What does lockdown delay announcement mean for travel?
Just as the end was in sight, it now looks likely that the final proposed unlocking date  21 June  will be delayed by another month in England. Boris Johnson is expected to announce the move at a press conference on Monday, following a surge in new infections across the UK caused by the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant. The push back means the reopening of nightclubs will be postponed, along with being able to meet up with more than six people indoors and hold bigger wedding ceremonies. Heres what we know so far. In the current stage of the lockdown roadmap, domestic travel is permitted across the UK. Hotels, B&Bs, campsites and tourist attractions are largely open for business. However, the rule of six still applies indoors in England, meaning that you can only stay overnight  for example, in a self-catering holiday home  with five other people or two households (whichever is greater). The rules are slightly different in the other devolved nations. In Scotland, six people from no more than three households can stay overnight together; in Wales, people can stay overnight only with their extended household, which is formed of up to three households; and in Northern Ireland, you can socialise indoors in a group of up to six people from no more than two households, including for overnight stays. Step 4, the final step on the unlocking roadmap, was slated to take place from 21 June, seeing an end to all legal limits on social contact. This would have enabled much bigger groups of friends or extended families to go on holiday within the UK and all stay together overnight, for example in a cottage, apartment or holiday let. This final step looks likely to now be delayed until 19 July. Although the delay doesnt have a direct impact on the traffic light system put in place for international travel, indirectly it looks set to push back further the date from which most of Europe will join the green list of safe holiday destinations. The red, amber and green lists, which determine what restrictions will be in place for inbound arrivals to the UK, are due to be reshuffled every three weeks. But the previous review saw no new countries go green, despite several candidates meeting the governments previous criteria, while Portugal, the only mainstream holiday destination on the green list, was moved to amber. The implication was that the reopening of international travel would have to be sacrificed while the UK battled with the new virus variant. In the meantime, leisure travel to amber countries remains perfectly legal, although the government advises against it  and a 10-day quarantine plus two PCR tests await returning travellers.