Holidays abroad made illegal from Monday with £5,000 fines for rule breakers

23 March 2021, 08:04 | Updated: 23 March 2021, 08:06

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Brits could face a £5,000 fine for breaching the new coronavirus rule which makes international travel illegal.

Foreign holidays will be illegal from next week under new coronavirus laws.

Those who are caught trying to travel abroad without a 'reasonable excuse' could be fined up to £5,000 under the legislation.

MPs will vote on the laws on Thursday, and if approved they would come into effect on Monday 29 March.

While international travel is already banned under the lockdown restrictions, the law will make it illegal until June 30, unless ministers bring in new rules to scrap it early.

Brits currently have to fill out a declaration form if they do want to leave the country, stating their reason to do so, and face a £200 penalty for not having the right paperwork.

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The government is currently looking at when people may be allowed to start travelling abroad again, with Boris Johnson expected to make an announcement by April 12.

In his current lockdown roadmap, international holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, ministers are said to be drawing up plans for a new 'traffic light' system which could allow for easier foreign travel after this date.

This would see Brits freely able to visit 'green' destinations with higher vaccination rates.

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According to the Financial Times, the plans would see tougher restrictions on high risk 'red' countries, but passengers could be exempt from pre-departure Covid tests and quarantine when visiting 'green' destinations.

The plans are not confirmed, however, and many government officials have warned that it's too early to book summer holidays.

Ben Wallace, defence secretary, told Sky: "We can’t be deaf and blind to what’s going on outside the United Kingdom."

"If we were to be reckless in any way and import new variants that put up risk, what would people say about that?

"We’ve got a direction of travel. We’re getting there, and I think it is essential that we preserve that at all costs."

Some scientific advisors have claimed that the ban on non-essential foreign trips should be extended beyond May.

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