Staycation – The Covid-Friendly Holiday
Well, it’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?! No-one’s New Year’s predictions last year could have possibly come close to the reality of 2020, that’s for sure.
As we exit one of the most testing years in modern history, we may all be thinking longingly about a holiday away to rest, recharge, and recuperate. But are we safe to do so?
Venues, heritage sites, and tourist attractions remain closed. Most of the country’s counties and cities are within high-risk areas (as this article is being written, London and the whole of the South-East are about to enter into Tier 3 restrictions too). Public transport has almost ground to a halt, except in the cities, as Covid really strikes hard.
So how can we even begin to plan a holiday for 2021 safely? When will we be able to get into a swimming pool at a holiday resort again, and is holidaying in Britain going to be that much safer?
With the restrictions on air travel set to continue, that last point looks to be a definite ‘yes’. So the good old-fashioned British Staycation looks to be back with a bang: but is it?
With international borders either closed or imposing strict quarantine regulations - of up to 14 days for some countries - for the first time in living memory, holidaying within the UK is highly likely to be big business in 2021...providing we’re out of our current Tier 3 lockdown, of course.
If we all wear masks and practice social distancing, can we guarantee that we won’t catch Covid if we go for a holiday anywhere in the British Isles? Sadly, it seems as though the answer right now is an emphatic ‘no’, so we do need to first make sure we’re all safe to travel.
Right now, all the devolved countries in the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have different rules and may require you to self-isolate even when travelling within the UK.
But, does that mean you shouldn’t plan a getaway in the Peak District or Cornwall for next year? No, but it does mean you should plan sensibly.
At present, if you’re in a Tier 3 area - which most of the Country now is - you can’t travel out of your immediate area for a holiday, no matter how much you may want to. It’s not all doom and gloom though: the vaccine has arrived and has already begun to be delivered around the country.
With the vaccine now being rolled out, starting with health workers and the most vulnerable in our society, we have the first glimmer of hope that we may achieve normality early in 2021. We’re not there yet of course, and there’s an anxious time ahead as we wait to see what damage the Christmas relaxation will do.
But if we all now stick to the rules, it does seem as though the finish line may be in sight. So wash your hands, sanitise them - and everything you touch - regularly, wear a mask at all times when you leave home, keep two metres apart (especially in places where you don’t know the other people, like at the shops) and remain vigilant at all times.
If we do all that, 2021 should be able to bring us the opportunity to relax, away from it all on a beautiful Cornish beach, with the people we love.
We can’t wait to welcome you again, but, until it’s safe, please do continue to be extra careful and to look after those around you.
