 days: Albania, Andorra, Aruba, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Saint Eustatius & Saba, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turks & Caicos, United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and Uruguay.

A negative Covid-19 test result will allow travelers to be released from self-isolation after day ten. If travelers have been vaccinated at least ten days before arrival, they do not need to quarantine. The government expects to lift most restrictions at the end of April.

Slovakia—Nighttime curfew from 8pm to 1am

People arriving from low-risk countries (Australia, China, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) can enter unimpeded. All other arrivals from EU areas must arrive with proof of a negative Covid-19 test but won’t need to quarantine. All arrivals from other countries, including the U.K. must quarantine and take a second PCR test.

As of 3 March, Slovakia is operating a takeaway-only service for restaurants, public places are closed and the over-65s have dedicated opening times to shop for groceries (9 to 11am, Monday to Friday). There is also a nighttime curfew from 8pm to 1am and ski resorts and museums are closed.

Slovenia—state of emergency and curfew extended

Many countries around the world are still on the red list, including most of the EU, where arrivals must possess a negative Covid-19 PCR test or quarantine for ten days. Arrivals from any country not on the red list can enter unimpeded.

As of 18 March 2021, the government has extended the state of emergency for another 30 days, saying the “epidemic is still spreading rapidly among the population, far exceeding the usual morbidity or incidence rates.” It has decided, therefore, not to change the current curfew which is in place from 9pm to 6am but it will review the curfew in two weeks’ time.

Spain—still operating regional lockdowns

Spain’s Tourist Minister, Maraa Reyes Maroto, said 10 March that the country would open up to tourism when 30-40% of the population have been vaccinated. It is likely that the Spanish islands will open up sooner than the mainland, as reported by The Local.

Only arrivals from the Schengen area or EU approved non-member states are allowed to enter–arrivals from the U.K., Brazil and South Africa were restricted until March 16, 2021, except for Spanish nationals and legal residents of Spain, as reported by CNN.

Arrivals from countries deemed high risk by the ECDC (the list is updated every 15 days) are required to be in possession of a negative Covid-19 test result.

Spain is under a state of emergency with regional variations in restrictions until at least 9 May. Some areas have essential shops open at the weekends and most people barred from leaving the municipality. In others, bars and restaurants can open for breakfast and lunch but must be closed for dinner, except for takeout.

Sweden—9 of 21 regions have local measures in place

As reported by The Local, nine of Sweden’s 21 regions currently have local Covid-19 measures in place and there is a new law that allows stricter laws to be brought into place to avoid overcrowding–to close beaches and other public places. Nationally, people are asked to work from home, stay away from large crowds, and to avoid using public transport where a seat cannot be booked in advance.

Sweden has a ban on all non-essential travel from outside the EU/EEA area, currently until March 31 and anyone arriving must have a negative Covid-19 test taken in the 48 hours prior to arrival. The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends a further test on day five after arrival and to stay at home for at least seven days after arrival.

Switzerland—slowly rising rates, partial shutdown

On 15 March, Covid-19 infection rates were starting to slowly rise again and a partial shutdown is underway along with measures to vaccinate the population. However, on the whole, the government is still easing national measures which were put in place mid January.

Anyone arriving from a high-risk country must go into quarantine or face a fine and crucially, a negative PCR test does not exempt travelers. All travelers need to fill in a questionnaire which will guide people on measures to take.

U.K.–coming out of lockdown, travel starting 17 May

The countries which make up the U.K. have started to ease lockdown restrictions so while a “stay at home” order is still in place, pupils have started returning to schools and two people can meet in England outside to “have coffee on a park bench”. Very specific dates have been given by all governments for when the country plans to return to normal. As reported by the BBC, shops, restaurants and bars will be allowed to open in stages and if all goes to plan, international leisure travel can resume on 17 May.

Travel and tourism to and inside the U.K. is currently heavily regulated. Since 15 February, all arrivals from 30 high-risk countries must quarantine in government-appointed hotels for ten days.

All arrivals must complete a travel locator form and Wales and Scotland have followed similar rules for entry. Anyone now arriving in the U.K. will also need to have proof of a negative Covid-19 test, taken not more than 72 hours before departure. If you arrive from a country which isn’t on the banned ‘red’ list, you will still need to quarantine at your destination, as reported by the U.K. government website.