Can I still travel in the UK during a local lockdown? Your travel questions answered by our expert
The Government’s new local lockdown system in England poses many questions for Britons hoping for a half-term holiday.
Those looking for a staycation will not only have to monitor advice that is regularly changing but they will also have to consider that many parts of the UK now have different rules and restrictions, with Wales, for example, under a 'fire break' national lockdown from Friday.
Where is it safe to travel to in the UK? How do you claim a refund for your half-term holiday? And are you allowed to spend time in an area that is in a different lockdown tier to your own?
The Telegraph’s chief consumer and culture editor, Nick Trend, is on hand to answer all of your questions. Read on to find Nick’s answers to your questions below.
How to ask a question
Simply leave a question in the comments section at the bottom of this article or send an email to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk.
'Can I leave my Tier 2 area for a holiday?'
Q. Joshua Dickson: "I am due to run and facilitate a therapeutic retreat for three days in North Devon 23rd to 26th October. The retreat is for six guests at a retreat venue/hotel and we are two facilitators.
"The work involves group therapy, lectures and yoga. North Devon is a tier 1 area. I will be travelling from London, which is a Tier 2 area. Do you know if I can still facilitate the retreat?"
A. Nick: No, I’m afraid that if you live in a Tier Two area you can’t meet other people indoors who aren’t part of your household, even if you are in Tier One.
'Can I travel to Britain from abroad?'
Q. Frances Solomnovitch: "I have a British Passport and was born in UK. I have lived in Israel for 40 years. I intend to come to UK in November to visit my 91 year old father who lives in Epsom Surrey.
"Can I quarantine (if necessary) in Dorset with a close friend for two weeks?"
A. Nick: Yes - you can do this, if you register that address on arrival and follow the necessary guidelines for travelling to your friend’s address and isolating for 14 days here.
'Can I still travel to Wales?'
Q. Eleanor Scriven: "If I am already on holiday in Wales when the new lockdown comes in, which prevents travel to Wales, and my home area is in Tier 2, do I have to return home, or can I continue?
"Similarly, if my area is placed in Tier 2 while I am already in Wales, but it was Tier 1 when I travelled, should I return home?"
A. Nick: The new lockdown in Wales begins at 6pm on Friday 23 October and continues until the start of Monday 9 November 2020. You don’t say what sort of holiday accommodation you are in, but hotels will have to close and I assume holiday cottages will too.
Travelling into Wales for a holiday or to visit second homes are not permitted reasons under the Regulations. If you are already in a second home when lockdown strikes, I guess it may be permissible to stay (the issue is not specifically addressed), but only if you follow the very strict protocols of the lockdown - which won’t make for much of a holiday.
There is not explicit requirement that I know of to returned to your home just because it becomes Tier 2 while you are away.
'Can we travel to London for a short break?'
Q. Susie Parr: "We are due to travel down to London on Friday 23rd October for a social weekend. It is just my husband and I and we are driving down in our own vehicle. We are going to a few restaurants, a museum and shopping.
"Can we do all of this? We are not meeting anyone, just the two of us. We live in Derbyshire and I think it may be going up a Tier."
A. Nick: I don’t think there is anything in the Tier 2 rules which actually forbids you from doing this, but you are “advised” to reduce the number of journeys you make “where possible” when you are in the Tier 2 area, so it would come down to your individual conscience.
'What about travelling to a Tier 2 area?'
Q. Fern Taylor: "My family (three of us) were planning on visiting my sister in Sheffield. We live on the Isle of Wight (Tier 1) and she lives in Sheffield (Tier 2).
"We would meet outside, socially distanced, in a park and would not stay overnight. Would this be permitted under the lockdown rules? "
A. Nick: Yes - official guidance for Tier 2 says “You may continue to see friends and family you do not live with (or have not formed a support bubble with) outside, including in a garden or other outdoor space.
When you do so, you must not meet in a group of more than 6. This limit of 6 includes children of any age.” More details here.
'Are you able to travel into a Tier 2 area from abroad?'
Q. David Greenway: "The Government information does not make it clear how the new restrictions will affect visitors to the UK. I will be coming from Italy to the UK on October 27 and returning on the October 31. I will be staying with my sister in London and I have a hospital appointment on October 29 in Romford Essex.
"Will this trip now be possible under the new restrictions?"
A. Nick: Yes, I believe so - as long you self isolate at your sister’s. But I would definitely check with the hospital that it will allow you to attend the appointment if you are in quarantine.
'Can we go away with our grandchildren?'
Q. Jackie Low: "My husband and I provide one day of childcare for my daughter. Her children are 9 and 12. She lives with her husband.
"I have read conflicting advice as to whether we can both join the extended bubble or just one of us? Also we are booked to go away together for a week at half term. Can we go?"
A. Nick: You don’t say which Tier you live in. If you are in Tier 1, there is no problem - “Family and friends can continue to provide informal childcare as long as groups from different households don’t exceed 6 people. You should, wherever possible, keep your distance from people you do not live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them).”
And technically you can go on holiday in a Tier 1 area. For Tier 2 the guidance on childcare is that people in your child care bubble “can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens... A childcare bubble is where someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. For any given childcare bubble, this must always be between the same 2 households. Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. Childcare bubbles are to be used to provide childcare only, and not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so.”
I don’t think you would be allowed to use the childcare bubble to go on holiday from a Tier 2 area, but the rules aren’t explicit on this. More details here.
'I live in a Tier 3 area, can I still go abroad?'
Q.Stella Saleh: "I live in Liverpool. Can I go to Rhodes at half-term ?"
A. Nick: You would have to make your own decision based on what the guidelines say for those who live in a Tier 3 area, like Liverpool.
They don’t specifically address foreign holidays but do say: "you should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level area you are in or entering a very high alert level area, other than for things like work, education or youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if you are travelling through as part of a longer journey. You should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if you are resident in a very high alert level area, or avoid staying overnight in a very high alert level area if you are resident elsewhere." More on this here.
