The journey trade is in disarray tonight over the announcement of latest journey restrictions following the invention of the super-mutant Omicron Covid pressure in Britain.
The brand new guidelines have been revealed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson throughout a Downing Avenue press convention this afternoon, the place he appeared alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
Anybody who travels to the UK should now take a PCR check by the tip of their second day after arrival, and stay in self-isolation till they’ve a unfavourable outcome.
It’s not but clear when the foundations will come into place as trade insiders demand additional clarification.
Journey knowledgeable Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Company, advised Mail On-line: ‘That is horrible, horrible information for the trade.
The brand new guidelines have been revealed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson throughout a Downing Avenue press convention this afternoon, the place he appeared alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance
Britain has sequenced two circumstances of the Omicron variant in Nottingham and Chelmsford, Sajid Javid mentioned in the present day
‘We’d like pressing clarification from the Authorities about when these guidelines will come into drive.
‘Travellers planning on coming to the UK are actually in limbo. We don’t know if the foundations will probably be in place from tomorrow morning or subsequent week.’
He added that the measures have been a ‘main set again’ for the trade at an important time of yr.
‘Everybody within the trade is feeling the identical, that is going to be a really, very powerful interval,’ he added.
‘That is going to knock confidence within the trade throughout the essential Christmas interval.
‘And it’s throughout a variant we don’t but have all of the details about.’
Mr Charles added: ‘There are at all times going to be new variants, the federal government will need to have a greater system in place than counting on journey bans.’
The journey boss mentioned pre-departure and on-arrival testing can be a extra ‘smart’ strategy to tackling the specter of new variants.
The brand new guidelines additionally state that each one contacts of those that check constructive with a suspected Omicron case should isolate for 10 days no matter vaccination standing.
Well being Secretary Sajid Javid is predicted to make clear the timescales of the brand new guidelines by Monday.
For these arriving to Britain, the day you land is deemed as Day 0. You need to then carry out a PCR check earlier than the tip of day 2.
So in the event you arrived on a Monday, the PCR have to be taken earlier than the tip of Wednesday.
Earlier journey testing guidelines specified that ‘day 2’ assessments must be taken on or earlier than day 2.
Mr Johnson additionally introduced that facemasks on public transport and retailers will probably be obligatory – though struggling bars and eating places will probably be spared for now
It marks the primary time since final winter that restrictions have been tightened in England – though Scotland and Wales have beforehand responded to spiking an infection charges.
The premier mentioned the measures will probably be reviewed in three weeks
One other 39,567 Covid circumstances and 131 deaths have been recorded within the UK in the present day. Division of Well being officers posted almost 40,000 day by day infections – down 3.36 per cent from 40,941 final Saturday – after Sajid Javid introduced that two circumstances of the ‘monstrous’ new Covid variant have been detected. The quantity of people that have died 28 days after testing constructive for Covid has additionally fallen by 12.7 per cent from 150 final week
They don’t fairly go so far as the formal ‘Plan B’ outlined by the federal government in the summertime, as Mr Johnson stopped wanting bringing again orders to do business from home the place potential and introducing vaccine passports.
4 extra nations – Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola – will probably be added to the crimson listing from 4am on Sunday. Meaning solely British residents can come to this nation, and so they have to remain in a quarantine resort.
South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia have been placed on the banned roster yesterday amid rising worldwide panic concerning the ‘variant of concern’, which scientists concern is extra transmissible and might dodge vaccines.
Earlier in the present day, Well being Secretary Sajid Javid mentioned that two circumstances of the pressure have been detected in Nottingham and Brentwood in Essex. Each are linked to journey to southern Africa, the suspected origin of the mutation.
The contaminated people and all members of their households have been advised to self-isolate after the UK Well being Safety Company confirmed the sequencing.
The Prime Minister mentioned: ‘We’re not going to cease folks travelling, I wish to stress that, we’re not going to cease folks travelling, however we would require anybody who enters the UK to take a PCR check by the tip of the second day after their arrival and to self-isolate till they’ve a unfavourable outcome.
‘Second, we have to decelerate the unfold of this variant right here within the UK, as a result of measures on the border can solely ever minimise and delay the arrival of a brand new variant relatively than cease all of it collectively.
‘We would require all contacts of those that check constructive with a suspected case of Omicron to self-isolate for 10 days no matter your vaccination standing.
‘We can even go additional in asking all of you to assist include the unfold of this variant by tightening up the foundations on face coverings in retailers and on public transport.’
The Welsh Authorities and the Scottish goverment are mirroring the restrictions on worldwide journey, and warning they may go even additional.
One other 39,567 Covid circumstances have been recorded within the UK in the present day – down 3.36 per cent from 40,941 posted final Saturday – whereas the quantity of people that have died inside 28 days of testing constructive for Covid fell by 12.7 per cent from 150 final week to 131.
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