(CNN) – Brits trying to go on holiday while there are still travel restrictions could receive a $ 7,000 fine under new government legislation.
The UK’s new “Roadmap Regulation”, released on Monday, proposes that anyone traveling outside England “without a reasonable excuse” be fined £ 5,000 ($ 6,932).
The legislation, which comes a year after the UK entered the closure for the first time, will be voted on by parliament on Thursday.
Under Covid-19 restrictions, non-essential travel is currently prohibited. Under the “Stay Home” order, anyone leaving the country must complete a travel declaration form that explains the nature of their trip. UK residents returning home are questioned by border staff for the reasons they traveled.
Currently, the penalty is £ 200 for not filling out a travel declaration form.
If approved, the £ 5,000 fixed penalty will take effect on Monday 29 March.
The new law will remain in effect until June 30, which means non-essential travel will be banned for another three months. Until now, the oldest date for the resumption of international travel was scheduled for May 17.
Europe on the red list?
It is rumored that France could end up on the UK red list.
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Government officials have repeatedly warned the public that there is no certainty that they can take a holiday abroad this summer.
On Monday, Health Minister Lord Bethell suggested that all of Europe could end up on the UK’s “red list” of countries with dangerously high Covid-19 levels. Its head, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, has said there are currently no plans for this.
Travelers entering England or Wales from Red List countries must be quarantined for 10 days at a hotel on arrival, at a cost of £ 1,750 ($ 2,400) per person.
At present, there is no European country, although there is a possibility that France will join, after an increase in cases with the South African variant. Portugal has been removed from the list after the number of cases fell.
If approved, the travel ban will be reviewed on April 12 and again every 35 days.
The legislation proposes fines for people at airports or “boarding points with the aim of traveling from there to a destination outside the UK”.
A fine of £ 200 will be withheld for those trapped without a completed travel declaration form, even if you are traveling for essential reasons.
Exceptions to the legislation include those for whom it is “reasonably necessary” to travel to work, volunteer, or study abroad. People traveling for a select number of emergencies are also exempt, as are people residing abroad.
Those traveling to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland are also exempt. However, traveling to Ireland and then going to another country will result in a £ 5,000 penalty.
The Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish governments make their own travel decisions. Wales currently complies with the guidelines of England and Scotland imposes a 10-day quarantine on all travelers in state-run facilities, regardless of where they arrive.
So far, Scotland and Wales had tipped May 17 as the first potential date for international travel, along with England. Northern Ireland had not yet made any pronouncement.
Presenting a piece of legislation, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement:
“These measures have been vital in reducing infections, hospital admissions and deaths across the country and, thanks to the commitment and support of the people, we have made strong progress.
“Rightly, we are ending as many national measures as safely as possible, maintaining those that remain necessary and proportionate to help reduce and control infections, as we cautiously but irreversibly alleviate restrictions and our vaccination program. history continues at a good pace “.