BRITS are being urged not to travel abroad “indefinitely” by the Foreign Office as coronavirus cases hit one million globally.
The update was issued following a 30 day advisory, which was in place until April 15.
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A post on social media explained: “The Foreign Office indefinitely advises against all non-essential global travel.”
There is currently no indication that this will affect holidays booked for 2021.
The latest update comes as thousands of British travellers are being rescued abroad, many who have been stranded for weeks.
Ten airlines – including British Airways, TUI, Ryanair, and easyJet – have signed up for the government charter flights to help get Brits home.
Despite the travel ban, many are still stuck in countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Philippines and India.
The updated advice to ban travel indefinitely has been met with concerns by travel experts, due to its uncertainty as to when travel could be resumed.
Roly Boland, editor of Which? Travel, has warned that the new FCO advice could cause problems for Brits trying to get refunds, if there is no particular end date for the travel ban.
He told iNews: “The travel warning should be extended to a definitive date, which can be reviewed if needed, so that travellers have some much-needed clarity around refunds, rebooking or claiming on insurance.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Association for British Travel Agents (ABTA) told the website: “Although the advice has now changed for an indefinite period, this is now in essence the same as any ‘all but essential’ travel advice and it could be removed at any time.
“As such there is no change to the advice for members and customers in this regard. Travel companies can still look at imminent departures and decide how far in advance they will begin to offer alternative arrangements/ refunds or equivalent options.”
Despite this, airlines are still selling flights in April and in May, many to European countries still on lockdown.
British Airways have £32 tickets to Italy in May, while TUI has package holidays to Spain on April 21 for £330 per person.
The flights and package holiday deals were still being sold due to the original advice only in place until mid-April, meaning more confusion is likely following the “indefinite” update.
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Many families are already struggling to get refunds for their booked holidays, with a number of operators only offering credit notes.
Others have been forced to call a phone number for a refund after the option was removed from the website, only to face long phone queues or being unable to get through to anyone.
Airlines are now begging the UK government to allow them to keep passengers’ money for their cancelled flights and to offer vouchers instead to keep the cash within the travel industry.
