From the telegraph today (don’t know how reliable it is but it supposedly confirms the three-stages of air bridges where we won’t have to quarantine if we are flying from these countries):
Air bridges" with
a series of short-haul destinationsare set to be unveiled at the weekend as the Government plots a three-stage approach to revive flying.
The first tranche of bridges are expected to be with popular
"low-risk" holiday destinationsincluding France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany, largely to "re-fire" the Mediterranean tourist industry from July 4, according to sources.
Portugal is not expected to be included after its spike in coronavirus rates, but the bridges mean people going on holiday to the other destinations will not be required to
quarantine for 14 dayson their return to the UK.
Ministers hope the plan will enable families to start planning Mediterranean summer breaks to the most popular destinations this weekend.
A larger second set of countries is expected to be unveiled next week, including other EU nations such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and Holland along with "low-risk" Caribbean islands and La Reunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean, which Public Health England has identified as having minimal infections.
Ministers are examining at least one long-haul "air bridge" to Australia, although there are difficulties over transiting in stop-over countries which could carry a risk of spreading coronavirus.
Any traveller will be expected to ensure that any stop-overs are in nations with low coronavirus rates or risk having to self-isolate on their return to the UK.
Ministers are also looking to open bridges to "low-risk" British territories including Gibraltar, Bermuda, Montserrat and the Falklands Islands as soon as possible. Even though the number of flights and demand is low, they are regarded as special cases.
It is understood that countries in a third wave, such as Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong, have been told it is unlikely that "air bridges" will be established before late summer.
'Air bridges': The likely destinations
First tranche including:
France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany
Second tranche including:
Denmark, Norway, Finland, Holland, 'low-risk' Caribbean islands, La Reunion
Third tranche including
Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong
The USA, where Donald Trump has
closed the borders, is unlikely to be opened until after November, although that will depend on whether states can reduce their coronavirus rates.
New Zealand is planning to keep its borders closed with a 14-day quarantine until March because of fears of a second winter wave of coronavirus. That may change
if a vaccine is developedand proves effective by then.
The UK bridges policy is expected to be finalised at a Covid-19 strategy meeting on Thursday with Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, and Priti Patel, the Home Secretary.
Mr Shapps is understood to have been pressing for a more ambitious, bigger opening of "travel corridors" in the initial phase, describing them on Wednesday as a "massive priority" to reinvigorate the aviation industry, help rebuild the economy and enable Britons to enjoy overseas summer sun.
The criteria for deciding which countries, to be published on Monday, is focused on the virus infection rate, whether it is rising or falling and whether the prospective destination has a test and trace system to limit any outbreaks and
social distancing rulesas strict as the UK's.
It will be set against their popularity as destinations for Britons and the economic case, which could mean dozens of countries in the first two waves.
Mr Shapps told MPs on Wednesday: "You can see there are a lot of complexities.
"I don't want to be evasive but I don't also want to give people false hope, which is why I need to wait until the end of the process and wait until June 29."
The European Commission has warned that it would be discriminatory to allow travel corridors between some but not all EU countries with similar "low-risk" coronavirus profiles.
Backbenchers are making similar pleas. Henry Smith, the chairman of the cross-party Future of Aviation group, said: "I would like to see air corridors across the whole of the EU and Schengen area."
The Department for Transport, however, argues that there is no legal impediment to bilateral deals. "We would regard that as their problem. I don't think you can imagine Brussels trying to tell the Spanish: 'You can't take Britons," said a minister.
The moves came as the airport ground handling company Swissport
announced plans to cut more than 4,500 jobs. The Airport Operators' Association warned in a report on Wednesday of 20,000 job losses at airports and a further 100,000 in associated businesses.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), on Wednesday joined BA's parent company, Ryanair and Easyjet in
a legal challenge to ditch quarantinebecause of the economic damage.
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Also to elaborate, I read an article this morning saying if the UK doesn't open up to all of the EU/Schengen at once and instead does these travel corridors which are pretty much confirmed, the EU commission will be taking the uk government to court as the proposed air bridges are actually illegal and discriminates against lots of different EU countries.
www.lightwatervalley.co.uk
