Rules regarding testing for Covid-19 will change in England from tomorrow Friday and CLIA UK & Ireland CEO Andy Harmer has welcomed the new steps.
"We welcome the changes in testing rules for travellers arriving in England. With the peak holiday booking period under way, measures that allow for more seamless travel are vital. We will continue to work with Government to help cruise and other travel industries further open up,” Harmer said in a statement.
The BBC reports that for fully vaccinated people, the new rules will be as follows:
- From 04:00 GMT on Friday 7 January, people who are fully vaccinated and those aged under-18 will no longer need to take a test two days before travelling to England from countries outside the UK and the Common Travel Area of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. On arrival, they will have to take a PCR test but they will no longer have to self-isolate while awaiting the result
- From 04:00 GMT on Sunday 9 January they will only have to take a lateral flow test instead of a PCR test on day two. But this test must be bought from a private test provider - free NHS tests are not allowed
- Unvaccinated passengers will need to continue to take a pre-departure test, PCR tests on day two and day eight, and self-isolate for 10 days
The devolved governments in Cardiff (Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland) have the power to set their own rules regarding measures against the virus.