(CNN) – Britons trying to go on holiday while travel restrictions are still in place could face a $ 7,000 fine under new government legislation.
The new “roadmap regulation” in the UK, launched on Monday, proposes that anyone traveling outside England “without a reasonable excuse” be fined £ 5,000 ($ 6,932).
The legislation – which will come a year after Britain first entered the blockade – will be voted on by parliament on Thursday.
Under Covid-19 restrictions, non-essential travel is currently prohibited. Under the “Stay Home” order, anyone leaving the country must complete a travel declaration form, explaining the nature of their trip. Residents of the UK who return home are questioned by border staff for the reasons they traveled.
Currently, the penalty is GBP 200 for not completing a travel declaration form.
If adopted, the fixed penalty of GBP 5,000 will take effect on Monday, March 29.
The new law will remain in force until June 30, which means that non-essential travel would be banned for another three months. So far, the earliest date for the resumption of international travel had been scheduled for May 17.
Europe on the Red List?
It is rumored that France could reach the United Kingdom Red List.
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Government officials have repeatedly warned the public that there is no certainty that they will be able to take vacations abroad this summer.
On Monday, Health Minister Lord Bethell suggested that the whole of Europe could reach the UK’s “Red List” of countries with dangerous levels of Covid-19. His boss, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, said there were no plans for that at the moment.
Travelers entering England or Wales from Red List countries must be quarantined for 10 days in a hotel on arrival at a cost of GBP 1,750 (USD 2,400) per person.
There are currently no European countries there, although it is possible that France will be placed on it, following an increase in cases with the South African version. Portugal was removed from the list after a decrease in the number of cases.
If approved, the travel ban will be reviewed by April 12 and then again every 35 days.
The legislation proposes fines for people at airports or “boarding points for the purpose of traveling from there to a destination outside the United Kingdom”.
A fine of GBP 200 for those caught without a completed travel declaration form, even if they are traveling for essential reasons, will remain.
Exceptions to the law include those for whom it is “reasonably necessary” to travel for work, volunteer or study abroad. People traveling for a selected number of emergencies are also exempt, as are those living abroad.
Those traveling to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland are also exempt. However, a trip to Ireland to fly to another country will incur a £ 5,000 penalty.
The Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish governments make their own travel decisions. Currently, Wales is in line with England’s guidelines, and Scotland requires a 10-day quarantine in state-run facilities for all travelers, no matter where they arrive.
So far, Scotland and Wales have had May 17 as the first potential time for international travel with England. Northern Ireland had not yet made a statement.
Introducing the bill, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement:
“These measures have been vital in reducing infections, hospitalizations and deaths across the country, and thanks to the commitment and support of the people, we have made strong progress.
“We rightly end as many national measures as safely as possible, while maintaining those that remain necessary and proportionate to help further reduce and control infections, as we carefully but irreversibly improve our restrictions and our historic program. rapid vaccination. “