Brits can holiday in France, Spain and Italy from next week as first air bridges are revealed
25 June 2020, 08:03 | Updated: 26 June 2020, 10:01
This will open up parts of Europe for holidaying and there won't be a need to self-isolate on arrival or on your return.
Holidays to certain European safe spots will be allowed from next week as the government announces the first group of air bridges.
France, Italy and Spain will be the first on the list, and The Sun has revealed the roadmap for safe holiday destinations that's set to be announced over the coming weeks.
At the current moment, only England from the UK's countries will be able to take advantage of the air bridges, as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are following stricter lockdown rules.
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Next week, the Foreign Office is set to declare the European countries Italy, Spain and France as safe which means air bridges to those countries will open.
Air bridges are a new concept and will be the first of their kind, and they're shared by countries with similar infection rates to allow travel between those countries without a need to self-isolate.
At the moment, anyone coming into Britain needs to self-isolate for two weeks, but this rule will soon be banished following a series of "intensive phone calls" that are ironing out the final details.
Yesterday the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed these travel corridors will only be allowed with countries which have a coronavirus test and trace system at the same standard as the UK as well a low rate of the virus.
These corridors will be set up after as the quarantine review this weekend (June 29), with the Foreign Office expected to change their travel advice from "against all but essential international travel" to allowing travel in those countries.
The safe travel corridors will be set up after the quarantine review on June 29 and the Foreign Office will change their travel advice from “against all but essential international travel” to allow travel to these safe nations.
France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Belgium, Netherlands, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and possibly Portugal will all be announced in the first batch of ‘safe nations.’
Following this announcement, there will be a "slow trickle" of additional medium haul destinations such as Turkey and Dubai in around August.
We shouldn't expect long haul flights like Vietnam, Hong Kong or Singapore until mid-late summer, and a large number of destinations such as America, Mexico and South America shouldn't be expected until the end of the year.
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Pressure group Quash Quarantine's Paul Charles spoke to The Sun and revealed they've been given assurances from the government about the travel timetable, as long as there aren't any other major outbreaks.
He said: "I am expecting an announcement by the end of the week.
“The work is still taking place on finalising the travel corridors, and I am aware of a lot of intensive phone taking place among people across Europe.
“Although Portugal has had a question mark over it because of the recent outbreak, it will make it in the end.
“The first phase will be Europe, and the second phase from August will be more long haul, with the Caribbean, Dubai and Morocco included.”
He added: “South America, and Latin America will likely be exempt from the end of the year.
“There is no way restrictions will be lifted there any time soon as they are at the epicentre of the pandemic at the moment.
“And it is unlikely that America will open up before the November election, partly because President Trump won’t open it up, but also because the number of cases there is very high.
“America does not meet the Chris Whitty criteria of being a safe country, bit something like three million Brits visit the USA every year and they won’t be doing that.”
