Q&A: if I get track & traced or “pinged” before my holiday do I need to cancel the trip?

Q&A: if I get track & traced or “pinged” before my holiday do I need to cancel the trip?

Though travel is slowly opening up, the information around it is still as confusing as ever. The so-called “Freedom Day” on July 19 is set to allow double jabbed Britons to avoid quarantine on their return from amber-list destinations. 

However, Covid has not disappeared and so there is still a chance you could get a track and trace notification or an alert on your mobile NHS app to self-isolation. Your obligation to do so depends on how you got notified.

If you get the track and trace notification by email, text or by phone call, you are legally obliged to cancel or postpone your trip and self-isolate for as long as you are instructed.

However, if you are ‘pinged’ by the NHS COVID-19 app, you are not legally bound to do so. It sounds strange but the alert is not enforceable by law. The decision is yours. 

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock explained

“If the app tells you to self-isolate, then you should self-isolate. But if an NHS Test and Trace contact tracer tells you, then you must by law.”

What about Travel Insurance?

Getting travel insurance is tricky but not impossible.

There are some travel insurers like Staysure.co.uk that will cover you should you have to self-isolate after contracting the virus or if you have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. 

As this is not the standard policy you will have to find a premium policy. Check the wording carefully and expect to pay more for the extra cover.

However, the protection will become invalid if you have already been in close contact with anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19 or have already been diagnosed with Covid-19 when the policy was bought.