As the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to evolve, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises British nationals against all but essential travel, exempting some countries that no longer pose an unacceptably high risk for British travellers. This advice is being kept under constant review and may change at short notice.

The fitfortravel (for the general public) and TRAVAX (for health professionals) country pages have been updated to include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating, with every country being identified as high, moderate or low risk and each rating accompanied by appropriate travel advice. This information will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section on each country page of fitfortravel and the 'Emerging Health Risks' section of every TRAVAX country page. This risk-rating is based on a robust public health assessment of the COVID-19 risks for travellers to each country and is regularly reviewed.

In January 2021, the COVID-19 risk for UK travellers was increased in the following countries: 

• Saint Lucia 
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
• Turks and Caicos

The COVID-19 risk rating and travel advice from the FCDO is being kept under constant review and may change at short notice. All travellers are advised to continue following sensible precautions and consider the following sources of information listed below.

Advice for travellers

Before planning or booking international travel, please check: 

• the UK Border Control website, in order to check current rules regarding self-isolation (quarantine) before your planned return to the UK 
• the FCDO website, for country specific Travel Advisory Notices regarding travel and entry restrictions, and review the local medical care available at your destination 
• the COVID-19 risk-rating at your destination, which will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section of all fitfortravel country pages and the ‘Emerging Health Risks’ section of all TRAVAX country pages 
• the TRAVAX travel insurance page, as such insurance should be considered essential 
• the fitfortravel COVID-19 health considerations for travel page 
• physical distancing and hygiene measures in the country you are visiting

COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers arriving into the UK

Travellers from international destinations, including returning UK nationals, must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This measure has been introduced to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally.

The COVID-19 test must be undertaken a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival back into the UK. Travellers will have to make arrangements in the destination country to access testing. Failure to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test may result in boarding being denied for the journey, or a fine on arrival. This measure is in addition to the need to self-isolate on return to the UK.

Information relating to travel and COVID-19 is available on the TRAVAX (for healthcare practitioners) and fitfortravel (for the public) websites.

Information on COVID-19 for the general public is available on the NHS Inform (Scotland) and the NHS.UK (rest of the UK) websites.

Information and resources on COVID-19 for health professionals is available on the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) (Scotland) and Public Health England (PHE) (rest of the UK) websites.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published its annual epidemiological reports on plague and Rift Valley Fever (RVF) for 2019. 

• The report on plague found that no cases were reported by any EU/EEA countries in 2019. 
• The report on RVF found that no cases were reported by any EU/EEA countries in 2019.

Sources: ECDC, 15 January 2021 and ECDC, 20 January 2021

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission have recently launched a joint response measures database.

The database is an archive of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), or measures, introduced by 30 countries in the EU/EEA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is currently reviewed and updated every two weeks. The monitoring of NPIs is carried out by the ECDC, through regular data collection and validation of implemented measures from official public sources.

Source: ECDC, 20 January 2021

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) periodically publishes influenza characterisation reports, giving an overview of circulating influenza viruses. These reports provide details on current vaccine strains, summarise the development of viruses since the last report and closely follow the main developments for the ongoing influenza season.

On 18 January 2021, the ECDC published the third virus characterisation period report for the 2020 to 2021 influenza season. As of week 53 of 2020, 415 influenza detections across the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region had been reported, of which 50% were type A viruses, with A(H3N2) prevailing over A(H1N1)pdm09, and 50% were type B viruses, with four having been ascribed to a lineage, three being B/Victoria and one B/Yamagata. These figures represent a 98% drop in detections compared with the same period in 2019.

Source: ECDC, 18 January 2021

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published a study on the increased use of renewable electricity across the EU. The report found that, by 2018, the growth in electricity from renewable sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and biomass, had significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The data presented shows that the EU-wide share of renewable energy in 2019 was less than half a percentage point lower than the binding 20% target for 2020. At 34% of all electricity generated, renewable electricity has almost doubled since 2005, and coal no longer supplies most of the EU’s electricity.

The EEA report that fossil fuels still account for 38% of all electricity generated in the EU in 2019, and is responsible for almost a quarter of all EU greenhouse gas emissions, while remaining an important source of acidification, eutrophication, and ground-level ozone formation. Fully implementing national climate and energy plans for 2030 would allow the EU to overachieve its current climate and renewable energy targets. However, the report finds such progress would still be insufficient in meeting a higher target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or achieving climate neutrality by 2050, with renewable power having to grow to over 80% by 2050 in order to meet these pledges.

Source: EEA, 18 January 2021

From 1 April 2021, the minimum price of a single-use carrier bag in Scotland is set to increase from five to ten pence. Prior to the introduction of the carrier bag charge in October 2014, 80 million single-use carrier bags were issued annually in Scotland. By 2015, usage had fallen by 80%, with the Marine Conservation Society noting in 2016 that the number of plastic carrier bags being found on Scotland’s beaches dropped by 40% two years in a row, with a further drop of 42% recorded between 2018 and 2019.

In a 2019 public consultation, around 80% of respondents agreed that that there should be an increase in the plastic carrier bag charge, and that charging has had a positive impact on the environment.

Source: Scottish Government, 13 January 2021

A study commissioned by Scottish Forestry, Tilhill Forestry and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), provides quantitative evidence of the natural capital benefits of planting new woodlands. Natural capital is the stock of natural resources, including plants, soils, air, water and greenspace.

The study assessed a newly planted mixed woodland site at Larriston, near Newcastleton, which was valued to measure its natural capital potential over the next 50 years. The analysis revealed potential substantial benefits for society through carbon dioxide (CO2) removal, flood alleviation, and biodiversity from modern-day forestry.  The key future benefits were valued at around £20 million in today’s prices, which included almost 200,000 tonnes of timber, just under 150,000 tonnes of CO2 removal, and almost three million cubic meters of water stored in the forest.

Source: Scottish Forestry, 19 January 2021