Country Specific Risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Update 44)

Travelling abroad from the UK during COVID-19

Many countries still have rules and restrictions relating to COVID-19 in place for international travellers to be able to enter their country. These rules may vary depending on whether or not the traveller is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 using a vaccine approved by the destination country. Prior to booking travel abroad, travellers should be advised to consider all the following steps.

1. Review the FCDO foreign travel advice pages for the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings.

• Travellers should check the advice for each of the countries they intend to travel or transit through.
• The 'Entry Requirements' section will advise if the country is currently allowing UK travellers to enter.
• Travellers should be aware that travel regulations may change at short notice.

Also see the Coronavirus FAQ page for useful advice on:

• obtaining proof of vaccination status to travel abroad
• where travellers can obtain a COVID-19 test to travel abroad
• travellers who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• obtaining a negative PCR test if they recently had COVID-19 infection
• COVID-19 recovery certificates

2.Check the risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) at their destination:

• this will be listed under the 'Emerging Health Risks' tab of each TRAVAX country page
• travellers should consider their risk of developing severe COVID-19 and check the availability of medical facilities at their destination (be aware that services may be overwhelmed due to COVID-19)

3: Ensure they have adequate travel insurance cover for the duration of their trip.

4: Check the entry requirement rules and UK border force rules for re- entering the UK.

• All travellers to the UK are required to complete a passenger locator form in the 3 days before arriving in the UK.
• The UK entry requirement rules depend on whether the traveller is fully vaccinated or not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 using a UK government approved vaccine.
• The rules may vary for travellers arriving into Scotland, England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

5. Consider other health risks when travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• It is important to remind travellers that they may be exposed to a range of illnesses and health risks during travel, other than COVID-19.

Travellers should be advised to review the fitfortravel country pages relevant to their destination(s) to find:

• up to date travel health recommendations for that country
• advice on health risks they need to be aware of at their destination
• if they need to consider receiving any vaccinations, boosters or purchasing antimalarial tablets before they travel

All travellers should comply with local public health requirements (e.g. physical distancing, wearing of face coverings, self-isolation) in the country they are visiting and maintain good hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene measures at all times regardless of their vaccination status or if they have recovered from COVID-19 infection.

Prevention in Travellers

Detailed advice on the points to consider when planning travel including advice on reducing the risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the fitfortravel COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel page.

Currently COVID-19 vaccines are not available solely for the purposes of travel; however, travellers should be encouraged to participate in the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Travellers should be advised to always seek medical advice if they develop a fever and have recently travelled abroad and tell the health care professional about their recent travel history, particularly if they have travelled to a malaria-endemic country.