UK - Entry Restrictions - Nationwide
Reed & Mackay Travel Update Service 24 November 2020, 10:03 AM
Incident: COVID-19 entry restrictions
Location(s): Nationwide (map)
Time Frame: Indefinite
Impact: Travel disruptions
Summary
Effective Dec. 15, authorities in the UK will allow travelers arriving from countries with elevated coronavirus disease (COVID-19) activity to reduce the required self-isolation period from 14 to five days. Travelers will be allowed to take a COVID-19 test, at their own expense, after five days of self-isolation; however, test results may take up to 48 hours to be returned.
Other international entry restrictions are currently in force. Although more than 30 countries and overseas territories - including Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, and South Korea - are exempt from the self-isolation requirement, international passengers of any nationality arriving from nonexempt locations, as of Nov. 24, must self-isolate for at least 14 days upon entry into the UK. Health officials could perform spot checks to ensure compliance. Persons without suitable accommodations are required to stay in facilities arranged by the government at their own expense. Freight drivers and healthcare workers are typically exempt from the requirement. All international travelers entering the UK must fill out a passenger locator form providing contact details and their travel history over the previous 14 days.
Authorities recently updated the list of international locations from which travelers do not need to self-isolate upon arrival. Effective 0400 Nov. 21, due to a decrease in COVID-19 activity, travelers from Israel, Namibia, Rwanda, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands will no longer be required to self-isolate upon entry.
Authorities had previously extended the travel restrictions regarding persons arriving from Denmark until at least Nov. 26. Visitors from Denmark remain barred from entry; freight transporters and haulers are exempt. British nationals, visa holders, and permanent residents who have traveled to Denmark in the last 14 days and who are returning home must self-isolate along with their households. The self-isolation period runs for at least two weeks from the time the individual left Denmark.
Officials review the measures every week or on a need-driven basis in response to significant changes in disease activity abroad. The government claims that improved COVID-19 data now allows a more targeted approach to imposing quarantine requirements on international arrivals, partly removing the necessity for national-level restrictions.
Authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.
Resources
UK Passenger Locator Form
Department of Transport
Quarantine Exempted Countries List Scotland
Quarantine Exempted Countries List England
Quarantine Exempted Countries List Northern Ireland
Quarantine Exempted Countries List Wales
China - Restrictions - Hong Kong
Reed & Mackay Travel Update Service 24 November 2020, 1:19 PM
Incident: COVID-19 restrictions
Location(s): Hong Kong (map)
Time Frame: Indefinite
Impact: Heightened security, business and transport disruptions, testing and quarantine requirements
Summary
Hong Kong plans to further enhance restrictions through at least Dec. 3 amid an ongoing rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. Authorities will close some entertainment businesses, including bars, nightclubs, and karaoke rooms, under the new measures. Officials will also scale down banquets, only allowing 10 tables of four people during events. The government continues to limit public gatherings to four people and requires residents to wear protective face coverings in all public areas and public transport. Restaurants must operate at a maximum of 50-percent capacity and close 0001-0500 daily.
Officials are also restricting hotel room occupancy to four people and requiring guests to register their details with the hotel. Religious facilities and places of worship are open with up to 50-percent capacity. Team sporting events can occur at designated facilities - including pools - above gathering limits. In-person classes remain suspended at childcare centers and kindergartens through Nov. 27 and first, second, and third grades through Dec. 7.
Authorities are conducting mandatory testing for high-risk groups, including people who work or live on sites with outbreaks or work in specific occupations. Officials are also requiring residents that may have been exposed at some venues to get tested. People who do not take the tests are subject to a fine of USD 258; officials could impose a fine of up to USD 3,225 or prison sentences of up to six months for those who repeatedly fail to get tested.
Hong Kong is restricting land border crossings with mainland China indefinitely. Authorized travelers are only permitted entry at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Immigration processing centers at Ocean Terminal and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal remain closed. Increased absenteeism may continue, especially for employees who work in Hong Kong but live in mainland China.
Officials are allowing some transit flights at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) if grouped in a single booking, and the connection time is less than 24 hours. Airport Authority Hong Kong is permitting transit flights originating from mainland China until further notice under the same rules; transit flights to mainland China remain banned. Airlines have significantly reduced flights due to decreased demand, and additional cancellations are likely.
Transport Restrictions
The government continues to ban all nonresident foreign nationals from entering the territory. Travelers from Macau, Taiwan, and mainland China can enter Hong Kong, provided they have no recent travel history elsewhere. Authorities allow approximately 5,000 Hong Kong residents to enter from Guangdong Province and Macau daily without quarantine. Travelers seeking to avoid quarantine must make a reservation online and only enter via open border checkpoints. Officials have suspended a planned travel arrangement that would allow Singapore residents to enter the territory without quarantine until further notice.
As of Nov. 24, Hong Kong is designating Bangladesh, Belgium, Ethiopia, France, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the US as high-risk areas. Authorities will expand the designation to Ecuador and Germany from Nov. 28. Returning residents arriving from high-risk locations must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 result from a test taken within 72 hours before departure. Officials require all arriving travelers, except from mainland China, to self-quarantine at a hotel for two weeks; travelers must present a hotel reservation for the entire period before boarding flights. All arriving travelers must undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival in Hong Kong and at the end of the quarantine period, if applicable. Officials will isolate and treat symptomatic passengers or people testing positive for COVID-19 at government-designated facilities. Authorities have exempted some mainland Chinese teachers, students, and business travelers whose activities officials deem economically beneficial to the territory from the mandatory quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test result.
Officials are maintaining quarantine measures for sea and air crews indefinitely. Under the requirements, ships without cargo cannot exchange crews. On other ships, workers are no longer allowed to enter the territory and must travel directly to the airport after disembarking if completing their service on board. Inbound ship crews and flight crew members will have to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours of departure for Hong Kong. Both airlines and shipping companies must arrange point-to-point transport for employees to limit interaction with the public.
Background and Analysis
COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV). Symptoms occur 1-14 days following exposure (average of 3-7 days). These symptoms include fever, fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing, sometimes worsening to pneumonia and kidney failure - especially in those with underlying medical conditions.
Resources
Hong Kong Government
World Health Organization (WHO)
Netherlands - Restrictions - Nationwide
Reed & Mackay Travel Update Service 24 November 2020, 7:32 PM
Incident: COVID-19 restrictions
Location(s): Nationwide (map)
Time Frame: Indefinite
Impact: Transport and business disruptions
Summary
Authorities are maintaining international entry restrictions as of Nov. 24 as part of the nation's effort to control the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Only travelers from European Economic Area (EEA) countries, Switzerland, and the UK, as well as residents of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Uruguay, are permitted to enter. Exceptions may be made for individuals with an essential function or need, such as health workers, on-duty security forces, freight workers, and diplomats, though all such travelers are required to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival. Arrivals from the following countries must also self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival:
- Andorra
- Aruba
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bonaire
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark: Copenhagen, Arhus, Faaborg-Midtfyn, Greve, Koge, Slagelse, Solrod
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia: Riga
- Lichtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Norway: Oslo, Vestland, Viken
- Poland
- Portugal: all regions except the Azores
- Romania
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- St Maarten
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- The UK
- Non-EEA countries other than Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Uruguay
In addition, the following domestic restrictions remain in place.
- Households may receive up to three guests per day in indoor or outdoor areas.
- Outdoor gatherings are limited to four people from different households.
- A maximum of 30 people can attend indoor events, though must be seated.
- Nonessential retail stores must close by 2000.
- All individuals are advised to stay home as much as possible and to avoid nonessential travel.
- Anyone over the age of 13 must wear a protective face covering in indoor public areas and on public transport.
- All food and beverage establishments are limited to takeout services only.
- Persons aged 18 years or older may only engage in sports activities individually or in groups of two; a distance of 1.5 meters (5 feet) must be kept at all times.
- Individuals must observe social distancing of 1.5 meters (5 feet) at all times, where possible.
Authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.
Advice
Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions.
Emphasize basic health precautions, especially frequent handwashing with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. Practice good coughing/sneezing etiquette (i.e., covering coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, maintaining distance from others, and washing hands). There is no evidence that the influenza vaccine, antibiotics, or antiviral medications will prevent this disease, highlighting the importance of diligent basic health precautions.
Resources
Government of the Netherlands
List of Self-Quarantine Upon Arrival Countries
World Health Organization (WHO)