Northern Ireland to scrap traffic light travel system as holiday bookings soar

Published

4 years ago

September 18, 2021

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Northern Ireland has indicated it will follow many of England’s incoming COVID-19 rules on international travel, as holiday firms experience a surge in bookings.

The country’s traffic light system for international travel will change from 4 October with a single “red list” of destinations and a “simplified process” for travellers for the rest of the world.

Travel companies say they have seen an increase in bookings after the UK government announced the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries would be scrapped for England, also on 4 October.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed on Friday that the system will be replaced early next month by a single red list of destinations.

From that point, travellers arriving in England from red countries will have to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel.

People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning to England from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day-two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Eight countries are being removed from the red list, including Turkey and the Maldives. PCR tests will still be required for people who are unvaccinated.

One expert backed the change in rules because, he said, high rates in the UK mean it would be “churlish” to have obstacles in the way of foreign travel.

Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, added that travellers would be as likely to catch COVID on a trip to Torquay as to Turkey.

Jet2 boss Steve Heapy told Sky News the “responsible thing to do” was reopen step by step.

He said: “Other areas of the economy are pretty much back to normal – you can go and watch a football match amongst 75,000 people without having a lateral test or prove your vaccinations.

“I’m in favour of a full return to the old normal but doing it in a phased way seems sensible. This is a good first step.”

After earlier announcing that Jet2 bookings had spiked “by more than 250%”, he added that being on an aircraft was “extremely safe” due to the air being recycled every three minutes and the filters used.

Paul Charles, a travel consultant and founder and boss of the PC Agency, told Sky News the international travel changes are “major progress” and will help confidence.

But he added that there were “still many questions to be answered” after the government opted to keep some countries on the red list despite changes to the travel rules.

Thomas Cook’s chief executive said customers were “already booking in their droves” following the latest travel changes, with the holiday company experiencing its second-best day of bookings alone this year on Friday and expecting its “best weekend yet”.

Airlines including British Airways and easyJet also welcomed the major relaxing of travel rules for people coming in and out of England – but increased the pressure on the government to remove testing requirements altogether.

TUI also said it had already seen “an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October” and expected a further boost in customer confidence with the new rules.

Meanwhile, online travel platform Skyscanner said it saw a 133% rise in traffic in the 30 minutes following Mr Shapps’s announcement, with “huge increases” in searches for destinations such as Turkey and the Maldives.

The optimism was not shared by all, however, with one scientist warning that the latest changes could not only risk new variants coming in, but make it harder to spot them if they arrive.

Professor Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, said: “The main concern is what this means for virus genomic sequencing. How will we ensure that those who test positive on a lateral flow test isolate and take a PCR test?

“It is likely that this approach will reduce our ability to efficiently monitor the introduction of new variants into the country.”

Scotland’s government said it would drop the traffic light system but would not follow England in removing the pre-departure test requirement for the fully vaccinated returning from non-red list countries, and will not change to using lateral flow tests on the second day after returning.

The Welsh Government said it was looking at the UK government’s proposed changes, but was worried they could weaken the ability of stop new forms of infection being imported.

Northern Ireland said anyone travelling there from the EU and the US who is fully vaccinated will no longer have to self-isolate or take a day-eight PCR test.

From 4 October, fully vaccinated travellers from a number of countries, including Canada, Australia, Israel and New Zealand, will be included in the policy.

UK

World Cup 2026 – who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

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4 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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World Cup 2026 - who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer’s world cup.

But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won’t be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.

England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Scotland’s first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.

Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams – both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.

Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.

UK

Crafted for one man – this was a World Cup draw like no other

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4 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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Crafted for one man - this was a World Cup draw like no other

This was a World Cup draw like no other. Crafted less for the teams but for one man.

The choice of venue. The creation of a new trophy. The closing music act.

Donald Trump was lavished with the adulation he craves by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and feels others unfairly deny him.

Knowing how much being overlooked by the Nobel Committee hurt the US president, there was Mr Infantino with FIFA’s newly-created Peace Prize to hand over. And a medal for Mr Trump to wear.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” he said. “And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives.”

This was all on the stage in front of an audience who turned up to find out who they will be playing at the World Cup.

England handed an undaunting route past Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Scotland paired with newcomers Haiti before tricky reunions from their last men’s World Cup in 1998 against Brazil and Morocco.

But the show before the draw could even begin – presided over by Rio Ferdinand – took almost as long as a football match, at 87 minutes after the noon kick-off was delayed.

There was a walk of self-promotion to complete – “I guess they have to wait” – before taking his seat in the Kennedy Center. Or the Trump Kennedy Center as the president takes to calling the venue picked 1.5 miles from the White House.

“It was falling apart,” he said, delaying the walk into the auditorium. “And now it’s, it’s pretty much back.”

Mr Infantino could only watch on, beaming, at his friend.

“We had a dead country,” Mr Trump went on, “and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world”.

There was the awkwardness of being reminded, before receiving the peace accolade, about threats to launch military strikes on Venezuela to stop the drugs trade.

“I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming,” he swatted away the question. “Which nobody’s ever done before. But I want to really save lives. I don’t need prizes.”

But FIFA knew how much he wanted more gold for the collection with the prize.

More on this story:
What draw means for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

And for all the mockery and disdain targeted at FIFA, how many sports would relish having the US president spend several hours attending a procedural event determining the placing of teams in groups for a tournament?

How many would dish out the same flattery to secure direct lines to the leader of the nation staging their championship?

Many have benefited from Mr Trump’s stardust and swagger being attached to this spectacle.

Even Port Vale’s most famous fan – Robbie Williams – secured a walk-on role, exceeding his profile this side of the Pond.

And the Village People are reaping the rewards of becoming the unlikeliest of Trump hype acts.

The festivities ended with eyes fixed back up to the presidential seating and the YMCA dance being performed.

This was an afternoon that dispelled any pretence that FIFA keeps a distance from politics. It was unapologetically political. But few speak out in the FIFA world as the redistributed wealth keeps rolling back in their direction.

It would be easy to forget this isn’t entirely America’s World Cup. They’re sharing hosting with Canada and Mexico.

And eventually the spotlight was ceded to their leaders – very briefly – as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew out their countries’ names.

But it did live up to FIFA’s mantra that football can unite the world.

The neighbours were brought together here on a snowy day in Washington. And tensions – often stoked by Mr Trump with Canada and Mexico – thawed in the name of football.

UK

Duchess of Sussex ‘reaches out’ to estranged father after reports of leg amputation

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4 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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Duchess of Sussex 'reaches out' to estranged father after reports of leg amputation

Meghan Markle has “reached out” to her estranged father after reports he had his leg amputated, her spokesperson has said.

Thomas Markle, 81, reportedly had his leg amputated following surgery in the Philippines, where he moved to this year.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.

Mr Markle, a retired television lighting director and director of photography, made headlines across the globe after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days ahead of the ceremony.

A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said: “I can confirm she has reached out to her father.”

Meghan is said to have previously tried to reach out to him in the past.

Mr Markle has never met his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

At the start of this year, Mr Markle told of how he dreamed of bringing his “whole family together” and wished his daughter “no ill-will”.

Mr Markle revealed that he didn’t “like some of the things” Meghan had done but would “always love her”.

His interview with the Mail on Sunday came amid the duchess’ return to Instagram and the release of a trailer for her lifestyle show on Netflix.

Mr Markle said: “I’m not running away. I am going in search of a more positive life.

“Every day I see something about Meghan. This week it has been the new TV show.”

In his first interview after his daughter’s wedding, Mr Markle said he didn’t attend the big day because he was embarrassed about staging the photos.

“The truth is I couldn’t get over the fact that that had happened. All that stuff was working on me, I had a bit of a heart condition.

“This pushed me a little further to the part where I had heart palpitations. I had to drive at 2am to a hospital. They sent me to another little hospital and then they sent me to a bigger hospital and I had a heart attack.”

A day-and-a-half later he said he felt better and checked himself out against doctors’ wishes in a bid to make it to the wedding, but the heart palpitations returned when he got home, which at the time was in Mexico.

“At that time I started getting chest pains and I said I have to cancel because I didn’t take care of the heart problem before. I had a good friend take me back to a hospital across the border to the States where I was told that my condition was very bad and they had to operate, and I had heart surgery.”