UK TV productions no longer exempt from Covid travel restrictions

TV and film productions are no longer exempt from UK Covid-related travel restrictions, meaning that cast and crew travelling to Britain will now have to self-isolate for 10 days.

The job category was one of several removed in the latest update to the UK’s exemption list in the early hours of Monday morning.

As well as the self-isolation requirement, anyone travelling to the UK to shoot must now test negative for Covid-19 within three days before departure and also complete a passenger locator form.

A website explaning the updated rules said: “If you are not exempt, and you arrive in the UK, you will need to self-isolate for 10 days. When you arrive in England, you must travel directly to the place you are staying and not leave.”

Visitors to England can make use of the Test to Release scheme, which allows them to pay for a private coronavirus test after five days and be released from self-isolation earlier if it comes back negative.

This, however, does not cover arrivals from countries subject to a travel ban, such as Brazil.