UK to lift all remaining COVID-19 international travel rules
The Hindu
Today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country.
The UK government will lift all its remaining COVID-19 pandemic related international travel restrictions from this Friday, including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country.
From 4 a.m. GMT on Friday, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit travel details or take a PCR test even if they are unvaccinated. The change would remove the remaining rules in place for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and another test two days after arrival.
“The U.K. is leading the world in removing all remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions, and today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other,” U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday evening.
“I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today – providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays. I look forward to continuing to work with the travel sector and partners around the world to keep international travel moving,” he said.
The Easter break in April is a popular holiday period in the UK and the changes have been timed to help families make travel plans without the need for additional requirements.
“As we learn to live with COVID-19, we’re taking further steps to open up international travel once again ahead of the Easter holidays,” said U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
“We will continue monitoring and tracking potential new variants and keep a reserve of measures that can be rapidly deployed if needed to keep us safe. We can remove these final restrictions thanks to the incredible success of our vaccination programme, which has seen more than eight out of 10 adults across the U.K. boosted,” he said.
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