Coronavirus: UK advises against all non-essential travel for 30 days

The UK government on Tuesday launched an advisory for British nationals to avoid all non-essential international travel for an initial 30-day period as part of toughening measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the country, which has reported 55 deaths from COVID-19.

UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab told the House of Commons that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken the decision as a number of countries, including India, has put travel and visa restrictions in place.

"UK travellers abroad now face widespread international border restrictions and lock downs in various countries," Raab said.

"The speed and range of those measures across other countries is unprecedented. So I have taken the decision to advise British nationals against all non-essential international travel," he said.

As part of its updated travel advisory for India, the FCO notes that a ban on travellers from the UK and Europe will come into force from Wednesday.

The FCO advisory notes: "The government of India has announced that passengers from the UK (and the EU and Turkey) will be prohibited from entering India. Airlines will not permit passengers from those countries to board planes from 1200 GMT on March 18, 2020.

"The restrictions are due to be in place until at least March 31, 2020. This does not affect British nationals already in India who should follow the advice of local authorities."
"Anyone still considering travel to be realistic about the level of disruption they are willing and able to endure, and to make decisions in light of the unprecedented conditions we face."