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LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Fully vaccinated travellers
arriving in Britain will no longer have to take a COVID-19 test,
transport minister Grant Shapps said on Monday, as the
government sets out plans to move beyond restrictions and live
with the virus.
Currently, vaccinated people arriving in Britain are
required to take a lateral flow test within 2 days of arriving.
At times, the government has previously also required all
passengers to take tests before departing for Britain.
"We promised we wouldn't keep these measures in place a day
longer than necessary and it is obvious to me now that border
testing for vaccinated travellers has outlived its usefulness,"
Shapps told parliament.
From 0400 GMT on Feb. 11, fully vaccinated inbound
passengers will only have to verify their status on a passenger
locator form, he said. For now, fully vaccinated will not
include a requirement to have had a booster jab. Under 18s are
treated as fully vaccinated passengers.
Those who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will no longer
have to isolate, or take a test on day 8. They will still have
to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travelling
and take a PCR test after arriving in Britain, he said.
"This is a proportionate system that moves us a step closer
to normality while maintaining vital public health protections,"
Shapps said.
Britain will also add 16 further nations, including China
and Mexico, to its list of recognised vaccine certificates.
Shapps said the option for a "red list" of countries would
remain in place to provide a defence against new variants of
concern, but the government was looking at replacing its managed
quarantine system with alternatives such as home isolation.
"These contingency measures will only be applied if we are
particularly concerned about a variant of concern which poses a
substantial risk, one that is even greater than Omicron," he
said.
(Reporting by Kate Holton and Kylie MacLellan; editing by James
Davey and Paul Sandle)
