Travellers could avoid Covid tests on return from green list countries
Travellers could avoid Covid tests on return from ‘green list’ countries to save them hundreds of pounds under new plan being considered by ministers
- Holidaymakers will avoid Covid tests when returning from ‘green list’ countries
- They will still need to take a test before flying home to skip one when they arrive
- The move would help make holidays more affordable for families this summer
Holidaymakers would avoid Covid tests when returning to Britain from ‘green list’ countries under plans being considered by ministers.
Although they would still need to take a test before flying home, they could be allowed to skip having a second one two days after they arrive.
The move would help make holidays more affordable for families this summer.
Officials are also said to be mulling scrapping the ten-day home quarantine requirement for arrivals from amber countries
A healthcare worker takes a swab sample from a man to test for the coronavirus disease at a Covid-19 testing centre at Brussels’ International airport
Gold-standard PCR Covid tests can cost as much as £200 per person.
This week the Government will give the go-ahead to restarting holidays from May 17. Countries will be rated red, amber or green according to their Covid risk.
Travellers returning from low-risk green countries will not have to quarantine when they get back.
But they will have to pay for and take two Covid tests – one up to three days before flying home and another within two days of arrival back in the UK.
Now, however, ministers are considering dropping the second test requirement when a review into the policy takes place on June 28.
This week the Government will give the go-ahead to restarting holidays from May 17. Countries will be rated red, amber or green according to their Covid risk
Travellers returning from low-risk green countries will not have to quarantine when they get back
It is unclear if this would apply only to fully vaccinated people or whether it could be extended to unvaccinated Britons.
Officials are also said to be mulling scrapping the ten-day home quarantine requirement for arrivals from amber countries.
But this would apply only to vaccinated people.
Hope for faster airport queues
Electronic passport gates could be reopened in time for summer holidays, it was suggested last night.
Miguel Leitmann, of Vision-Box, a tech firm with a contract to help get airport e-gates to automatically check passenger locator forms – which give their contact details – said such software could ‘soon’ be installed.
Border guards currently check every form manually. This has fuelled recent queues of more than six hours at Heathrow Airport. Mr Leitmann said the forms ‘will soon be digitised at the border where the e-gates will be able to process passengers faster’ and this could be by May 17 when trips abroad restart.
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