London is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, full to the brim with millennia-old attractions, free to visit museums and luxurious hotels like the Montcalm Marble Arch London. It’s unsurprising then that as the country begins to reopen its borders to travellers, many people are already booking or embarking upon trips to the city either from around the world or within the UK.
Whilst the economy and tourism industry is aiming to open completely come autumn, the vaccine rollout is still underway and the complete stripping of regulations is still uncertain. Variants of the coronavirus mean that precautions must be kept in place to avoid their spread, for the time being, meaning that even though London and the rest of England are no longer under lockdown rules, individual venues and transport networks have retained some semblance of previous restrictions.
By all accounts, you’ll still enjoy your London City Break UK, but you may find that certain places require you to take some extra precautions. This blog will explore some of the COVID precautions you may encounter in August of 2021.
What Are The UK Restrictions Right Now?
As it stands, all social distancing measures have been stripped from much of the UK. Whilst travel bans to and from specific countries with growing cases of coronavirus are still enforced, “green list” and “amber list” countries can be travelled to without quarantine rules for those who have received double vaccinations. This can be proved by a “vaccine certificate”, a card that is given to those who have received both doses of permitted vaccines.
Performance Venues
The NHS track and trace app is the main tool utilised by comedy and theatre venues to control the spread of COVID. You can log your entrance into a venue by scanning a QR code. Furthermore, many venues are still socially distancing their seating to some degree.
Music venues, on the other hand, are enforcing strict regulations in the form of a negative COVID test result at the door, either through text confirmation or photograph.
Accommodation
Most hotels have reopened and are enforcing heightened sanitation regimes. For instance, the Montcalm precautionary measures mean that rooms are socially distanced where possible, and restaurants and bars are regularly cleaned.
A short note on London’s restaurants and bars – many have retained their previously enforced mask-wearing policies when not seated, and many have chosen to keep their table service only policies in place.
Shopping
Most high street shops have fully reopened but still encourage mask-wearing in enclosed public spaces – as do most of the above industries. Most shops in London also have hand sanitiser available through the aisles and upon entrance.
Museums And Cultural Institutions
Whilst museums and galleries have reopened, those utilising their 2 night London hotel deals by exploring the city’s culture may find that they must still book in advance to guarantee entry. Some galleries still enforce one way systems to encourage social distancing and may even have some areas closed to the public at this time. Mask wearing is also compulsory throughout most museums and galleries.
Transport Systems
Transport systems in London currently have strictly enforced mask-wearing policies and hand sanitisation units throughout underground and train stations. Social distancing is also encouraged throughout stations and carriages on the underground platforms, which have ensured that all areas are well ventilated.
