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On December the 3rd I will go back in the UK from Italy and, if the rules stay the same, I'll have to self-isolate for 14 days in UK.

Does this mean that I cannot leave the house not even to go to the airport to take a flight back to Italy before the 14 days have elapsed?

My plan would be to come back in Italy on December the 16th, which is before the 14 days have elapsed.

I am Italian and resident in the UK for work.

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  • That will probably depend on the circumstances, which you haven't supplied in the question. Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK: From 5 November to 2 December 2020, travelling away from home, including internationally, is restricted from England except in limited circumstances such as for work or for education.
    – Mark Johnson
    Nov 16, 2020 at 16:29
  • @MarkJohnson, what circumstance should I supply? I've added the day when I will land in UK (Dec the 3rd). Do you think anything else is needed?
    – Enlico
    Nov 17, 2020 at 7:09
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    Assuming you are a UK resident, returning to the UK should pose no problem. It is a question after your arrival (and quarantine), that you wish to travel again. For the UK this is now restricted, in other countries it is somewhere between discouraged to essential only. So you must supply the reason/purpose of your travel abroad. For essential travel, they determine if the given reason is essential or not.
    – Mark Johnson
    Nov 17, 2020 at 7:40
  • See Italy - FAQ - Covid-19, questions and answers and Italian nationals returning to Italy and foreigners in Italy
    – Mark Johnson
    Nov 17, 2020 at 8:04
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    Without knowing the reason (or wanting to judge) for this 13 days trip, is this truly essential? The goal of these measures is to avoid (possible) spreading from one area to another. The advice in Italy: it is strongly recommended to refrain from travelling within Italy.
    – Mark Johnson
    Nov 17, 2020 at 8:24

1 Answer 1

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If you’re travelling to the UK for less than 14 days, you will be expected to self-isolate for the length of your stay, but you can travel directly to your place of departure.

Exceptions from remaining at your place of self-isolation include where:

  • you are travelling directly in order to leave England.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk

Edit: You are supposed to go straight to your destination and minimise your use of public transport; if for example a walk to the nearest station + train to the airport is your only option and your reason for taking that route is to leave the UK, the rules allow you to leave your self-isolation location before the 14 days are up and travel. But you can’t stop off along the way eg to go shopping or eat in a café. See the section on “How to travel to the place where you are self-isolating” - the rules apply in both directions

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  • It doesn't sound like the exception includes the scenario of going to UK, staying there for, say, 10 days, and then going back to the place.
    – Enlico
    Nov 17, 2020 at 7:35
  • @Enrico I don’t follow you. If you read the rules set out on the page I linked to, someone visiting the UK for less than 14 days must self-isolate in one place for the entire period they are in the UK. At the end of that period, they can leave their self-isolation location to go directly to their place of departure from the UK (airport, port, Channel tunnel).
    – Traveller
    Nov 17, 2020 at 7:43
  • Oh, I misread that, sorry! As regards the directly part, would that mean that I cannot break the travel to my destination in multiple pieces (e.g., walk to train station, take train to airport, take flight to destination)?
    – Enlico
    Nov 17, 2020 at 8:41
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    @Enrico I think you are interpreting ‘directly’ too literally. You are supposed to minimise your use of public transport; if the three-part journey you describe is your only option to get to the airport and your reason for it is to leave the UK, the rules allow you to travel. But you can’t stop off along the way eg to go shopping or eat in a café. See the section on “How to travel to the place where you are self-isolating” - the rules apply in both directions
    – Traveller
    Nov 17, 2020 at 11:53

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