Saturday, December 5, 2020
England has decided to exempt all business travellers from quarantine regulations under new rules from the government. Restrictions will be eased for the leaders of foreign multinational firms visiting English branches and bosses at firms planning to invest. Returning executives will also be exempt from quarantine.
According to the department for transport, in each case the business trips must result in a deal which creates or preserves 50 jobs or lead to a £100,000 investment or order. The new rule will allow business people to travel to England from countries that are not on the list of travel corridors without having to isolate for 14-days on arrival.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps took to social media and shared “from 4AM on Sat 5th Dec high-value business travellers will no longer need to self-isolate when returning to England from a country not in a travel corridor, allowing more travel to support the economy and jobs. Conditions apply,” announcing the change.
Travellers will have to demonstrate in an exemption letter that they are delivering the mentioned business benefits to the U.K. The letter will be checked by police or Border Force. In addition, the government also mentioned that performing arts workers, TV production staff, journalists and recently signed sports professionals will also be exempted from quarantine restrictions.
Exceptions are also made for people coming from the Common Travel Area – the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man – or countries in travel corridors with England. Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, welcomed the move and stated that the World Travel & Tourism Council supports the initiative to start business travel once again. She mentioned that WTTC which represents the global tourism private sector believes that the move will bolster business travel and provide a significant boost to the fragile U.K. economy.
Tags: business travelers, England, England Tourism
