Brits banned from travelling internationally - including to Thailand

[webfact]

Brits banned from travelling internationally - including to Thailand

 

FILE PHOTO for reference only//Credit: Wanderlust

 

Last week, the Thai government unveiled its so-called ‘area quarantine’ plan which it hopes will attract more foreign tourists to Thailand.

 

Set to officially launch in April in five destinations popular with foreign tourists - Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Koh Samui - greater freedom during quarantine.

 

The plans would require tourists to stay in their hotel rooms for the first three days. However, if they test negative for COVID-19 they will then be allowed to access the whole of the resort for the remainder of the 14 day quarantine period.

 

After 14  days they will then be tested again and if found to be negative they will be allowed to leave the resort.

 

But regardless of the plans the Thai government has for area quarantine, it is unlikely to include British tourists any time soon.

 

This is because British government has banned its citizens from travelling overseas on holiday.

 

Effective from today (8 March), anyone travelling internationally from England will need to present a form stating their trip is permitted under the UK's current national lockdown rules.

 

Those travelling internationally from England now need to complete and carry a Declaration to Travel document which can be downloaded from the Government’s website.

 

Anyone who does not have the required documentation is likely to be prevented from boarding.

 

Those identified by police, who will be carrying out spot checks at airports, attempting to travel internationally without valid reason, such as for education or work, face being fined anywhere between £200 and £6,400. 

 

Different rules apply for international travel from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

 

The Declaration to Travel document also doesn’t need to be completed for travel within the UK, to Ireland, and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. 

 

Travellers are advised to print a copy of the completed form or save it to a mobile or other device. 

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) regularly updates its travel advice for Britons.

 

The FCO travel advice at the time of posting is that Britons must stay home unless they have a legally permitted reason to do so.

 

“It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes,” the FCO website reads.

 

Legally permitted reasons to be outside of the home for international travel include essential travel for business or official work purposes as well as for academic studies where it is required you are overseas. 

 

This includes international students returning home.

 

Other permitted reasons include on medical grounds as well as for weddings and funerals.

 

British expats stuck in the UK are also likely to be permitted to return to Thailand for work purposes or to reunite with their families in Thailand.

 

But Britons simply wanting to visit Thailand on holiday are not currently permitted to do so. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-03-08

 

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[overherebc]

Back to the drawing board then??

[Surelynot]

11 minutes ago, webfact said:

Brits banned from travelling internationally

Surprised the world didn't get together and does this years ago.

[shy coconut]

Going on holiday has been illegal for Brits for a couple of months now. 

 

I think it was brought in early January, I think business and hospital appointments 

are the exception, I'm not sure how much scrutiny is done at departure though.

[sammieuk1]

Looks like Boris doesn't want Brits going to dirty unvaccinated counties ???? 

[Olmate]

Only 12 months behind Oz! 

[Captain Monday]

 

"I'm going to my friends wedding in Bangkok"

[mtls2005]

Scrub those LHR-HKT flights on TG. They can't catch a break.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

Ouch, that hurts.  Poor Thailand can't catch a break.  I mean poor Brits. Either way I do believe travel for 2021 is out of the picture until mass vaccination has occurred or until more is known regarding how long any immunity may last.  Don't want the new and upcoming Thai variant of Covid-19 spreading the globe do we.

Edited March 8, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[OswaldBastable]

54 minutes ago, webfact said:

Effective from today (8 March), anyone travelling internationally from England will need to present a form stating their trip is permitted under the UK's current national lockdown rules.

I escaped with 4 days to spare.

In another 10 days I'll be allowed out.

[bkk6060]

Seems draconian, controlling and boarder line Communistic.  Sure glad I am not from or in the UK.

[BKKTRAVELER]

I see one big flaw in their area quarantine proposal. The main reason they keep you in quarantine after testing negative on the third day is because of cases that occurred in which people tested negative at first and then positive later on (10th, 11th day). That means that people passing the first test can still be positive later. 

 

Now, it seems people will be allowed to mingle with others within the hotel limits. What if someone that passed the first test but is still actually a carrier gets in contact with someone on their 13th or 14 day of quarantine and give it to them? This person may end up going free the next day and spread it later on.

[Surelynot]

Just now, BKKTRAVELER said:

I see one big flaw in their area quarantine proposal. The main reason they keep you in quarantine after testing negative on the third day is because of cases that occurred in which people tested negative at first and then positive later on (10th, 11th day). That means that people passing the first test can still be positive later. 

 

Now, it seems people will be allowed to mingle with others within the hotel limits. What if someone that passed the first test but is still actually a carrier gets in contact with someone on their 13th or 14 day of quarantine and give it to them? This person may end up going free the next day and spread it later on.

I think where you have gone wrong here is....... a) thinking about this carefully...... and b) applying logic

[BKKTRAVELER]

1 minute ago, Surelynot said:

I think where you have gone wrong here is....... a) thinking about this carefully...... and b) applying logic

My bad indeed...

[foreverlomsak]

3 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

I think where you have gone wrong here is....... a) thinking about this carefully...... and b) applying logic

Where @BKKTRAVELER went wrong was in thinking, in Thailand you're supposed to speak first, think later, then change your mind. At least that how the government works.

[Cake Monster]

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Looks like Boris doesn't want Brits going to dirty unvaccinated counties ???? 

And who would blame him.

Covid has cost the developed World an absolute massive amount of Money so far, and these Countries will not put at risk all the hard work and expense so far taken to try and contain this Virus.

It is my guess that the UK will not be the last Country to ban International travel.

Not just because of the risk of re-infection, but also to retain any spare money the populations have in their own Countries to help with the the rebuild costs, through internal spending.

[sammieuk1]

4 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

And who would blame him.

Covid has cost the developed World an absolute massive amount of Money so far, and these Countries will not put at risk all the hard work and expense so far taken to try and contain this Virus.

It is my guess that the UK will not be the last Country to ban International travel.

Not just because of the risk of re-infection, but also to retain any spare money the populations have in their own Countries to help with the the rebuild costs, through internal spending.

I'm also in the process of banning auto correct over a counties countries issue ????

[RotBenz8888]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

as well as for weddings

Staying at a resort while there is an Indian wedding party should be ok then? 

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

 

Those identified by police, who will be carrying out spot checks at airports,

 

Suckers .. who said everyone will fly .. 

 

[2 is 1]

I have Finland passport and i can always exit and come back in here! That is my constitutional right!

Is that wise in this covid situation? Maybe not but its my right anyway and that is how that should be!

 

[Pilotman]

When did the UK turn into North Korea?  I must have missed that referendum. 

[Chelseafan]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Seems draconian, controlling and boarder line Communistic.  Sure glad I am not from or in the UK.

 

No different to a lot of countries...

Even if we could go on vacation, where could we go without Covid restrictions...

 

 

[internationalism]

I have though the UK have this rule on international travelling already sometimes from January.

Same as the USA.

I don't see a difference from the previous order

[ThailandRyan]

46 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Where @BKKTRAVELER went wrong was in thinking, in Thailand you're supposed to speak first, think later, then change your mind. At least that how the government works.

And disavow or claim it was a misunderstanding.....

[CharlieH]

"Different rules apply for international travel from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. "

 

So just use a different Airport thats NOT in England it would seem.

Glasgow or Cardiff or even Northern Ireland.

 

[foreverlomsak]

2 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

"Different rules apply for international travel from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. "

 

So just use a different Airport thats NOT in England it would seem.

Glasgow or Cardiff or even Northern Ireland.

 

As I understand it travel from England to Wales is not allowed at the current time, read a news report yesterday that the police are blocking major highways. Would assume that England to Scotland would be the same. Wales, Scotland and NI have always had slightly different approaches to the COVID situation from the beginning.

[OswaldBastable]

10 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

No different to a lot of countries...

Even if we could go on vacation, where could we go without Covid restrictions...

England was a total nightmare, you couldn't go out, then you could, then you couldn't.

The weather was awful, and even if you could go out everywhere was shut.

I can't see much surviving, everyone is just accumulating debt, all the rent/mortgage/loans will need to be paid in the end.

 

Thailand was about the only place I could find to escape after a year of that  nonsense.

And even that wasn't easy, and was expensive (about 3,000 pounds all in), but at least I have 3 months where hopefully I will be able to live a life again. If they ever let me out  of this hotel.

Never been to Asia before, looking forward to bars, beaches and whatever else there is to see and do.

[NanLaew]

A belated enforcement of the "non-essential international travel ban" at last.

 

Since countries started closing their borders (except the UK!) last March, myself and countless others who work internationally have had to hunker down. However, starting around last October, several countries set up carefully planned and managed quarantine on arrival schemes so that small numbers of foreign experts, consultants and other essential non-nationals could travel back to work. This is essential work that ranges from keeping oil and gas supplies open to getting fresh fruit and veggies on your supermarket shelf. Global commerce is recovering and supply chains either need to be maintained or adapted to fit.

 

Despite the quarantines, it's great to get back to work but it's disheartening now to see tourists and other non-essentials with a hankering to drink a cold bear on a warm beach thinking they deserve the same access to travel. Their numbers alone have the  potential to overwhelm these fragile air travel corridors and the bespoke procedures in place, create clusters and force border closures again. Travel corridors, tourist bubbles and Covid passports are all so much wasteful pie in the sky. The vaccines are rolling out and 2021 is the year to get the thundering herd of tourists and the citizens in their destination countries some degree of herd immunity.

 

Maybe they could all just wait until next year and not just the Brits?

Edited March 8, 2021 by NanLaew

[Surelynot]

15 minutes ago, OswaldBastable said:

about 3,000 pounds all in

The same again for lady drinks should see through at least half your holiday.

[from the home of CC]

a little foresight and thousands could have been saved..