0.3% of People Understand Current Travel Restrictions!

August 2021 | Reading time: 3 minutes

VIVO Clinic recently polled over 300 UK residents who are considering an international flight within the next 12 months. Shockingly, only 1 person answered all the questions correctly.

Do you know how many traffic light categories there are for international destinations?

There were five traffic light categories at the time of the poll, which is something only 6% of people knew. 48% of people logically assumed there were three but didn’t account for the Amber+ and watch list categories.

Do you know how many days you need to self-isolate for if you are not fully vaccinated and you are returning from an Amber list country?

Most people (76%) knew that that the correct answer is 10.

Do you know the type of test you need to take before travelling?

Most people (56%) think that you need to take a PCR test before travelling. A PCR test is often required or accepted as a form of testing, but as 23% of people correctly said, it depends entirely on the destination.

Do you know what sort of test you need to take if returning from a Green list country or an Amber list country (if fully vaccinated)?

Under these circumstances, the test you need to take is a Day 2 PCR test, which 28% of people knew.

If you were planning a holiday, do you know where you need to get your PCR tests?

PCR tests for travel need to come from a private provider, which 44% of people knew. But worryingly, 40% of people thought that tests from NHS drive-through sites are suitable.

NHS tests are not sufficient for international travel as they do not provide sufficient documentation for you to enter countries that require PCR tests.

Conclusion

This market research demonstrates that rapidly changing travel restrictions and test requirements are confusing. Not knowing the correct information has the potential to disrupt travel plans or even put people in danger.

It’s clear that the UK Government needs to do more to simplify current restrictions and educate would-be travellers on the requirements.

Furthermore, travel operators and private testing providers need to take more responsibility for demystifying restrictions and helping their customers to travel safely and smoothly.

Several travel operators are already proactive in this space by providing up to date travel information and building tests into their packages.

We continue to improve our own Covid travel information portal to make it more relevant to UK travellers.

In all cases, we strongly recommended confirming all critical information on the Government website before making travel plans or booking tests. It’s also a good idea to subscribe to updates as restrictions can often change rapidly.