Day 2 tests for fully vaccinated to be scrapped, PM confirms
James ChappleFully vaccinated travellers returning to England will no longer have to take a Day 2 test, prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed.
Johnson said changes to testing for international travellers who are fully vaccinated will be made now Britain is "moving through the Omicron wave".
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Milton Keynes Hospital, he said: "So what we’re doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated."
The date from when the new rules will take effect has yet to be confirmed, although The Telegraph reports the changes will come into effect from 4am on 11 February – just in time for people’s half-term getaways.
The Independent, meanwhile, reports transport secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce further details of the upcoming changes on Monday afternoon.
Pre-departure tests have already been dropped for vaccinated travellers, as has the need to take a PCR test within two days of arrival into the country. The latest move will see the Day 2 lateral flow test requirement removed. However, any testing required by destination countries will still impact on those buying holidays.
The news will be a huge boost for sales of next month’s half-term holidays and may encourage airlines to add capacity.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated February half-term international flights from the UK are currently 41% down on February 2020, before restrictions were imposed. There are 7,868 international flights scheduled to depart from the UK this February half-term – equating to 1.54 million seats.
Spain will account for nearly 20% of these, with 1,338 departures from the UK. Second place is Ireland, with 581 flights from the UK.
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