The British Minister for Transport, Grant Shapps, has confirmed this Monday that from the next February 11th COVID-19 screening for fully vaccinated people on arrival in the UK will be abolished.
In a statement before the House of Commons, Shapps has specified that travelers traveling to this country should only fill out a location form, although these documents -which are also currently required- “will be simpler and easier”.
On the other hand, those people who are not fully vaccinated will no longer have to undergo the test on day eight after they arrive in this country or isolate themselves.
With the changes, those travelers who are not immunized will have to fill out the location document that includes a negative result of a COVID test carried out. two days before leaving for the UK and undergo another PCR upon arrival.
Shapps justified the changes in the current rules for international travel on the grounds that tests on vaccinated people they are no longer “useful” At the same time, he stressed that the measure will make traveling “much easier”, will save money for families and provide certainty to passengers and the industry, especially in the summer.
In his speech he also indicated that this country will also recognize vaccines from 16 other countries, including China and Mexico, which means that vaccinated travelers from a total of 118 countries will be able to enter it.
Those under the age of 18 will continue to be treated as fully vaccinated for international travel purposes. This information was already advanced this morning by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, during a visit to a hospital in London, although the “premier” did not specify dates or details.
The news represents an important boost for the aviation sector and some airlines have reacted, such as the British easyJet, whose CEO, Johan Lundgren, indicated in a statement that they “celebrate” it, knowing that many of its customers “will also be delighted to see the return of unrestricted travel in the UK”.
“We believe that the requirement to present a test to travel should be a thing of the past. It is clear that the travel restrictions did not significantly stop the spread of omicron in the UK, so it is important that there are no more precipitous reactions before future variants”, said the director.
Currently, people who are already vaccinated have to order a covid-19 test from a private company -antigen tests are admitted- to which these travelers must undergo two days after their arrival in the country.
In the case of travelers who are not vaccinated, they must take a test before boarding and two PCR tests upon arrival -taken on the second and eighth day after arrival-, in addition to being isolated for ten days.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have previously followed England’s lead when it comes to COVID-19 rules although it will be up to their governments to make adjustments to travel requirements.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
