UK announces Lockdown in London and other parts over Christmas; Netherlands cuts flights to the UK till January 1

This might be useful for those planning to visit in the UK in the coming weeks, and the news is not good at all. Boris Johnson, the premier of the UK, has put in place a new lockdown in prominent parts of the UK by implementing a new Tier 4 at just 8 hours notice. The new measures have been necessitated because of the surfacing of a new mutation of the Coronavirus, which spreads faster and is more difficult to detect than the one we have all known about so far. This comes after a spate of earlier mixed messaging on allowing travel.

UK Announces Lockdown

UK Announces Lockdown

Per the UK Government, the Tier 4 lockdown, which is in effect from December 20, 2020, 00:01 hours UK Time covers the entire London and the South East and East of England. That means places such as Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton and Essex are all under lockdown.

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Under tier 4 restrictions, non-essential shops, hairdressers and leisure and entertainment venues will close, with a new “stay at home” message introduced. These restrictions are planned to be in place till December 30, 2020.

In terms of Christmas, Tier 4 inhabitants can’t meet any other family for Christmas. However, Tier 1,2,3 residents can mingle with up to three households on Christmas day.

Travel implications

Here is where the big deal is about the UK Lockdown. International Travel in and out of Tier 4 is not allowed. Not just that, those in Tier 4 won’t be allowed to stay overnight away from home or travel abroad for the holidays.

https://twitter.com/LDNLutonAirport/status/1340385929522016257?s=20

Virgin Atlantic has issued customers who can’t travel due to the new restrictions an extended period of one year.

There is no statement from British Airways or Air India at this point about operations to the UK. However, Vistara has confirmed flights will continue.

At the time of writing this post, there are no updates in terms of any waivers from the Indian carriers flying to the UK.

Netherlands closes down to UK flights.

The fall-out of the UK Tier 4 move has begun, with The Netherlands banning air travel between itself and the United Kingdom. The new ban is operational between 0600 hours on December 20, 2020, to January 1, 2021.

Bottomline

London and many other areas in the vicinity are under a new Tier 4 lockdown which means everyone needs to stay at home and most non-essential businesses will have to close down over Christmas. This might affect the travel plans of those who were planning to visit London. Check with your airline if your plans have been affected.


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About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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