Restricting travel abroad after 17th May?

Thanks Keith, We are within the childcare sector and feel it would be an additional risk.. we have managed to go the whole pandemic with no cases in our setting.

On what scientific basis do you think it would be an additional risk?

Given the very severe restrictions that HMG have placed on travel there are places in the UK with potentially higher contagion rates...

But you can ask nicely

You can point out that if the green status changes to amber or red they will have to isolate/quarantine by taking additional holiday whilst doing so.
BTW why would Portugal be any worse that spending all weekend in the gym and pub and catching up with 'hugging'?

HI Rebecca, there was a similar thread recently about restricting what people do in their own time, with very similar answers. The employer has little right to involve itself in someone's private time, especially if the planned activity is legal (not always cut and dried even if it isn't legal!) Think also about the message, your people have put themselves at risk to come to work with little ones who don't understand social distancing or not coughing on the nearest adult, and now they may finally be allowed a holiday abroad, you're threatening that you might not allow this.

All of this applies to returning from green countries:

Before travel to England

Before you travel to England you must:
•complete a passenger locator form
•take a COVID-19 test
•book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test

On arrival in England

You must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive.

You do not need to quarantine unless the test result is positive.

You must self-isolate if NHS Test & Trace informs you that you travelled to England with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

We had similar discussions last year in a school environment, when travel was legal but the risk of a country being added to the quarantine list was very real. We tried to communicate positively with our staff in the October half term - to say that while we had no wish or right to interfere with their holiday plans, we did expect all staff to be available to return to work when teaching started again.

Some of our staff had really important reasons for travel, and we agreed exceptions in as supportive way as we could - but our position remains that we need staff to be available for work in person, and the onus is on them to do everything in their power to make that happen.

What we didn't want to do was to encourage anyone to hide travel plans from us or to breach any quarantine - so tried hard to walk the line between encouragement and support. Broadly it worked!

Strictly speaking they should only be travelling to those countries if it is essential (or words to that effect)
You can and should be asking where they are going and warning them of the consequences. terming it AWOL is not a response I would adopt.

ps Welcome to the Community