Global travel Taskforce update

Global Travel Taskforce update, House of Commons Committee

Today Boris Johnson answered a number of questions, at a House of Commons Liaison Committee, on a range of Covid issues. One of the sections was on international travel and holidays for UK Citizens.

Huw Merriman questioned when the Global Travel Taskforce information would be made public, asking the Prime Minister when the framework would be made available to everyone.

The current date for this information to be released is currently the 12 April 2021. The Prime Minister responded that we [Government and general public] will have to wait until that date [05 April] to see the details of the framework.

He noted the Taskforce are therefore hoping to publish their findings a week earlier than the original date of the 12 April. However, he did say that the earliest date of travel, currently set out in the roadmap of the 17 May 2021, will not change.

The Prime Minister followed up saying, “The hope is that we can get people moving again by 17 May, by step three, in the way that I’ve set out on the roadmap. We will just have to see where we get to and where other countries get to, and what the data is telling us.”

The PM says the best thing for sectors including aviation and train transport is to “get things moving again”. The Prime Minister then went on to say that decisions on International Travel will be based on what level UK cases are at, and how other countries are doing, as well as how the vaccine rollout is going.

Mr Merriman also asked about the future of holidays and the Prime Minister said he’s confident that people’s desire to go abroad “won’t change in the long run, as long as they feel safe to travel and as long as the vaccine programme goes well”.

The Prime Minister then reiterated that he will be making an announcement in regards to foreign travel for UK Citizens on 05th April and then again on 12 April, once he has received the relevant information from the Global Travel Taskforce.

At present there will be no changes to international Travel for UK Citizens until those dates, and only then when he [Prime Minister] is happy with covid case numbers, vaccines etc., in alignment with his own agreed Roadmap to get us out of lockdown and back to normalcy.

We wait to hear what the decision will be on the 05 April, and further on 12 April, and will report back then with all the details.