Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the new rules will allow 'more people to travel, see loved ones or conduct business around the world.'
In an effort to reduce the confusion that travelers and businesses have complained of, the British government said Friday it would simplify its international travel rules that many have called cumbersome and ineffective, the Associated Press reported.
Britain's high vaccination rate — almost 82 percent of people 16 and older are fully vaccinated in the U.K. — made the changes possible. However, unvaccinated travelers are still required to self-isolate for at least 10 days and must undergo COVID testing before and after their travels.Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said England would simplify its COVID travel rules.
Testing requirements will be eased for fully vaccinated arrivals to England from open countries, who will no longer have to take a COVID-19 test before traveling. Travelers will still need a test after landing, but from the end of October, an inexpensive lateral flow test will suffice, rather than a more sensitive - but pricier - PCR test.
Airlines and travel businesses have complained that Britain's complicated and expensive requirements are keeping people away and hampering recovery from the pandemic. Heathrow Airport said this week that it had fallen from Europe's busiest airport in 2019 to 10th-busiest now, behind rivals in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
England eases COVID-19 rules for international travellersEngland set out measures to boost international travel on Friday, abandoning expensive COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, scrapping its traffic light system and adding eight countries to its safe list.
Read more »
Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News | CafeMom.com
Read more »
Woman's obituary blames unvaccinated for her COVID-19 death: 'The cost was her life'Candace Cay Ayers was fully vaccinated. She died at 66 after spending three weeks on a ventilator.
Read more »
Here’s What Worries Air Travelers More Than Getting Covid-19Catching the virus at the airport or onboard the plane is not the top concern.
Read more »
Here’s What Worries Air Travelers More Than Getting Covid-19Catching the virus at the airport or onboard the plane is not the top concern.
Read more »