Combating Coronavirus: the UK’s Latest Travel Advice

Last updated on November 16, 2020

The world’s battle against the coronavirus disease began on December 31st, as China alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) of several flu-like cases in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province with a population of 11 million.

On January 7th, the virus was identified as Coronavirus 2019n-CoV (later renamed to COVID-19). It took one month for the novel virus to reach Britain, with the first two patients testing positive on the January 31st.

The numbers are on the rise and the world authorities agreeably claim that the virus poses a significant global threat as the virus sweeps through all the regions. How does this situation affect your travel plans, and is it necessary to change or cancel these plans altogether? Budgetair.co.uk puts together what the experts know in a bid to shed more light on the outbreak as it unfolds.

What is COVID-19?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines COVID-19 as an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new disease and virus began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

It’s not an entirely new disease - COVID-19 is part of a large family of viruses known as coronaviruses, which cause illnesses in animals and humans. Humans infected with such a virus usually experience respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Those who remember the 2003 SARS outbreak may be understandably worried, but initial estimates show a far lower mortality rate - 3.4% compared to SARS’ 15%. This does not negate its danger, as it has proven more infectious than SARS and MERS, possibly due to its longer incubation period.

I have to be overseas - what can I do to protect myself?

In response to coronavirus measures Foreign & Commonwealth Office is advising against all and all but essential travel. You must check the travel advice to the country you are travelling to.

However, should you still have to travel, the following measures, supplied by WHO, will go a long way in protecting you from COVID-19:

  • Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
  • Maintain at least 2 metres (6 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
  • Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
  • Avoid traveling if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease.
  • Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

While you’re overseas, this means staying in touch with news in the UK and in the country you are visiting. Stick with established news sources - fake news is as real a threat as the virus, and could cause you to make misguided decisions which could backfire in today’s unsteady climate. We invite you to consult the government's website for the latest updates. For the latest entry requirements for the destination you are traveling to, please visit the website of IATA, the International Air Transport Association.

Would I get quarantined?

You may not actually be that concerned about getting sick while travelling but in fact more worried about getting stuck or quarantined in the airport or another country. Know what to expect when you touch down at your country of visit, and what to expect when you get back.

The World Health Organization (WHO) website is the best place to check up-to-date information and advice on which countries are at risk and those which you should definitely avoid.

In case the local authority where you are proposes to quarantine you for your own protection, you should follow their advice. When you are abroad, your safety and security is their responsibility.

For more specific travel advice issued by the British authorities, check the official site of the UK Government or check the official site of Foreign Affairs of the country you are located in.

What kind of measures are being taken by the UK authorities?

From November 5, the UK government outlined new measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus. People are asked to stay at home during the pandemic and follow the new rules:

  • Wear a face mask in all indoor settings where social distancing is not possible.
  • Do not meet socially with anyone indoors unless they’re in your support bubble.
  • You must not travel in the UK or overseas, unless for a specific reason, like education, work or a caring responsibility.
  • Certain businesses and venues are closed.

These current rules apply until December 2, 2020. Check the full list of lockdown rules.

Exceptional travel advisory notices by FCO

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises British people travelling abroad to return to the UK now.

You should get medical advice if you've travelled to the UK from somewhere with a higher risk of coronavirus in the last 14 days. To protect others, do not go to a GP, pharmacy or hospital. Instead, follow the instructions of the NHS 111 online coronavirus service to check if you have coronavirus symptoms and get to know your next steps.

(Check the latest updates)

What is the current travel advice?

Travel advice is country and region dependent and subject to change. For the latest updates we would like to refer you to the gov.uk website or please check the official site of Foreign Affairs of your country if it’s other than the UK.

What if my flight is still operating but I am no longer allowed to enter my destination?

Whether you may enter a country depends on individual circumstances (e.g. country of departure) and depends on where you've been prior to that destination. Access to a destination is independent of whether or not a flight is being operated. The responsibility to find out whether a country allows you to enter lies with you as a traveler. Please ensure you check this beforehand using the official government website of the country for which you hold a passport. In certain circumstances you may also need to check the official website of the government of your destination as entry restrictions may also be placed on you based on your previous travel history and not just your nationality. To read the latest entry requirements for the destination you are travelling to please visit the IATA website.

What to do if I bought a ticket with Budgetair.co.uk?

The status of flights is changing very rapidly, so your flight status may not always be accurate and up to date in MyAccount on our website. You might receive a notification of your flight cancellation with a long delay. The most accurate and recent information about your flight can be found on the airline's website, where you can see your flight status and information if your flight has been cancelled due to the impact of COVID-19.

What does this mean for you if you have bought a flight?

How do I know if my flight is still departing? Is my flight changed or cancelled?

Please check the airline's website to see the most accurate and recent information about your flight and information if your flight has been cancelled. Has your flight been cancelled? Then the process will be initiated by us. You do not need to take any action for this.

How does the process work?

  1. We receive a cancellation notice from the airline
  2. We check with the airline to see if you are eligible for a refund
  3. If applicable, we will request the refund amount for you
  4. You will receive an email from us regarding the status
  5. The airline pays the refund amount to us
  6. We will pay the refund amount to you

A different procedure applies to low-cost flights (such as EasyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air or Transavia). As soon as your flight is cancelled, we will receive a message from the airline. We will forward this message to you, in which the airline explains the next steps.

Why can it take a long time to get my refund?

We act as an online agent between you and the airline you have booked your ticket with. This means that the amount you have paid for your ticket(s) has been transferred to the airline directly after we issued your ticket. That is why, in case a refund is applicable, the airline is the one that needs to initiate the refund.

As a result of the impact of COVID-19 on the airline industry these processes take longer than usual. It can take a long time before you get an update on this as we are dependent on each airline's delays in processing refunds. At this time we cannot provide you with an exact indication of time. The majority of airlines have announced that it will take several months to process all requests. We ask you not to contact us about this as we will be processing all cancellations without need for additional information from you. We deeply regret the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and cooperation.

How can I change or cancel my trip?

Change:Changing your trip may involve additional costs. Whether extra costs are required, depends on the conditions of your airline, your flight ticket conditions (check your flight ticket conditions in My Account on our website) and the new ticket price. We are obligated to follow the terms and conditions of the airlines.

  • If you want to change your flight, we highly recommend you to check first whether you can do it online on the website of your airline. If possible, please change your flight there.
  • If there are no options to change on the airline's website, we kindly ask you to submit your change request via My Account on our website. We try to answer your request shortly before departure.
  • This is different for Low-cost flights, please always go to the website of your airline to change your flight.

Cancel:It is always possible to cancel your trip, but whether you are entitled to a refund depends on your flight ticket conditions and/or on the cancellation policy of your airline. We are obligated to follow the terms and conditions of the airlines. We kindly request you to visit the website of your airline to check the cancellation policy, and check your flight ticket conditions in My Account on our website.

If you want to proceed with the cancellation, we kindly ask you to submit your cancellation request via My Account on our website. We will get back to you 72 hours before your departure date. This is different for Low-cost flights, please always go to the website of your airline to cancel your flight.

How does the process work?

  1. If applicable, we will request the refund amount for you
  2. You will receive an email from us regarding the status
  3. The airline pays the refund amount to us
  4. We will pay the refund amount to you

For more information regarding our Customer Support, please check Change and Cancellations FAQs

Contact & Service

Our customer service team is currently working day and night. The focus is on bookings with an urgent departure date, however, these are still extremely high numbers for us, approximately 10,000 customers per day. In line with worldwide advice, all our employees work from home. This adds an extra challenge.

The extreme situation means that it is not feasible to provide the level of service you could normally expect from us. For more efficient processing, we temporarily now focus only on email. We are doing everything possible to support all our customers and all our employees are working extra hours.

When can I contact the customer service?

In order to serve our customers in the best way possible, we are focussing on customers with the most urgent departure dates. We give these customers priority. Our customer service teams are working under extreme pressure to handle as many of your questions as possible but we ask you to take the following into account.

  1. Have you already contacted us? One email or message via My Account is sufficient. Customer service will try to contact you within 72 hours before your planned departure date. Please do not email us multiple times, this will cause unnecessary extra work.

  2. Please only contact us regarding bookings or flights that take place within the next four weeks. Then we can serve the people with an urgent departure date first.

Where to look for more information & Support

With good personal hygiene, social etiquette and thorough follow-up on the official government advice, preventing the spread of COVID-19 can be done without inconvenience or compromising our well-being.

Stay healthy, everyone!

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