The new travel restrictions that look set to come into effect in England from Thursday contain confusing messages about the legality of business travel.

On Saturday, UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced a second national lockdown in England in order to slow an alarming increase in the number of Covid cases which could lead to thousands of deaths a day.

The restrictions, which are due to enter into force on Thursday 5 November if approved by the UK parliament on Wednesday, state that people in England cannot travel, either domestically or internationally, except in a limited number of cases.

The exemptions include the case where travel is for work purposes. The government says that international and domestic travel as well as overnight stays are legally allowed in this case.

BTN Europe asked the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for clarification of the ¡°for work¡± exemptions but the department was unable to comment beyond what was in the government¡¯s statement.

Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: ¡°Public health is of fundamental importance, but the national lockdown announcement is another huge blow for business travel. The government has said some exemptions will apply for work-related travel, but with flights set to be reduced, a key mode of business travel will be difficult to achieve.

¡°The furlough scheme extension is welcome but is too little too late for many business travel firms ¨C where redundancies are now running at up to 60 per cent. Ultimately, airport testing is the only way to get British business travelling again, and that is vital for UK plc.¡±

Martin Ferguson, American Express GBT's vice president of public affairs, added: "That business travel - or travel for work - is exempt from the new ban is interesting inasmuch as it's pointless while there is still a senseless quarantine in place. Business travellers will not go anywhere while there's a risk of being stranded. Moreover, while it's based entirely on self-policing the quarantine does little to mitigate risk. We need rapid pre-departure tests and the withdrawal of quarantine now. Only then will there be any point to an international business travel exemption."

The government says that inbound international travel will still be governed using the travel corridors approach.

The shock ban on international travel has been criticised by the wider travel industry.?

Tim Alderslade, chief executive, Airlines UK and Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said in a statement: ¡°Aviation has been devastated by the pandemic and has essentially never had the opportunity to recover. A ban on international travel means airlines and airports, already hamstrung by quarantine, are closed businesses and will require financial support now ¨C which other sectors like hospitality have received ¨C alongside a comprehensive restart package."

He added: ¡°This needs to include immediate additional economic support for the winter and steps to support recovery, including urgent roll-out of a testing regime, business rates relief for airports, and an emergency waiver of Air Passenger Duty that will be essential for enabling and stimulating international travel ¨C absolutely vital for the UK economy ¨C for as long as we are living with this virus. Hundreds of thousands of jobs and our economic recovery are on the line.¡±

Charlie Cornish, CEO of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said: ¡°The fact this development was not deemed worthy of mention in the PM¡¯s address is symbolic of the way government has neglected UK aviation¡­from day one of this pandemic.¡±

MAG owns and operates Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.

He said: ¡°Our sector was one of the first hit by this pandemic and one of the hardest hit. Promises of specific support in recognition of this predicament were publicly made by government but never materialised. Tens of thousands of jobs have already been lost across the industry as a result of the situation we find ourselves in. An urgent package of support must materialise. That must include relief from business rates and policing costs.¡±

Cornish also criticised the fact that the industry learned about the ban from social media.

He said: ¡°Twitter is not the place where you want to find out that the government is effectively shutting down the business you run.¡±

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA, said: ¡°Today¡¯s announcement¡­will mean a complete shutdown for travel businesses which have already been severely damaged by the pandemic, but public health must come first. We¡¯re pleased to see the government has recognised the significant impact the latest lockdown will have on businesses and has extended the furlough scheme until the start of December. The government must also make good progress with the global travel taskforce, ensuring a testing regime is ready to go as soon as lockdown is lifted."