By Covid travel tests to be axed for the double jabbed
The prime minister has confirmed that the testing rules for fully-vaccinated travellers arriving to England will be scrapped.
Speaking during a visit to a hospital training centre in Milton Keynes, Boris Johnson said: “Although we have to be cautious, we are now moving through the Omicron wave, and you can see the figures are starting to get better.
“So what we’re doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated.”
The Transport Secretary made the announcement at 4pm today, stating that the measures will be dropped from February 11 for all fully vaccinated travellers to the UK.
Grants Shapps says border testing for vaccinated travellers had “outlived its usefulness”.
He says the move will make travel “much easier”, save families money and provide certainty for passengers and the industry ahead of the summer season.
Rules have also been eased for unvaccinated travellers, who will no longer have to take a day eight test.
However, they will still need pre-departure and day two tests.
Any changes made by the government will be for England, although the other UK nations tend to follow.
Vaccinated travellers will also still have to fill in and submit an online passenger locator form.
Under the current rules fully vaccinated passengers and under-18s no longer need a pre-departure test two days before travelling to the UK.
However, within 48 hours of arrival, everyone aged five and over (11 and over in Scotland) must take a lateral flow test (LFT), or a more expensive PCR test.
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