People in England attempting to travel abroad without a valid reason will face a £5,000 fine under new coronavirus laws set to come into force next week. The penalty is included in legislation that MPs will vote on Thursday.
Foreign holidays are currently not permitted under the 'stay at home' rule, which ends on Monday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was 'too early' to set out new foreign travel rules for the summer, but he hopes to provide more information by 5 April.
From next week, the ban on leaving the UK will become a specific law backed by the threat of a fine. Under the current plan for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could go abroad for a holiday would be 17 May.
Government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson suggested that summer holidays should be taken in the UK rather than overseas, and criticised exemptions that currently permit foreign travel. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the restrictions were necessary to guard against importing large numbers of cases and new variants that could put the vaccine rollout at risk.
The government's global travel taskforce is considering a tiered or traffic light system for international travel when the ban is lifted. The framework is expected to be published on 12 April, with decisions on which countries fall into which tier to be taken later.
