As the UK Government imposes a second lockdown, travel once again becomes a massive victim of the new, tighter restrictions.
However, while personal and holiday travel is banned for the four-week period from 5 November, business travel is still permitted. If you’re a regular business traveller, you may also be exempt from the current quarantine regulations.
So, let’s keep you – and your business – moving, safely and legally.
What kind of travel is allowed during lockdown?
As a general rule, in order to comply with the new lockdown restrictions, you should avoid travelling in or out of your local area, and you should look to reduce the number of journeys you make. However, you can and should still travel for a number of reasons, including:
- travelling to work where this cannot be done from home
- travelling to education and for caring responsibilities
- hospital GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
- visiting venues that are open, including essential retail
- exercise, if you need to make a short journey to do so
Full details of the government’s travel restriction guidance can be found HERE. However, looking specifically at business travel, here are the key reasons where this is permitted:
- Individuals who are travelling abroad for work purposes and are able to self-isolate upon their return for 14 days.
- People who live in the UK but work in another country and travel between the UK and their country of work at least once a week. You’ll need to provide evidence of regular travel patterns, such as lists of bookings made by Gray Dawes Travel on your behalf.
- People who live outside the UK but work in the UK and travel between their country of residence and the UK at least once a week. Again, you’ll need to provide evidence of regular travel patterns which, if you’re a Gray Dawes customer, we can help you with.
You may have a job which falls into one of the below categories, which qualifies for travel exemptions. Click HERE to find out…
Did You Know…
During October, Gray Dawes clients travelled to over 60 countries throughout the world.
Travelling from the UK alone, we booked business trips to 44 different countries.
With our help, Gray Dawes clients and keeping safe, keeping travelling and keeping their businesses operating throughout the pandemic.
Click on the map to take a closer look.
Jobs that qualify for travel exemptions
- Diplomatic missions, international organisations and conferences
- Representatives of a foreign country or territory or British overseas territories
- Government contractors – the conduct of negotiations
- Defence personnel, visiting forces and government contractors
- Essential border security duties – UK officials and contractors
- Essential border security duties – non-UK officials and contractors
- Crown servants or government contractors
- Seamen and masters and inspectors and surveyors of ships
- Aircraft pilots and crew
- Specialist aerospace engineers
- Seasonal agricultural workers
- Water supplies and sewerage services workers
- Specialist technical workers – goods
- Specialist technical workers – waste
- Specialist technical workers – power infrastructure
- Specialist technical workers – space infrastructure
- Offshore oil and gas workers
- Downstream oil facility workers
- Essential nuclear personnel
- Transporting human cells or blood
- Human and veterinary medicines
- Quality assurance inspectors for human and veterinary medicines
- Clinical trials or studies
- Data infrastructure maintenance
- IT and telecoms workers
- Work on electronic communications networks
- BBC broadcasting transmission network and services
- Film and high-end television production
- Advertising productions
- International elite sportspersons
- Domestic elite sportspersons
- Medical examinations for elite sportspersons
To help you navigate the changes of business travel, we’ve created the brand-new Traveller Toolkit. This invaluable online resource is packed full of easy-to-use guides and checklists for every stage of every journey. We detail exactly what you need to know and do before, during and after your trip.
You’ll also find innovative and interactive virtual trips, which walk you through each step of being at the airport, on the train and in the hotel. You can even check the travel restrictions and health status of your destination with our comprehensive COVID-19 Country Tracker, updated five times daily to ensure you have the very latest information to help keep you and your travellers safe.
Travel is changing. But with common sense and a good TMC behind you, travellers should have the confidence to once again take to the skies. It’ll soon be business as (un)usual.
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At the heart of everything we do are our people. We don’t just mean just our employees, but our clients and suppliers too.
At Gray Dawes Group we strive to create an environment which recognises and nurtures a healthy work/life balance – for our staff and clients alike.
By providing our customers with better travel management, they’re able to achieve what they need to by working flexibly, whether in the office, at home or around the globe.
