United Kingdom’s Latest Travel Restrictions [11/1/20]

The United Kingdom’s latest update to its “travel corridors” list removed two countries, effective November 1st. Cyprus and Lithuania no longer appear, meaning travelers from those countries will be required to enter a 2-week quarantine upon arrival. But during the previous week, Brits who enjoy taking their holidays in Spain’s Canary Islands received some welcome news. Effective October 25th, people arriving from the Canary Islands are exempt from Britain’s 14-day quarantine rules. The exemption does not apply to travelers arriving from anywhere else in Spain.

Great Britain put quarantine measures in place only on June 8th, requiring nearly all arrivals to self-quarantine for 14 days. The only exception had been for people arriving from what’s known as the Common Travel Area — Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. Violators would be fined £1000.

But when a country or region makes the travel corridors list, it is considered a lower risk destination. Travelers coming from those areas will not need to quarantine once they arrive in the United Kingdom. The list is updated each week.

USA, Canada Residents Must Still Quarantine

Great Britain never fully shut its borders, opting for quarantine measures instead. As the U.K. eases travel restrictions, it will allow arrivals from more than 50 countries to visit without a 14-day quarantine period. But the United States and Canada are excluded from this list.

Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

You may think the United States, with states imposing quarantines on visitors from other states, has been a confusing patchwork of coronavirus restrictions. But in the United States, at least, the travel restrictions for foreign visitors are consistent across all jurisdictions.

It’s a different story in the United Kingdom, where each constituent country makes its own health (read: quarantine) regulations. However, both Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed to follow England’s lead. They have adopted exactly the same list of foreign countries from which quarantine-free travel will be permitted. Scotland started with a list that was mostly, but not quite, the same. When it differs, its travel restrictions are more restrictive than the United Kingdom as a whole.

Scotland’s travel corridors list, as of October 25th, is identical to the lists for the rest of Great Britain.

Channel Islands & Isle of Man

Guernsey and the Isle of Man have agreed to an “air bridge,” allowing visitors to travel freely between the two Crown dependencies. But none of these three Crown dependencies participate in the travel corridors list.

• Guernsey has enacted strict 14-day quarantine measures for nearly all arriving travelers.
• Isle of Man is closed to new arrivals and residents who left after March 27, 2020.
• Jersey allows visitors, but with several restrictions. They must complete a pre-departure registration form in the 48 hours prior to departure. Most visitors have a choice: 14 days of self-isolation, or free Covid-19 PCR testing. The first test can be taken upon arrival or (at one’s own expense) in the 72 hours prior. If testing prior, visitors will need to get their test results approved at least 12 hours before their arrival in Jersey. The second test will occur on Day 5.
  • Jersey categorizes each country as Green, Amber, or Red.
  • Visitors from a “red” country, like the United States, will need to be tested on arrival and still quarantine for 14 days.
  • Those arriving from “amber” countries, like Canada, will be free from quarantine after their second negative test.
  • Visitors from “green” countries will be free from quarantine after their first negative test.

The Travel Corridors List

Here are the countries on the United Kingdom’s approved “travel corridors” list, where travel restrictions are eased. The list is current to 11/1/2020. If a country is included on the list, arrivals from there can bypass the governments’ quarantine restrictions:

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• The Azores (Portugal)
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• British Virgin Islands
• Brunei
• The Canary Islands (Spain)
• Cayman Islands
• Channel Islands (Bailiwicks of Jersey, Guernsey)
• Cuba
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Estonia
• Falkland Islands
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• Gibraltar
• Germany
• Greece
• Greenland
• Grenada
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• The Isle of Man
• Japan
• Latvia
• Macau
• Madeira (Portugal)
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mauritius
• Montserrat
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Pitcairn Island
• The Seychelles
• Singapore
• South Korea
• South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
• Saint Barthélemy
• St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
• St Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Pierre and Miquelon
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Sweden
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Vietnam

In addition, those arriving from the Common Travel Area — Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands — can also skip quarantine and visit the UK without further restrictions.

The Border Issue with Ireland

Ireland published its “green list” on July 22nd. Like the British “travel corridors” list, Ireland loosened quarantine restrictions to people arriving from an approved list of countries. But that list was much smaller at the outset, just 15 countries. And as of October 12th, no countries were on the green list. Residents of Northern Ireland have been exempt from these restrictions from the outset.

Of course, Ireland and Northern Ireland share an open border, which makes things a bit awkward. Northern Ireland allows arrivals from more than 50 countries to skip quarantine, but a 14-day quarantine applies for many of those who cross into Ireland. How do Irish authorities even begin to enforce their policies when the border is wide open between the two countries? Brexit keeps getting more complicated.

Final Thoughts

The United Kingdom’s travel restrictions effectively eliminate its quarantine rules for arrivals from 60 countries, as well as most British Overseas Territories, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The approved “travel corridors” list unsurprisingly excludes the United States.

Canada was a surprise exclusion from the outset. Residents of Canada could (until now) visit most European Union and Schengen Area countries without restriction. But they must enter a 14-day quarantine if traveling to Great Britain.

At the moment, I could probably run a blog dedicated to nothing more than travel restrictions across the globe. There are just so many of them. Rules are inconsistent and inconsistently applied. I was baffled to see Canada initially included on a small list of countries approved for E.U. travel, but then excluded from a much bigger list of countries approved for U.K. travel. Meanwhile, the U.K. isn’t actually enforcing its own quarantine rules? Sigh…

The United States badly mishandled Covid-19, we know that. The U.S. passport was once among the world’s most powerful. Just last year, it offered visa-free access to 184 countries. At the moment, it doesn’t even give access to Canada. Earlier this year, in the Mexican border town of Sonoyta, Sonora, residents blocked the border with trucks to keep Americans from crossing. The state of Sonora also introduced checkpoints in some areas to prevent non-essential travel by American residents.

But it’s possible to travel safely. And even if you can’t visit Great Britain, there are still plenty of places you can visit. And the list is starting to grow.