New rules have been introduced to make traveling to the UK “easier and cheaper”.
The UK signaling system, which includes a green, amber, and red list, has been deprecated and locations are categorized as being on the red list.
In the midst of reports that the number of Red Listed countries will be reduced from 54 to 9 later in the week and destinations such as Brazil, Mexico and South Africa are expected to be open for unquarantine travel. It is in.
Fully vaccinated residents (and unvaccinated residents under the age of 18) from more than 50 countries and territories will be in the UK without having to complete a pre-departure lateral flow test. You can enter. , Or self-quarantine at home and require post-arrival testing twice daily.
Children under the age of 11 were already exempt from pre-departure testing.
People arriving from Red Tier destinations need to stay 11 nights at a quarantine hotel, which costs £ 2,285 ($ 3,095) for individual travelers.
Secretary of Transportation Grant Shapps said:
“Our priority is still to protect public health, but now that more than 8 out of 10 people are fully vaccinated, we will take these steps to reduce testing costs and restore the sector. Can be continued. “
The quarantine and inspection deregulation announced last month is welcomed by the travel sector.
Airlines and tour operators were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic and accused the government of being too late to relax and simplify the rules of international travel.
Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, a leading trade association for British airlines, said:
“We have seen a positive response to the announcement regarding bookings. Given the current trends, we expect more countries to be off the Red List and further mutual recognition of vaccine status.
“But there’s still a lot to do. This isn’t a job. The minister should keep in mind that arriving tests for vaccinated passengers remain outliers.
“In the short term, it is important to abolish PCR testing by the half-week of October, and we look forward to clarifying this start date as soon as possible.”
There is no set date when eligible, fully vaccinated travelers arriving in the UK will be able to use cheaper immunochromatography instead of the PCR version for testing on the second day of arrival.
The Ministry of Transport said the government “aims to set it up in case people return from a half-year break.”
Neil Lancefield and John Bezley
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