Testing burden eased for UK travellers, but ‘damage already done’

Boris Johnson has scrapped the travel testing regime introduced to combat the Omicron variant.

In a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister said that fully vaccinated travellers entering England will no longer have to take pre-departure tests from 4am on Friday.

He said that PCR tests, currently required on or before day two of a traveller’s arrival in the UK, will also be ditched and replaced by lateral flow tests, which are up to £60 cheaper per person.

Passengers will also no longer have to self isolate until they get a negative test result. However, if they test positive with a lateral flow, they will be required to take a PCR swab and self isolate for up to 10 days.

The moves will be a major boost for holidaymakers planning winter sun breaks and the beleaguered travel and tourism industry.

They mark a return to the testing regime in place in November before the omicron variant emerged in South Africa, forcing ministers to slam on restrictions in an attempt to prevent the import of the new version of the Covid virus.

The new changes follow pressure from Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, who argued that with omicron now the dominant variant in the UK, there was no need to maintain such a tough testing regime that was damaging for the travel industry.