Travel firm is selling ‘work from home’ stays in St Lucia during lockdown

‘If someone is able to work from St Lucia, and asks us to organise it then we’re happy to do so,’ says Friendship Travel

Friendship Travel is selling ‘work from home’ stays in St Lucia (Getty Images)

A travel company is taking bookings for “work from home” stays in St Lucia for departures during the November lockdown and beyond

Singles holiday firm Friendship Travel said it’s taking advantage of British Airways’ scheduled flights to the Caribbean island, which are set to run as normal throughout the lockdown period.

Guests will then stay at the all-inclusive BodyHoliday resort for the duration of their trip, with a seven-night Atol-protected break costing upwards of £2,195 per person. There’s also the possibility of booking a long-stay trip, with 28 days costing £8,975 per person.

Friendship Travel managing director Colum McLornan said: “The BA flight goes on to Trinidad from St Lucia, and there’s enough business demand to sustain flights throughout lockdown.

“We took a booking [yesterday] from a client telling us she’d been working from home since March, had four holidays cancelled due to Covid and is determined to get away this time.

“She will be spending the second lockdown working from the poolside of one of the best resorts in the Caribbean.”

Under the second lockdown, residents in England are told that travel, whether international or domestic, should only be for “work, education or other legally permitted reasons”.

The new rules will begin from 5 November, with the government stating that exemptions will be set out in law – although it has so far failed to do so.

Wales, currently in the middle of a “fire-break” lockdown, will see restrictions ease from 9 November. But Welsh residents are similarly told to avoid non-essential international travel.

And Northern Ireland, currently on a “circuit breaker” lockdown, looks to be adopting the English rules after its lockdown ends.

At present, Scotland appears to be the only nation where international travel will be permitted between 5 November and 2 December.

Friendship Travel tells The Independent it is not encouraging anyone to break the rules but that “it is up to the traveller to decide on the legitimacy of their trip”.

It adds: “But if someone is able to work from St Lucia, and asks us to organise it then we’re happy to do so.”

St Lucia has only had 84 cases of coronavirus so far – far below the UK’s daily rate. It is exempt from the Foreign Office’s advice against non-essential travel and travellers do not need to quarantine on return to the UK.

However, St Lucia requires those arriving from the UK to have a negative Covid-19 PCR test, which has been taken within seven days of arrival.