The stay-at-home rule is being lifted in England today, Monday, March 29.
A group of six people are allowed to meet outside, meaning families and friends can reunite.
At the same time, new Covid laws are coming into place which makes it illegal to travel abroad unless it is for a permitted reason.
The laws are set to last until June 30, and ban all non-essential overseas travel. People breaking the rules could be fined £5,000.
It’s currently hoped that foreign travel could be allowed to resume under England’s roadmap from May 17 (in which case ministers could bring in new rules to speed up the timetable), The Mirror reports.
The government’s Global Travel Taskforce is due to review travel in April and update Boris Johnson on April 12.
Under the current rules, anyone travelling abroad will need to sign a declaration form, and show evidence that they are travelling for a permitted reason.
This could include travelling for work, health, volunteering, or even weddings in some cases – we take a look at the full list below…
List of reasons you can travel abroad:
- Work or business reasons where it’s not “reasonably possible to complete that work within the UK”
- Volunteering where “it is not reasonably possible to volunteer within the UK”
- Medical treatment which you can’t receive in the UK – you can also accompany a person where necessary
- Compassionate grounds – visiting someone who is dying/critically ill for example
- Maternity services including to be with someone who is giving birth, or with a baby “receiving neonatal critical care”
- Education – international students for example (the government has said this includes international students returning home)
- Avoiding injury/illness or escape risk of harm – for example, domestic abuse
- Weddings/civil partnerships – but only if it is your wedding/civil partnership, or a family member’s wedding/civil partnership where at least one of the people getting married does not live in the UK
- Funerals although it’s worth noting this does not include ‘commemorative events’ or visiting a burial ground
- Non-UK residents who have been in the UK temporarily such as those who do not permanently live in the UK or transit passengers
- Fulfilling legal obligations
- Activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property
- Travelling to exercise custody rights
- Presenting yourself to a “judicial or administrative authority”
If you do travel abroad for one of these reasons, you’ll be required to show certain documents as proof. These can vary depending on your reason for travel – you can find out more on gov.uk
It’s worth noting that while foreign holidays may be off the cards for a little while yet, domestic holidays could be set to resume from April when ‘self-contained’ accommodation can reopen in Wales, England and potentially Scotland.
Wales has already allowed for overnight stays from March 27, while England is set to allow for self-contained accommodation from April 12 provided you’re only travelling with your household. Meanwhile, Scotland could look to lift restrictions from April 26.
As a result a number of holiday parks are reopening from April including the likes of Center Parcs and Haven.
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