‘You can travel like the good old days’ – UK lifts remaining Covid travel restrictions from Friday

The UK will scrap all remaining coronavirus travel measures, including passenger locator forms, on Friday in a move to make overseas holidays easier even. as coronavirus cases increase.

Ransport minister Grant Shapps said on Monday that the changes would allow for “more freedom in time for Easter” and would mean “you can travel like the good old days”.

After a meeting with senior ministers, he said the measures – including requiring unvaccinated people to be tested for coronavirus – would end his trip to the UK from 4am on Friday. Government’s plan on “living with Covid”.

The changes will not affect most passengers arriving from Ireland, as those from the Common Travel Area (CTA) are not required to complete a passenger locator form, self-isolate or undergo testing if they have not been outside the CTA in the 10 years prior to the date.

As airlines welcomed the announcement, Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed the Government would continue to monitor and track new variants.

“As we learn to live with Covid, we are taking the next steps to open up to international travel again before the Easter break,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor and track potential new variants, and stock up on measures that can be deployed quickly if needed to keep us safe.

“We are able to remove these last limitations thanks to the incredible success of our immunization programme, which has seen more than eight in 10 adults across the UK boosted. .”

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) said “a range of contingency measures” would be in reserve so that ministers could “act quickly and proportionately” should any new variant of the coronavirus appeared.

The department said they would “be done only in extreme circumstances”, but it understood that the measures would include targeted testing from a country that has seen a new variant emerge and Scientists continue to monitor their spread.

The move comes amid a rise in coronavirus infections for the first time in all four UK countries since late January, with levels in Scotland already at a record high, according to the latest estimates from the UK. Office for National Statistics.

The number of patients hospitalized with Covid has also increased, increasing by 19pc per week in the UK.

The number of coronavirus hospital admissions in the UK remains far below the peaks reached during the Omicron wave and previous waves, while in Scotland it is close to the record peak seen in January last year.

Time-consuming passenger locator forms require people to fill in details about their journey, their UK address and vaccination status.

Location forms, now required by all people arriving from outside Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of man, have been used to track people in the wake of the virus outbreak.

“These changes are likely due to our vaccine rollout and mean we have more freedom in time for Easter,” said Mr Shapps.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive officer of Airlines UK – the body that represents UK carriers – welcomed the announcement, saying it sent the message that “the UK travel sector has come back to life. again”.

“With travelers returning to the UK no longer burdened by unnecessary forms and testing requirements, we can now expect a return to pre-Covid normal throughout their travel experience.” calendar,” he added.

“We’re grateful for the moment of announcement as we prepare to welcome back passengers this Easter and this summer, as we know there’s huge pent-up demand and the Kingdom’s lead Britain in being the first major airline market to remove all remaining restrictions.”

Johan Lundgren, easyJet chief executive, said: “This welcome move by the UK Government marks a truly unrestricted return to flying to and from the UK, giving extra impetus to travel. travel this Easter.”

The DfT also said that from the end of March, the UK will completely end its ability to quarantine its hotels, currently no red list countries require their use.

Meanwhile, Heathrow said passengers will no longer be required to wear face masks at the airport from Wednesday, although they will continue to be advised.