Travel requirements are constantly updated and countries all over the world are closing and reopening their borders with very little notice. Now, travel back to the UK has just been made easier by the UK Government. Travel testing has been scrapped, it’s been announced today.
Doubly vaccinated travellers will no longer require a Covid test when coming back to England, the PM has confirmed.
Boris Johnson said the country needed to remain “cautious” but “you can see the figures are starting to get better”.
He continued: “What we’re doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers.
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“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.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to make the announcement official in a statement in the House of Commons.
He will also outline the rule changes in his statement.
The travel industry is welcoming the news, which will make travel easier for fully vaccinated holidaymakers.
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“Now passengers can book great value holidays with their car by ferry, not only to Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, but to France, the Netherlands, Spain and beyond, without the extra expense of testing on their return and we’re confident this will provide a much-needed uplift in bookings.”
EasyJet boss Johan Lundgren welcomed the update, saying “millions of our customers” will be “delighted to see the return of restriction-free travel in the UK”.
He went on: “We believe testing for travel should now firmly become a thing of the past. “It is clear travel restrictions did not materially slow the spread of Omicron in the UK and so it is important that there are no more knee jerk reactions to future variants.”
He added that the airline intends to return to “near-2019 levels of flying this summer”.
Airlines UK boss Tim Alderslade said: “This is a landmark day for passengers, businesses and UK plc.
“Nearly two years since the initial Covid restrictions were introduced, today’s announcement brings international travel towards near-normality for the fully vaccinated, and at last into line with hospitality and the domestic economy.”
Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries, said bookings for spring and summer holidays were already “roaring ahead” but the announcement means “we can expect demand to soar for the February half-term”.
