Traveling to the UK just got a little easier for your clients. Starting on Oct. 4th, fully vaccinated travelers heading to London and Edinburgh will not need to quarantine upon arrival.
The UK government recently announced that fully vaccinated guests will not need a pre-departure test or need to quarantine upon arrival.
Testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers will be reduced as they will no longer need to take a PDT when traveling to England as of Oct. 4th.
“The announcements from the UK government on overhauling the traffic light system, easing pre-arrival testing for fully vaccinated travelers from October 4 and the move to lateral flow tests on day 2 by the end of October are welcome steps to further reopening international travel and to boosting consumer confidence in visiting Britain,” says Paul Gauger, senior vice president of the Americas at VisitBritain. “Simplifying the testing regime has been a clear ask from the international travel industry and being able to welcome more visitors by safely reducing barriers to travel is critical to building back demand and visitor spending.”
When traveling to London, the new requirements your clients will need to meet are booking and paying for a day two Covid-19 test, and completing the passenger locator form. Gone are the need for a pre-departure test, the need to test for Covid-19 on day eight, and the requirement to quarantine.
For those heading to Edinburgh, the new requirements include booking and paying for a day 2 Covid-19 test, completing the passenger locator form, taking a pre-departure test, and taking the day eight Covid-19 test. However, travelers visiting Edinburgh will no longer need to quarantine either.
“Today’s changes mean a simpler, more straightforward system. One with less testing and lower costs, allowing more people to travel, see loved ones or conduct business around the world while providing a boost for the travel industry,” said Grant Shapps transport secretary, in a press statement.
Travelers who are not fully vaccinated will still have to take a pre-departure test, a day two and day eight PCR test, and also self-isolate for 10 days upon their return from a non-red list country.
In addition, the UK’s current traffic light system will be replaced by a single red list of countries and territories. The UK is conducting the final regular traffic light review before the switch to the new two-tiered system, several additional countries and territories will move off the red list including Turkey, Pakistan, the Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya. Changes will come into effect at 4 a.m. on Sept. 22.
And, fully vaccinated travelers from non-red countries will be able to replace their day two test with a cheaper lateral flow test, which will reduce the cost of tests on arrival into England. The government hopes to have this in place by the end of October.
For more information, visit gov.uk/government/news/new-system-for-international-travel.
Other countries now open to U.S. travelers include Spain, the French West Indies & France, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Denmark.
