BTA UPDATE

Clive Wratten

To err on the side of caution has been a long-standing habit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Throughout the pandemic the FCO has been steadfastly providing unambiguous advice, drawing on medical and scientific opinion.

Yet, as any working diplomat knows, reviewing issues in black-and-white terms can lead to seeing the world in a simplistic, if not naive manner.

The travel industry has begun to ask whether Stop:go instructions are too crude to represent the subtle, and complex risks. Instead of ‘safe to travel’ or ‘essential travel’ the BTA believes there should be a third category ‘travel with caution and responsibility' - to allow more informed decision-making.

Essential travel, especially to politically stable nations, could be applied when there are more than 30 infections per 100,000 people, based on a 14-day cumulative calculation, and ‘travel cautiously’ might apply when infections are between 15-29 per 100,000.

Adopting a clear and transparent approach that moves away from a binary grading system will allow the FCO to restore greater confidence in its advice.

Chief Executive Officer