COVID-19 Updates – week commencing 23/08/21
More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance.
Go to date:
24 August 2021 …
Tourism Alliance update:
- Clarification On Guidance
One question that I’ve been discussing with DCMS is what “fully vaccinated” means in the context of overseas visitors from the EEA and US being exempt from the need to quarantine. The issue has arisen that. in Switzerland, people who have had Coronavirus and one jab are considered to be “fully vaccinated” because they have had the virus twice. In response to these queries, the Government has just updated the guidance on quarantining to state:
What counts as fully vaccinated
You may not be considered to be fully vaccinated for the purpose of entering the UK even if you’re considered to be fully vaccinated in your country of origin.
In the UK, ‘fully vaccinated’ means you’ve had either:
- 2 doses of an approved 2 dose vaccine (such as Pfizer or AstraZeneca)
- one dose of an approved single dose vaccine (such as Janssen)
You must have had your final dose at least 14 whole days before you arrive in England. The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.
This means that people coming from the EEA and the US need to be fully vaccinated in terms of the UK definition rather than the definition in their home country.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england
BTA’s Framework Agreement
The Government has published it’s framework agreement with BTA. The priorities set for the organisation are to:
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- Help the tourism industry recover swiftly from the impact of COVID-19
- Ensure the BTA’s work is fully aligned with the cross-Government post-COVID Tourism Recovery Plan, and ensures the BTA makes a full advisory contribution to Government policy making related to tourism
- Strengthen the marketing of Britain overseas to achieve growth in international leisure and business tourism, particularly in terms of value
- Continue to maintain distinct activities to develop and market English tourism
- Continue to prioritise improvements in procurement, compliance and wider corporate functions, ensuring that the BTA delivers high standards of regularity and propriety.
The framework also contains a series of KPIs by which BTA’s performance will be assessed.
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- For VisitBritain to stimulate demand to drive the quickest return of international visitor spend.
- The BTA will need to deliver anticipated levels of return of investment on campaigning activity as set out in Professional Assurance (PASS) application forms.
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- For VisitEngland to support the recovery of the English tourism sector, ensuring it is ready to welcome back visitors after lockdowns.
- The BTA will be assessed on their ability to support tourism businesses recover from COVID-19. This could include looking at the number of We’re Good to Go sign-ups, the number of roadshows, workshops and business engagement activities and the impact of domestic marketing activity.
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- To be the authority on tourism, delivering the statutory role to provide expert advice and insights to industry and Government.
- The BTA will need to make sure its activity aligns with the Tourism Recovery Plan, the Integrated Review, the outcome of the Destination Management Organisations independent review and other relevant major Government initiatives.
- The BTA will need to commission and publish a robust suite of research on domestic and inbound travel, demonstrating visitor trends, regional variation. Advise DCMS and wider government on major policy initiatives.
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- Compliance, Internal Employee Satisfaction & Transformation.
- The BTA will seek to achieve an Employee Engagement Score (EES) to be in line with Cabinet Office average levels.
- The BTA will be expected to demonstrate continued progress on addressing compliance issues.
iii. By the end of the year the BTA will need to have developed a plan for moving out of London by the end of 2024.
25 August 2021 …
Tourism Alliance update:
Guidance For Visa Applicants And Temporary UK Residents Updated
The Home Office has updated it’s guidance for people applying to enter the UK or remain on the basis of family or private life. For people who are unable to travel back to the UK due to coronavirus travel restrictions and whose leave expired between 1 March 2020 and 19 July 2021, a short break of up to 6 months in continuous residence will be overlooked and they will face no future adverse immigration consequences as a result. However, they are expected to make their next application as soon as possible on return. There are also changes to the minimum income requirements which are:
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- If you’ve experienced a loss of income due to coronavirus up to 31 October 2021, we will consider employment income for the period immediately before the loss of income, provided the minimum income requirement was met for at least 6 months immediately before the date the income was lost.
- If your salary has reduced because you’re furloughed we will take account of your income as though you’re earning 100% of your salary.
- If you’re self-employed, a loss of annual income due to coronavirus between 1 March 2020 and 31 October 2021 will usually be disregarded, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications.
This may be of help to businesses that have staff or contractors who have travelled back overseas during the pandemic and are concerned that they cannot return to their jobs
Visiting The UK As An EU, EEA Or Swiss Citizen
The guidance for EU,EEA and Swiss citizens entering the UK has been updated to say that if they have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, they will be able to use it to enter the UK on their National ID Card while they wait for the decision on their application. So if you have employees still waiting for the outcome of their application, they will be able to travel in and out of the UK on their ID card post 1 October when the requirement for people visiting the UK from these areas to use full passports.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visiting-the-uk-as-an-eu-eea-or-swiss-citizen
Transport Usage Update
DFT have published this week’s transport use figures and they have increase slightly over the last couple of weeks. National Rail usage is now 50-60% of normal, there is a small increase in use of the tube in London to between 50-60% and bus use is up to 60-70%. So it’s moving in the right direction but the increases are still slow.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
- CMA letter To PRC Providers
The CMA has written an open letter to PRC providers reminding them of the need to comply with consumer law. The letter paints a pretty grim picture of the sector and the practices that have been taking place that have kept prices high for consumers, hindering the recovery of the travel sector.
