Fully vaccinated travelers arriving in the UK will no longer need to carry out a Covid-19 test from February 11, a measure announced on Monday and which was eagerly awaited before the next school holidays. “What we do for travel is to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers”said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Currently, doubly vaccinated travelers must book a test (antigenic or PCR) for Covid-19 to be carried out after their arrival. Those who are not fully vaccinated must take one test before departure, then two PCR tests after arrival, and must self-isolate for 10 days.
In Parliament, Transport Minister Grant Shapps clarified that vaccinated passengers would be exempt from any screening from Friday 11 February. “It is obvious to me that now border tests for vaccinated travelers have lost their usefulness”, he explained. He also announced that the UK would recognize vaccination certificates from 16 additional countries, including China and Mexico.
Travelers who are not fully vaccinated will no longer need to self-isolate and be tested eight days after arrival. However, they must still have tested negative two days before their entry and do a PCR test after their arrival.
The transport sector is satisfied
While England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each decide on their own public health policy, the four nations of the United Kingdom have agreed to apply the same measures. Grant Shapps defended a “proportionate system that brings us closer to normality, while maintaining essential public health protections”.
The employers’ organization CBI hailed “a welcome step forward”, allowing the transport sector to hope “a return to normal in 2022”. However, it asked for an action plan in the event of a new variant in order to avoid new unexpected changes to the rules.
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren welcomed the news and said his company plans to return this summer to flight levels close to those experienced before the pandemic. This advert “restores customer confidence and will stimulate demand”, also welcomed a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic.
Among the countries most bereaved in Europe by the coronavirus, with nearly 154,000 dead, the United Kingdom has been hit by a wave of cases attributed to the Omicron variant, which is now in decline.
Boris Johnson announced last week the lifting of the last restrictions in England. From Thursday, wearing a mask will no longer be legally compulsory, but recommended in closed and crowded places. It is already abandoned in schools. A health pass will no longer be required for access to nightclubs and certain large gatherings. The conservative leader also announced that he was planning for March the end of isolation for positive cases, already reduced to five days with negative tests.
