What the latest travel update in the UK means for you
Collinson Column for ITM Members
The latest announcement from the UK Government has been the largest one since travel restrictions began. From 4th October the UK will adopt a relaxed traffic light system which will now consist of a single red list and the testing requirements will also been simplified for those who have had both Covid-19 vaccinations.
The new red list includes countries people should avoid travelling to and a different set of testing and quarantine requirements for those not on the red list, regardless of vaccination status. People returning from a red list country are still required to pay for a government approved quarantine hotel for 11 nights.
The updated testing requirements apply to residents from the UK who are fully vaccinated. A pre-departure lateral flow test is no longer needed when travelling back from a country not on the red list. Day 2 tests are still required after arriving to the UK but from the end of October this will no longer need to be a PCR test, and will be replaced with the cheaper lateral flow tests. Day 8 tests have also been removed for those who have been fully vaccinated.
Those who are unvaccinated or haven’t finished their full vaccination course are still required to take pre-departure tests for travelling to the UK and need to complete a PCR test for their day-two test and are required also to quarantine for 10 days regardless of where they arrive from.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced these plans last month with the aim to simplify travel moving forward. After a long two years of uncertainty with travel and the travel industry this is a positive step towards travel recovery.
For more information please visit our testing site: collinsontest.com
