Only three areas of England are restriction-free for winter staycations
People in England have been left with just three relatively restriction-free staycation options this winter, with Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly the only regions placed in Tier 1.
Classed as ‘medium risk’, hotels, B&Bs and campsites will be permitted to reopen, and households will be allowed to mix – provided they comply with the rule of six, when national lockdown is lifted on December 2.
All bars and restaurants will also be given the green light to resume trade, with the daily curfew extended to permit last orders at 10pm, and closure at 11pm. People will need to observe the rule of six whether indoors or outdoors at a pub.
Whether visitors from other tiers will be welcomed with open arms is another matter. Earlier this week the chief executive for Visit Cornwall, Malcolm Bell, urged visitors and residents alike to exercise caution over the Christmas period in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the county.
“We didn’t have the feared spike after the summer but Christmas will be more challenging,” he told Cornwall Live. “People over the summer were more likely to go for outdoor walks, and may do so again, but over Christmas people tend to stay within their families more.
“To help keep Cornwall safe, people visiting need to enjoy Cornwall within their bubbles and when they go out for a walk to go back to where they are staying where possible.”
London and Liverpool have both been placed in Tier 2, which allows businesses – with the exception of pubs that don’t serve food – to reopen, but restricts indoor gatherings to household bubbles. Different households can meet outdoors, although the rule of six still applies.
This means that holidays are still possible for many corners of the country. Other popular staycation spots falling into Tier 2 include York and North Yorkshire, the Lake District, Norfolk and Suffolk, London, Devon and Liverpool.
Most of the North of England, alongside Kent, has been placed into the highest risk category, Tier 3, with all residents advised not to travel outside their local area. Hotels will be closed in these parts of the country.
The three-tier system is expected to stay in place until spring 2021, with local restrictions reviewed every fortnight.
However, there will be an exception to the tier system over Christmas. Ministers have agreed a UK-wide plan to allow three households to form a 'bubble' between December 23 and 27, subject to a vote in parliament and each of the devolved administrations.
Hugging and church services will be allowed and care home residents under the age of 65 may spend Christmas with relatives from another household.
Northern Ireland is discussing a cross-border agreement with Ireland, which means the same rules are likely to apply in every part of the British Isles.
Boris Johnson said: “Christmas is going to be different this year, perhaps very different, but it’s my sincere hope and belief that by taking tough action now we can allow families across the country to be together.”
The rollout of the tier system coincides with a Government plan to reduce quarantine for holidaymakers arriving back into the UK from December 15 onwards.
Under the Government’s new 'Test to Release' plan, anyone arriving in the UK from a high-risk destination after December 15 will be able to reduce their 14-day quarantine period to five days, if they pay for a Covid test after the fifth day.
Those arriving from a country with a travel corridor will not need to go into quarantine. Arrivals from high-risk countries (without a travel corridor) will be expected to self-isolate as normal between arrival and receiving their negative result
However, the quarantine period does not need to take place at your own home. The Government advice says: “You should self-isolate in one place for the full self-isolation period, where you can have food and other necessities delivered.”
The advice says you must simply self-isolate at the address you provide on your passenger locator form. This can be your own home, staying with friends or family, or at a hotel or other temporary accommodation.
With England emerging from lockdown on December 2, and swathes of the country entering Tiers 1 and 2, where hotels and self-catering accommodation will be open for leisure travellers, this leaves open a loophole for holidaymakers. Rather than spending your quarantine holed up at home, you can split your holiday into two parts – one overseas, and then a wind-down in the English countryside while you wait for your quarantine period to end.
