As of July 19th 2021 - how well are tourists getting into London

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

I'm assuming that your emphasis on July 19th is because that date is when the last of the "legal" COVID restrictions are removed from the UK statute.

You should note that this removal only really affects those who are residents in the UK.  Travel restrictions into and out of the UK are largely unaffected.  Actual customer services in the terminals have been (and continue to date) to be affected by the isolation being imposed on those who have been in contact with a confirmed Covid contact; in other words, there is insufficient staffing in all areas of the terminal operation.  The next stage will be the removal of the isolation for residents and quarantine for tourists, this hasn't happened and as far as I'm aware, is not being seriously considered yet because of the potential increase in infections and the risk of disease mutation.  Not only a scientific/biological issue, but also political suicide for whoever stands up to propose it - nobody is.

According to local news this morning (the first day of the release), trains and buses in London are busier than previously seen under Covid restrictions, but road traffic is not back to how it was with less street traffic (some may think that is a bonus).

If you want accurate information on how things are in London, then you probably couldn't do better than your own US embassy; this link will take you straight there.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

All up to date travel information can be found here > https://tinyurl.com/ajvxc927

Your responses are so appreciated. I thank you. As previously mentioned, I've been to London several times over as many years...stayed in the West End, up north in Ilford and near Westminster and utilized the tube many times during summers spent there.  Buses also. I have in fact posted on here in previous yrs. but not many times as most information I've required has been directly available on the site and gleaned from previous posts...Expat is a great site. I am looking at what's happening in Tokyo etc. but have an affinity towards London and always liked the vibe. If anyone else has input you want to share, I will certainly appreciate more. Thank you! OH, and by the way, I was not aware July 19th is a stipulation on certain restrictions being eased...I did not know. Just a basic irony I guess! Could that mean good news in the future?

Cartoonist wrote:

OH, and by the way, I was not aware July 19th is a stipulation on certain restrictions being eased...I did not know. Just a basic irony I guess! Could that mean good news in the future?

Hi again.

Covid related "good news" for ex-pats in the UK will very much depend on good news for other countries, so if your home nation is doing good and controlling the pandemic, then you can expect other similar nations to respond positively.  Today in the UK, 87% of those deemed as being at risk from Covid have been totally immunised.  That translates to 54% of the total population; sounds good but infection rates are climbing here and when that happens, mutations get an increased chance to grow, which is what we don't want anywhere.  This explains the reasons why travel bans are still in place unless the person has a good reason to travel.

Today in England, legal restrictions have been replaced by citizen common sense and corporate responsibility.  Some are complaining that such a policy is confusing.  My opinion is that it's not, those complaining are mainly those who don't want to get vaccinated.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on all points.I was never an "anti-vax" person, just rely on keeping healthy and I never even catch a cold really....but it's common sense to get the jab against this specific scourge. Here in America, many are getting it finally....althought the news says there is alot of hesitancy.