Hi
Does anyone know if the ban on international travel is actual law, or just "advice"?
And how does it cut across UN Human RIghts law? (with its enshrined right to leave and reenter your country)?
Thanks
I believe it is in the Regulations, which means it is law (well, delegated legislation) and not just advice.
There's a separate argument about whether the Regulations are themselves valid or whether ministers exceeded their powers in promulgating them - this is what the Simon Dolan court case is about (it's about the regulations for the first lockdown but the same principle applies here).
Although there is provision to travel for medical appointments, there is no provision to stay away from home for this purpose. I have an unusual disease treated at a specialist London hospital and my annual monitoring (which I am keen to attend because I think my condition has deteriorated) is due during lockdown. Because of restricted rail capacity there were no rail tickets available on the day of my appointment (at suitable times) so I booked to go the day before and return the next day (shortest time away from home given train availability). The alternative might have been a long coach journey with far greater exposure to other people but all these services from my area have been cancelled during lockdown 2.0. Driving is not an option for medical reasons. So I will have to break the rules by staying on my own for two nights in our London flat (needed for husband's work in non-Covid times) in order to attend the appointment. Presumably the Government would prefer me to sleep rough, As a female OAP, staying alone in own property seems a far safer option for me and for everybody else. But this dilemma illustrates how badly thought out the new lockdown rules are.
It will be less hassle for me if the overnight stay is under the radar but it would make a good test case ... The government guidance says we should attend appointments.
Perhaps I should find some "work" to do on the day of the appointment. Then I could stay overnight. The "work" provision is to cover MPs of course, just as they exempted Government officials from quarantine. Raab's trip to Washington was officially much safer than social distancing in rural France!
Doesn't matter. If you want to go on holiday, go on holiday. Be clever, go to the airport in a taxi, wear a suit, put "meetings" in your diary / Google calendar etc. Government has no business whatsoever telling us where we can or can't go, especially if your country of destination has a lower rate of "cases" than here!
Worked for me anyway. Not that I was stopped, but if I had been I was prepared.
I am a law abiding citizen normally, but I love travelling and was sick and tired of not being able to leave England - I don't like it that much!
I believe the government doesn't have legal grounds to restrict the free movement of healthy people. The fact that the airports remain open and the flights are going ahead seems to confirm that. My sister has just flown to Poland yesterday, no hassle, no questions asked. So as OxonSceptic44 said, if you want to go, just go. I am also sick of the weather and the general crap going on and I am planning to travel at the end of the month (still in lockdown). Will report how it went!
