New simplified travel rules that have come into force in the UK from 4am this morning with the traffic light system replaced by a single ‘red list’ and ‘the rest of the world’, has lead to a surge in bookings as people can be more confident about making plans and travelling abroad for holidays, to see family and friends, or for business trips.
Since May this year, British travellers have had to adapt to many new travel rules including the government's travel traffic light system, which regularly changed according to which countries were safe to visit. But a major shake-up announced a few weeks ago has come into force, and the new rules are set to remain in place, at least, until the New Year.
Which travel rules have changed?
The current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries has been replaced with one red list only. Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced the plans last month, saying the aim was to "simplify measures".
People who are fully vaccinated "won't need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red list country," he said, and from later this month, the day two PCR test will be replaced with a cheaper lateral flow test.
Shapps said the single red list and testing changes were about "striking the right balance to manage the public health risk as a number one priority".
Testing:
Residents of the UK who are fully vaccinated no longer need to take a pre-departure lateral flow test for travelling into England from anywhere not on the red list.
They still need to have a day-two test after their arrival, but at the end of October, this will be replaced with a cheaper lateral flow test.
This also applies to British nationals travelling to England who have been vaccinated in the EU, US, and 18 other countries that have an agreement with the UK, with either Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, or Janssen vaccines, which includes the Canary Islands.
Those who are unvaccinated still need to take the following precautions for travelling into England:
- Pre-departure test
- Day 2 PCR test.
- Quarantine for 10 days, regardless of where they arrive from.
Please remember that all travellers returning to the UK regardless of vaccination status and country they are travelling from, will still need to fill in a passenger locator form ahead of travel.
What happens if you come back from a red list country?
Anyone returning from a red list country including the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Seychelles, South Africa, and Thailand, among others, is still required to pay £2,285 to quarantine for 11 nights at a government-approved hotel.
What happens if a traveller tests positive when returning to the UK?
Anyone who tests positive needs to isolate and take a free confirmatory PCR test, which will be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants.
Will the new rules apply to the whole of the UK?
Currently, the travel changes only apply to England, but Scotland has announced it is also scrapping the requirement for vaccinated people to provide negative coronavirus tests before they arrive.
Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said on September 28th that she would make the changes "with some reluctance", but added: "We have also considered the practical consequences of not having an aligned position.
"In particular, we have to be realistic about the fact that people living in Scotland could decide to return here via airports based in England, if different rules are in place for Scottish airports. The result of this would be a disadvantage to our aviation and travel sector, but without any significant public health advantage."
