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FaMiLiES can again book summer getaways after ministers agreed last night to open air corridors with dozens of countries.
The partial dismantling of Priti Patel’s quarantine scheme means
UK holidaymakers will be able to return home without having to self-isolate for 14 days.
The Foreign office will also lift its advice against ‘all but essential travel’ to low or medium-risk destinations, making it possible to obtain travel insurance. Tour operators were yesterday offering record discounts of up to 70 per cent for trips to France, Spain, Italy and Greece.
The changes will also let foreign tourists visit the UK, giving a huge boost to the beleaguered hospitality
sector. Under a traffic light system, countries will be rated green, amber or red based on infection levels, the reliability of official data and confidence in test and trace systems.
The automatic 1 - day quarantine requirement will remain in place only for ‘red-rated’ countries such as the United States and Brazil.
Downing Street warned it was ready to apply a ‘handbrake’ at short notice – meaning families could find the quarantine rules reinstated while they are abroad if there is an outbreak in the country they are visiting.
All travellers returning to the UK will have to provide contact details in case an outbreak is traced to their flight and they have to self-isolate. Failure to comply could result in a £1,000 fine.
And they will have to follow social-distancing measures on flights and ferries, including wearing face coverings.
A detailed list of travel corridor destinations will be finalised next week. But sources said it would include most popular Mediterranean destinations.
Portugal is in doubt following an outbreak in Lisbon that has led to the imposition of a curfew. Sweden will not be included and Turkey is also ‘doubtful’.
Long-haul flights will be possible provided that any transit country is also deemed safe. The moves pave the way for foreign holidays this summer, with travel corridors set to be in place by July 6.
A Government spokesman said last night: ‘Our new risk-assessment system will enable us to carefully open a number of safe travel routes around the world – giving people the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad and boosting the UK economy through tourism and business.
‘But we will not hesitate to put on the brakes if any risks re-emerge, and this system will enable us to take swift action to re-introduce self-isolation measures if new outbreaks occur overseas.’
Tour operators were yesterday offering deep discounts to tempt travellers abroad. A family of four can save well over £500 on headline prices to Greece.
Emma Coulthurst, of the holiday comparison site Travelsupermarket, said: ‘There are prices as low as £1 0 per person for a week to Corfu in September and around £200 for a week in the Mediterranean in August. This is unheard of.
‘For the height of summer in August, there are definitely some of the best prices on offer which we’ve seen. With talk of high demand and prices for holidays in the UK, it seems it is currently cheaper to book a holiday abroad than at home.’
TUI, Britain’s leading tour operator, is offering as much as 68 per cent off breaks to Europe and reports a rise of 5 per cent in sales compared with last week.
Trailfinders is offering reductions of a third on villas that would usually have been booked up months ago. Chairman Mike Gooley said: ‘Bookings made now are benefiting from huge discounts.’
A Whitehall source acknowledged however that many families ‘may not choose to travel’ this summer.
The air corridor scheme raises questions about the initial decision to press ahead with a blanket quarantine regime that has been in place only since June 8.
The plan, which was championed by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings and Home Secretary Priti Patel, led to an immediate backlash from Tory MPs and the travel industry.