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

Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

8 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Two children and a woman have died in a shooting in County Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in hospital in the afternoon.

A fourth person, a man, was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, district commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

Police have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched, with enquiries being at an early stage.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests being made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday following a report raised from the property, Supt McGowan said.

Two people were found dead at the scene, and two others seriously injured.

One patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and the other to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance. Supt McGowan said the third person died at the South West Acute Hospital.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area”.

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.

UK

Five ‘dangerous’ gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Published

10 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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Five 'dangerous' gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Five “violent” and “dangerous” gang members have been found guilty of murdering a boy and a young man at a music video shoot in a north London estate.

The men had gone to the Elthorne Estate in Archway “with the intention of killing anyone they could”, the Metropolitan Police said.

And the group mistook those they attacked for rival gang members.

Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi.

Leonardo and Mr Shekaj were fatally stabbed and Mr Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event on the night of 29 June 2023.

Leonardo and his brother had been watching a music video being filmed with friends.

Police said Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, saw the gathering at around 8.30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt those he thought were gang opponents.

He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside”. She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.

They formed a plan and recruited gang members Chunda, Clark and Poponne to travel to the estate.

Lupqi had booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado’s home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the cab firm: “I’m in a little bit of a rush,” the jury heard.

They had worn masks and were armed as they went to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told.

By the time they arrived, the filming had ended, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area.

The group then carried out their deadly attack.

The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards Leonardo, his brother and others, with a large knife.

Three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told.

Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.

Leonardo’s brother had run away from the scene but later looped back and saw his sibling lying motionless on the ground, the court heard.

Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body.

He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.

“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.

“This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.”

The five killers will appear at the same court on 25 and 26 September for sentencing.

UK

Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

11 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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A third person has died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in the afternoon.

A fourth person was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

They have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests to be made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the shooting in the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said.

They confirmed that two people had been injured.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at scene, one patient has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance,” the spokesperson added.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.