Traveling through London on the way and back from J'burg help needed on layover info

[Fredhunts]

If anyone has done this in the past few weeks please let me know. We are coming from the US to london to jburg and will have covid tests. On the way back we will have covid test prior to leaving. However, it's hard to understand exactly how coming back through London will impact us. We won't leave the airport but it seems to read you have to stay 10 days since SA is a red flag? Thanks in advance.

 

[sierraone]

The situation you described leaves many unanswered questions. I suggest you start by calling your travel agent. In addition to possibly having an enormous hotel bill for 10 days in London, having your firearms in mandatory storage could be rather expensive and complicated.

 

[TONYC]

You do not state if you are intending to stay in London - if so all your worst fears apply. However if you are transitting onto J'burg you do do not enter UK but stay within the airside of the airport so no quarantine etc as far as I am aware

 

[Dudders]

Taken from heathrow web page​

Transfer passengers​

All international arrivals are required to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken no earlier than three days before departing for England. This applies to passengers transiting the UK.

Arriving and departing on the same day​

If you have a boarding pass issued for your onward journey, you will be able to stay airside during your connection. This means that when you arrive into Heathrow, you will not need to pass through immigration or customs and can follow the purple signs for connections and make your way to the departing gate once it opens.
‘Red list’ passengers transiting via the UK do not have to quarantine if they do not pass immigration. More information can be found on the UK Government website.

 

[Dudders]

If flights are on separate tickets then his applies

You will be required to pass through Immigration and customs, collect your luggage and then check back in for your onward flight.

From 15 February, anyone transiting through the UK from or via a “red list” country, who passes through Immigration, is required to quarantine in a Government quarantine hotel for the time they are in the UK, in accordance with local restrictions.

 

[Dudders]

Here is the web address

Tips for travelling post-covid

Still a bit confused about travelling in a post-Covid world? This handy guide is here to help.

www.heathrow.com

 

[BRICKBURN]

Just checked the Costs for the Quarantine hotel stay. £1750.

 

[Dudders]

Just checked the Costs for the Quarantine hotel stay. £1750.

It would be cheaper to book a beach hoilday in a non restricted country than fly back to the uk direct from a red list country.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I just grabbed the African Nations I saw on the list.
Guess that terminates any stop off on the way back.

Red list travel ban countries
If you have been in or through any of the countries listed below in the previous 10 days, you will be refused entry to the UK. (Non-Citizenry)
Angola
Botswana
Burundi
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
Somalia
South Africa
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19

 

[Fredhunts]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. We are flying from Doha through london to the us. I just got off the phone with American Air and since we don't leave the airport and have our covid tests prior to arriving they say we are ok.

 

[BRICKBURN]

If flights are on separate tickets then .......

.......

This little detail is the only issue I'd be wondering about.

Enjoy your trip. Take plenty of pictures and notes for the report.