Bring back the ‘old normal’!

Masks on the beach? No thanks. Social distancing? Please stop. So which destinations still feel like they did before the pandemic, when will you be able to go – and how much will it all cost?

Another week, another update to our precious holiday traffic lights. On Thursday, the Government revealed that Malta would be added to its travel green list, meaning that quarantine was no longer a requirement for returning Brits, while the Balearic Islands and Madeira – and some Caribbean islands – would be added to the green “watch list”, a rather shakier proposition, but still one without the need to quarantine on return (see page 17 for more details). Boris Johnson also suggested double-jabbed Britons will be able to sidestep quarantine from amber destinations, come August.

However, in many of our favourite destinations, restrictions do still exist on arrival. In Portugal, face coverings are required in all public places (except on the beach). France limits outdoor gatherings to 10. In Italy, Britons must now quarantine for five days on arrival. Yes, a good number of the amber-listed countries are welcoming us with open arms, but many have tighter rules than we are used to here in the UK.

But – whisper it – beyond our cut-off island and our top holiday spots, there are faraway lands where life continues as normal. Last week in New York, 20,000 vaccinated music fans crammed into Madison Square Garden to watch Foo Fighters in concert. In Israel, social bubbles have been popped and face masks have been abolished. In the state of Victoria in Australia, where the case count is zero, bars and galleries throng with life.

Should we even be daring to dream about travel, as cases are rising here on home soil? Well, there are doubts as to just how much overseas travel to lowand medium-risk countries facilitates the spread of the virus. Between May 20 and June 9, some 23,465 amber-list arrivals were tested for Covid – and only 89 (0.4 per cent) tested positive. No variants of concern were detected.

Whether you are squeezing your suitcase shut with your tour operator on speakerphone, or holding fire until more holidays are available, our reporters from the “most normal” corners of the world have sent us reminders of what is finally in store for us, when we can at last join them.

Although islanders on the Isle of Man have enjoyed, mostly, greater freedoms than our friends in the UK, the restrictions on our borders have been strict. Those borders were seen as our greatest defence against being overwhelmed by coronavirus. With the drawbridge up, for the second half of last year we could go about island life unrestricted – normal, apart from a lack of visitors and difficulty visiting loved ones elsewhere. We walked in the beautiful Manx countryside, kayaked around the stunning coastlines, visited castles and went to the pub.

When social distancing was in place (it isn’t anymore) we could still meet outdoors – albeit not too close – and every beach was a godsend. We are lucky to live here on the Isle of Man. There is a reason why the Manx national anthem describes our home as a “gem of God’s earth”.

Losing big events such as the TT races has been hard for the local community, but with things returning to normal we’re confident that the global spotlight will return to our roads and racers in 2022.

Instead, for now, many of us have opted for a change of pace with the heritage railways. Despite two subsequent lockdowns earlier this year, we have been restriction-free as an island since mid-April and life is on track to normality.

More so with an imminent rule change, which means visitors from the British Isles who have received both vaccine doses – the second administered at least two weeks before travel – will not be subject to testing or isolation requirements. There is trepidation about the impact this will have, but the hospitality industry is ready to return to normal and the island is prepared to welcome back visitors.

Paul Speller