UK travel ban to be lifted in favor of stringent health regulations

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The blanket travel ban to the UK will be lifted and strict health regulations will be introduced instead, the transport minister confirmed.

Eamon Ryan has said that the current ban on flights from the UK cannot go on forever because this is a vital link for freight transport, businesses and workers.

“We had to have an emergency response to the announcement from the UK government on Saturday night and on Sunday afternoon we had our emergency response, we were going to have to shut down, ban travel and stop flights etc.

“But that approach cannot go on forever and one day because we have to manage our entire gamut of other priorities.

“So what we will probably do is introduce additional and more detailed regulations on all travel so that we do it in a very safe way.”

Ryan said this is the approach recommended by the European Commission and that the government is likely to follow it and take action for “very specific circumstances”.

He said: “We are still going to have trips between the UK and we know we have to have it for freight transport and it’s not just for the UK land bridge to the mainland, 80% of the cargo we have comes to and from the UK, and for some companies, air transport and ferry transport are vital. “

Trucks waiting to leave Britain fell back for miles and people were stranded at airports as dozens of countries around the world imposed heavy travel restrictions on the UK due to a new and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England. Image: AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth
Trucks waiting to leave Britain fell back for miles and people were stranded at airports as dozens of countries around the world imposed tough travel restrictions on the UK due to a new and apparently more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England. Image: AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth

But he added that protocols must be implemented to ensure that people can travel safely.

“A very practical example, on the power side, we require expert engineers to come in regularly to maintain and service our power plants. That is just one example that I know of.”

He said essential workers should be allowed into the country in the next two to three months to maintain essential vital services and infrastructure, but access could be strictly regulated for health reasons.

“That is the European Commission [approach]that uses health regulations to control travel rather than make blanket bans, “he said.

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