Holidays abroad banned until JULY with £5,000 fine for trying to leave the country
HOLIDAYS abroad for people in England will be BANNED until July with Brits facing the risk of a £5,000 fine for trying to leave the country.
Under new Covid laws, which were published by ministers yesterday people across the country will be officially banned from leaving the country without a reasonable excuse.
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Previously the holiday ban was implied, as it was not one of the reasons people are allowed to leave their homes .
And now quarantine-free holidays may not be allowed to most European countries until as late as August or September - though no final decisions have yet been made.
Ministers are due to make an announcement on April 12 as to whether foreign holidays will be allowed.
They added: "It will interact with the Government's global travel task force, which reports on April 12."
It's thought that France will be the latest country added to the "red-list" this week.
The new travel laws come in on Monday as part of lockdown rules being lifted, but effectively there's no big change for holidays as they are already banned.
People in England and Wales will face a fine of £5,000 for breaking the new law, however.
Brits already have to also fill out a form if they do want to leave the country, stating their permitted reason to do so, or they will face a £200 fine for not having the right paperwork.
Separate rules will apply to Scotland, but they have yet to outline their own regulations.
It comes after:
- Boris Johnson yesterday vowed to end lockdown “once and for all” ahead of today’s first anniversary
- Holidays abroad will be officially ILLEGAL for Brits from Monday with £5,000 fine for escaping the country
- All of Europe may be added to UK's 'red list' over EU vaccine shambles, a minister suggested
- Boris Johnson warns Britain will soon 'feel the effects' of third Covid wave in Europe
- Officials are mulling whether to put
Meanwhile Health Minister Lord Bethell today warned the UK may slap ALL of its European neighbours on a travel ban “red list”.
But Matt Hancock denied this was on the cards this morning when asked.
And British Airways and EasyJet have confirmed they will cut back on summer flights across Europe in July and August because of the possibility.
With the EU facing a deadly third Covid wave thanks to their woeful vaccination programme, MPs had already feared the borders would stay up for months to come.
One backbencher warned: “If they don’t reopen international travel in May then there will be absolute carnage at airports and for the communities that rely on them.
“There is a significant lobby in this country who think air travel is evil and are out to use this pandemic to try to destroy it.
“But it would be devastating for the many airport workers."
Another Tory said airports have become “ghost towns” and are “screaming out” for a firm timeline to reopen.
Reasonable reasons to travel outside the UK
- Travel within the Common Travel Area
- Where it's necessary for work
- For study outside the UK
- For volunteer or charity work
- Elite sportspeople- for training or competitions
- To fulfil a legal obligation
- To seek medical assistance or appointments
- For the purpose of moving house or viewing a house to buy or rent
- To be at the birth of a child at the mum's request
- To visit someone in a hospice or care home - but only close friends and family
- To visit someone who is dying - close friends and family only
- To attend a funeral
- For childcare purposes
- You are getting married outside the UK
- Contact with siblings for children in care
- If you don't live in the UK permanently and are going home
If they do not get one, then Chancellor Rishi Sunak will come under massive pressure to stump up cash for an aviation sector bailout, they said.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps) (England) Regulations 2021 laws come into force on March 29.
According to the legal document: "The Regulations also impose restrictions on leaving the United Kingdom without a reasonable excuse (regulation 8)."
The law says no-one may "leave England to travel to a destination outside the United Kingdom, or travel to, or be present at, an embarkation point for the purpose of travelling from there to a destination outside the United Kingdom" without a reasonable excuse.
Human rights barrister Adam Wagner, who deciphers the lockdown rules on Twitter for the public, said: "Previously, the 'holiday ban' which the government had advertised was assumed rather than explicit - because going on holiday wasn't a reasonable excuse, it was assumed you couldn't be outside of your home to do so. But now it is explicit."
The need for the restrictions must be reviewed by April 12, and at least once every 35 days thereafter, the legal papers say.
The laws expire on June 30, unless they are scrapped or amended in the meantime.
Boris Johnson yesterday vowed to end lockdown “once and for all” ahead of today’s first anniversary.
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The PM warned a third Covid wave in Europe would “wash up on our shores”, but hailed our jabs success and national spirit.
He also called for calm amid barmy EU threats of a vaccine export ban on the UK.