When will UK-US travel reopen?
A new transatlantic travel taskforce has been set up to explore ways to reopen UK-US travel.
Travel between the two nations has been frozen since March 2020, thanks to a series of presidential proclamations, while the US is on the UK’s amber list of countries, requiring a 10-day quarantine.
After President Biden arrived in the UK for the G7 meeting in St Ives, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, tweeted: “We’re pleased to announce a joint UK/US Taskforce to help facilitate the reopening of transatlantic travel.”
The group will explore options for resuming flights at scale on what was once the busiest and most lucrative intercontinental route network in the world.
Pressure has long been piled on the two nations to restart travel between the two countries.
On 4 May, a group of airlines, airports and business groups from both sides of the Atlantic called for the full reopening of air travel between the two nations “as soon as safely possible”, reports Reuters.
Here’s what you need to know about UK-US travel this summer.
How important is UK-US travel?
The market is huge. In 2019, nearly 4 million Britons travelled to the US, according to the UK’s Foreign Office, while 4.5 million visits were made from the US to the UK, according to figures from VisitBritain.
Pre-pandemic, London-New York was one of the busiest international air corridors in the world (as well as being important economically), with around 3 million passengers annually.
What are the entry requirements for the US currently?
A ban on travel from the UK to the US was introduced on 16 March last year. The presidential proclamation of 14 March 2020 banned UK travellers from entering the US because their presence “threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure and the national security”.
It prevents holidays and non-essential business or family trips to the US. The principle exception is: “Any alien whose entry would be in the national interest.”
According to the UK’s Foreign Office advice, British nationals who have been in the UK, Ireland, Schengen zone, Iran, Brazil, China and South Africa in the previous 14 days will not be granted entry.
Anyone arriving from elsewhere will be subject to usual entry rules: either with a visa or with an Esta visa waiver.
These rules don’t apply to US citizens and permanent residents of the US, as well as close family members and other limited visa holders.
The US is on the amber list - but for how long?
Various factors dictate a country’s entry onto the UK green list: countries must be advanced in their vaccine rollout; have low levels of any virus variants of concern; and have low infection rates. Taken together, the country must pose a low risk for Covid being reimported to the UK.
As of 9 June, according to the US Centers for Disease Protection (CDC), almost 43 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated, with 304 million doses given in total. As at 10 June, there are 30 cases per 100,000 people for the last seven days. A low infection rate and high levels of vaccination which would make it an attractive proposition for the green list.
When will the travel ban be lifted?
Although a new taskforce has been announced, talks are ongoing and no firm timeline has been given for it to report back.
A Number 10 spokesperson said they wanted a resumption of travel “as soon as possible”, while foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on 11 June that a decision on the air corridor was “not imminent”.
On the UK side, the next traffic light reshuffle is due around 24 June.
Can Americans travel to the UK?
The CDC puts the UK in its level 3 “high” risk category for Covid. It advises travellers who have not been vaccinated to avoid travel to the UK, alongside most of Europe.
However, this is not a legal requirement, and is guidance only.
All inbound travellers from the US to the UK must currently present a negative Covid test at the border, and self-isolate at home for 10 days. They also must present a negative PCR test taken on days two and eight.
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