I agree - the representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong are supporting the quarantine move.

The UK Gov't has its own scientific advisors like Sir Patrick Vallance and he was hardly supportive of quarantine, so they won't pay much attention to what South East Asia and Australia think. You can't have quarantine for tourists but not for business travellers as the virus does not discriminate. British Airways said that there was no consultation and no scientific evidence provided to support the policy; that weekly commuters from France or Germany (ie Prof. Teo Yik-Ying comment about green lane arrangements) can be exempted. That was an economic decision and not a health decision..

As a layperson my take on this virus is as such,this badboy has about blown itself out,3 weeks ago they told us due to the over crowded beaches all over the south of England and that the end was nigh,the second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh etc.BALONEY. So onward I say to another landing at that magical Runway 05/23 LPMA/FNC.

Isn't the reason that it's really hard to catch the virus outside, like almost impossible???

Problem has always been airborne droplets from infected people's mouths and noses which disperse incredibly rapidly outside in the smallest of drafts.

Outside your less likely to get it as you would be in hot weather, most issues are with it being far more infectious inside hence the issue with winter time as everyone is inside.

I get that "government advice" often/usually originates from a statement from the industry itself, plus their PR "pusher" in Whitehall, rather than any impartial assessment by civil servants/government, but it really is stretching credulity to say that speeding up boarding/disembarking somehow decreases your chances of catching something, compared to all the rest of the travel process. What about all the additional time and people now crowded round the carousel. Now the industry has long been keen to divert hand baggage to the hold, especially as most have now found some way to collect additional revenue from so doing, but it's yet another example of those seeking additional revenue opportunities (or making political point scoring, such as against aviation overall) just taking inappropriate advantage of the current troubles to suit their own agenda. The attitudes of Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz being a macro example of this.

Surely it's the other way round - the charge was to discourage hold baggage so as to speed up turn round times and reduce costs. The growth of carry-on wardrobes and the scrum to force them into overhead bins is one of the dispiriting things about modern air travel, the fewer the better.

During his weekly video conference with Spain’s regional premiers, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced today that the country will reopen its borders with all European Union and Schengen-area countries on June 21. The exception will be Portugal, which will have to wait until July 1 on the request of the Portuguese government. Spain’s King Felipe VI and the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa will hold a ceremony on that day to reopen the Spain-Portugal border.

Government sources confirmed on Sunday evening that despite having left the bloc earlier this year, the United Kingdom is still considered an EU member state given that it is in a transition period and enjoys full membership rights. This means that UK travelers will also be able to enter Spain from June 21.

The state of alarm will also end on June 21, meaning that residents in the country will be able to travel freely once more throughout the territory
From June 21, travelers arriving in the country will no longer be required to stay in quarantine for two weeksTravelers from outside the European Union and the Schengen free-travel area will be permitted to enter Spain from July 1, the prime minister explained, provided there is a reciprocal agreement on travel and taking into account the epidemiological situation in the country of origin, among other factors.

If we were outside the EU I would suspect they would treat us as a favoured nation due to the massive tourist trade from the UK.

The fly in the paella is that the UK still has an all but essentially travel warning still in force and a quarantine for returning visitors.

This will probably do Spain a favour by keeping new cases out of their country for a few more weeks.

'The fly in the paella'?!

Quarantine - you mean an unenforceable quarantine?

It will still put people off just like having no Coronavirus cover. In fact with the government advice not to travel unless essential the whole policy would normally be void.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/06...vel-insurance/

Most reports suggest the FCO advise is likely to change in the next couple of weeks, so I think a lot depends on quarantine being dropped.

One suggestion was the only reason the FCO is still blanket advising against all essential travel was to avoid diplomatic relations being damaged with countries that would not be advised to travel to which is crazy if true.

But that is how the Foreign Office has long worked. Their most important thing in the universe is to avoid upsetting prickly foreign officials of selected countries, and the most effective way to do that is to have one rule for all. This is notable for example with UK airport security. Every transit passenger is rescreened, from everywhere, as if we do not trust any foreign security. Of course we would do, for some, but if there were selective rules the ones in the Not Trusted camp would take the hump - in fact, they are commonly the group more likely to.

Covid in the USA is still higher than other countries. I'm not sure how Trump would react if the UK put the USA in the "too dangerous to visit" category while putting Mexico in the "safe" category...

The Americans have us banned still so surely no issue, although Mexico is having a lot of cases so assume if it does open to Mexico with the air bridge it would be CUN only.

No other country has had much issue with saying where you can and can't go selectively, we just seem to be a bit too polite to offend anyone!

Mexico "safe"?? Pull the other one! In fact if you look at the trend of new cases the USA is treading water / falling a little though after the BLM demos gawd only knows what will happen; Mexico on the other hand, along with most other countries, aside Canada, in the Americas is still reporting increasing numbers.

Beyond Europe and Asia, I really can't see how air bridges to any other areas are in any way feasible.

I think the poster I was replying to was mentioning Mexico as it was on the "list" airlines supplied to government.

Mexico may be saved by its size if regions are secure?

I see New Zealand, who has not had a new case of Covid for 24 days has two new cases. Both women, who are from the same family, had travelled from the UK and were given special permission to attend the funeral of a parent as the country still has closed borders.

This just highlights again how another country’s problem can cause issues on the other side of the world and how we got infected in the first place.

Reports today that Air Bridges will be announced June 29th to come into force July 4th (FCO advise to change)

Countries muted are:

Greece
France
Portugal
Spain
Gibraltar
BVI
Bermuda

so far.

Could be a boost for TUI/Jet2

France muted ?

We can but hope ...

Macron has been the most vocal against it, but sounds like he's been pushing BJ on it last night.

I assume that you meant mooted, not muted!
But seriously, Portugal, with a current infection rate twice ours?

Whilst it would not be too difficult to reconfigure airports between "safe" and "not safe" countries (different terminals?) I can't see how, once Europe reopens its borders, you cannot treat the Schengen zone as a single entity. Does it make sense not to have to quarantine if arriving from France, but to have to do so if arriving from Belgium or the Netherlands? Is Basel airport in France? (Owing to long queues in Swiss security I went through the checkpoint to France on one occasion and sure enough the security queues were much shorter.) The airside is basically a common zone with exits to France & Switzerland, which are both in the Schengen zone. Prior to covid you could travel around the Geneva and Basel areas and cross borders without realising it, and if not the case yet it will hopefully soon be so. I'm sure that you could add plenty of other examples in the Schengen area..

Advanced notice for the countries that can expect an increase in cases then? One thing can be certain and that Brits abroad will forget all about social distancing as soon as they arrive at the airport. They will then get conditioned to a new way of thinking when they are packed into an aircraft just inches apart from their fellow passengers as the danger has been left behind in the UK. Lemmings abroad who infect each other and back they come.

Meanwhile in Florida where they are relaxing the rules and opening the beaches it is all going horribly wrong.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/miami-paus...ry?id=71254648

So If this Lurgy has the same life span as HIV (1959 from a man in Kinshasa),what do you propose? Get a grip.

I imagine it may end up being most European countries come the announcement but I assume its more based on honesty with the forms as it is at the moment.

It just goes to show from the list of countries mooted that it is an economic rather than a health decision. If it was countries with a low rate I imagine it would include Germany, Austria & Switzerland (all 3 far safer than France, Spain & Portugal).. I wonder what action countries not included will do - take the UK to court (likely on discrimination grounds).

They are just the nations mentioned but expect more to be included come the announcement (based on importance to the UK economy or popularity)

Although Raab did suggest there could be legal action against us over it.

Coronaviruses are obviously nothing like Lentiviruses. Plus genetic analysis suggests that SIV made the jump to humans (to become HIV) in around 1920.

Some real top priority destinations there.... if you are a tax dodger of course.

Some good news at last.

I've just received an update from the provider of my annual travel insurance policy advising that cover for all reasonable claims relating to COVID-19 will be covered going forward. Obviously, spurious claims amounting to 'disinclination to travel' will be rejected, but medical issues on the trip and things like denied flight boarding due to temperature checks will be covered. Travelling against FCO advice would negate cover of course, and policies would not cover a new generalised government lockdown under the pandemic exclusion rules. But one wouldn't expect that.

I went into this lockdown with 49 flights and 3 cruises booked. 16 flights are still standing, and I intend to travel on them provided that: 1) the airlines actually operate them; 2) Priti-Dim's UK quarantine debacle is cancelled; 3) FCO 'no travel' advice is rolled back.

Obviously, I need the destination to be "open for business" as well.

Anyway, a most welcome development. Kudos to coverforyou / AXA for this. Hopefully, other providers to follow suit very soon. Removes a massive barrier to travel for me.

https://www.axa.co.uk/travel-insurance/You need to self isolate for two weeks before you go in case you get contacted by a track and tracer.

The point i am making is you can't keep locked up forever.

LTNman: You appear to be quoting a different insurance policy than mine. My email advisory was delivered at 17:12 UTC. My policy has been amended as stated in post 1255.

I can't speak for other AXA products, but with the principle established it seems likely that they will apply new C-19 cover to those as well.

.
Being proposed by Swissport and medical firm Collinson

BBC: Airport tests may provide 'early travel quarantine release'

Incredibly tough choices for governments around the world in easing restrictions but what is happening in America now could come back to haunt us, though it has to be said, Americans don’t like being told what to do.

Thanks for the information and positive attitude.As a person who stayed (3 years) in one of the most dangerous countries in the world(big bad South Africa) without travel insurance I say to those pondering wither to take out insurance,be a daredevil and travel without.

You really couldn't blame Swissport, they have been hemorrhaging money for the last three months, and stand to lose even more as a result of this stupid blanket quarantine. However £140??? That is nothing but profiteering, and will achieve little but allow the wealthy to enjoy their holidays if they so wish, whilst the less well off feel that £560 for a family of 4 is just too much. Half the price might given them greater revenue, as there would be much more take up.

When I first heard the story I thought they might charge £10 or so per test; but then I forgot that this is ripoff Britain.

Iceland will be introducing a similar system and plan to charge £90