As part of a daily briefing in London today, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is advising everyone in the nation to avoid "non-essential" travel and inter-personal contact. These measures are a way to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Without officially imposing travel restrictions, Johnson and his government are still leaving the final decision for travel up to the individual.

“Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel ... You should avoid pubs, clubs, theaters and other such social venues.” - Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister

Social distancing

Johnson encourages several measures to combat the spread of the virus. They include working from home when possible, staying away from public spaces (mentioning pubs, clubs, and theatres), and avoiding all non-essential travel. According to the BBC, Johnson goes on to say that pregnant women, those over the age of 70 and anyone with certain health conditions should more carefully consider the advice.

Johnson's announcement and advice echo that of other foreign leaders trying desperately to stay on top of mitigating the effects of the coronavirus. The main goal, as many have repeatedly said, is to "flatten the curve" - slowing the rate of infection and spreading it out over time. By doing this, it ensures that health care systems aren't overwhelmed by a sudden surge of infected persons.

UK PM Boris Johnson
Al Baker is not impressed with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's travel policy. Photo: Getty Images

Will the UK restrict travel?

In today's announcement, Johnson stopped short of imposing restrictions on travelers. However, we may not be far off seeing such an announcement, as other countries have already taken the decision.

Most recently we saw EU leadership proposing a 30-day ban on travel.

“I propose to the heads of state and government to introduce temporary restriction on non essential travel to the European Union” - Ursula von der Leyen, President for the European Commission

Just last week we saw US President Donald Trump restrict entry from Europe to only American citizens, permanent residents, and several other specific groups. The extension of this policy to travelers from the UK and Ireland will come into effect tonight.

Today we saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce that Canada will be shutting its borders to non-Canadian citizens, with the exception of permanent residents, immediate family members of Canadian citizens, diplomats, aircrews, and US citizens. Furthermore, he has instructed air operators to prevent any traveler exhibiting symptoms of the virus from boarding an aircraft. These flight restrictions will come into effect on Wednesday.

Heathrow coronavirus getty images
Cathay is advising people to arrive at Heathrow 4 hours before their flight to allow for extra checks. Photo: Getty Images

Conclusion

None of this comes as a surprise as we've seen similar warnings from countries all over the world towards their respective populations. The magnitude of restrictions varies immensely from country to country. Both Italy and Spain are on total lockdown while countries like Kuwait have shut down schools, restaurants, cafes, and shopping centers.

As much as we at Simple Flying love to travel, knowing the sentiment is shared by our readers, we can't help but agree with the Prime Minister's advice to avoid unnecessary travel.

For those in the UK, will you be changing your routine this week in light of this advisory? Let us know in the comments.

We reached out to both London Heathrow Airport and British Airways for comment. At this time we have yet to receive any response.