WHO is in serious need of a holiday? Welk, from today, you are officially allowed to jet off for some sun.
As of Monday, May 17, the ban on foreign travel will lift.
You can now travel to 'green list' countries, where you won't have to quarantine when coming back to England, although the government is still advising keen holidaymakers to not travel to destinations on the amber list.
Just 12 countries have been placed on the green list, which means you only have to quarantine if you test positive.
However, if conditions change in a country, it can be moved from the green list to the amber or red list - without warning.
While the easing of restrictions again today is a step closer to normality, going on holiday isn't like it was pre-pandemic.
Before you jet off, you must:
- Complete a passenger locator form
- Take a Covid-19 test, and test negative
- Book and pay for a "day 2 Covid-19 test", which must be used on or before the second day after you arrive home. If this tests positive, you will then need to quarantine.
It comes as airline passengers will be hit by price hikes next year, the boss of Ryanair has warned.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary said fares will be more expensive in 2022 due to a 25 per cent reduction in the number of available seats than before the pandemic due to airlines reducing their operations.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that prices will rise, particularly during the peaks of the bank holiday weekends, the school holiday travel period,” he told BBC Breakfast.
He claimed flights “will never be cheaper” than they are this year, as “all the airlines are running with much lower advanced bookings than we have ever had before because of the travel restrictions”.
So where is on the green list?
- Australia
- Brunei
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Gibraltar
- Iceland
- Israel
- New Zealand
- Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
- Singapore
- South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
- St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Which green list destinations can you fly to from Teesside?
Although there a lot of popular holiday spots on Teesside Airport's destinations list, none are currently on the green list, meaning some restrictions will apply when you come back into the country after travelling.
You can fly to Portugal and Iceland from Newcastle Airport, though.
No destinations from Teesside are on the red list either but government advice for Amber says you should still not travel to amber list countries or territories.
If you do, you will have to quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days and take a Covid-19 test on or before day two and on or after day eight of isolation.
Overseas destinations from Teesside Airport:
- Corfu, Greece - Amber list
- Mediterranean Fly Cruises Palma - Amber list
- Alicante, Spain - Amber list
- Lapland, Finland - Amber list
- Lake Garda, Italy - Amber list
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Amber list
- Bulgaria - Amber list
- Majorca, Spain - Amber list
Teesside Airport also serves Jersey, in the Channel Islands, Belfast and Aberdeen. You don't need to take a Covid test or quarantine when travelling within the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (the Common Travel Area) and you have not been outside of the Common Travel Area in the previous 10 days.
However, some airlines may have suspended flights and reduced capacity to destinations.
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