All passengers arriving in the UK must prove they do not have coronavirus, with a negative test result taken within 72 hours of the start of their journey.
below rules announced Friday will be fined £ 500 ($ 678) to anyone who fails to provide proof of not having a Covid-19. Travelers coming from countries not on the government’s open itineraries list must isolate at home for 10 days regardless of their test results.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
The measures, drafted by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, will come into effect next week for passengers arriving in Britain by air, boat or train. The plan aims to prevent new strains of Covid-19 from entering the UK, such as one identified in South Africa, as the government speeds up vaccine roll-out, Shapps said.
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“The South African variant worries the experts as the vaccine may not respond in the same way,” Shapps told LBC radio Friday. “If that were the case, it would be a tragedy to let that into the country.”
Entry into England will also be banned for those who have traveled from or through any southern African country in the past 10 days, the government, including Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, said.
Ministers were criticized for taking too long to impose border restrictions during the first wave of the spring pandemic. This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the land in his country third national lockdown when the number of infections soared. The death toll from the coronavirus now stands at more than 78,000.
Airlines Hit
Governments across Europe are extending travel restrictions to and from the UK to protect against a rapidly spreading species that arrived last month. All told, the measures have forced the hard-hit aviation industry to scale back schedules in early 2021.
“UK aviation has effectively closed yet again,” said Karen Dee, Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Operators Association. “This has created a disastrous situation for UK airports and aviation dependent communities.”
Industry lobby Airlines UK called for pre-departure testing to be a short-term measure and for travel to return to normal as soon as possible once the introduction of the vaccine accelerates.
Ministers should now focus on creating a common international standard, said Heathrow Airport chief John Holland-Kaye, who has called for the use of tests to increase passenger numbers. The call was echoed by the London-based World Travel & Tourism Council, which said there is still uncertainty about the type of tests that will be accepted. It called for wide access and affordability.
Ryanair Holdings Plc, EasyJet Plc and British Airways is one of the airlines to cut their schedules this week, with Ryanair saying it will offer few flights from January 21 until the curbs are lifted.
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Complex conversations
Government officials have been in talks for several days about coordinating a border policy in all four UK countries, which have control over their own transport policies. In a separate statement, the Scottish government said it agreed to the plan and that the measures will be taken as soon as possible.
Wales’ Prime Minister Mark Drakeford told the BBC on Friday that he strongly supports the new rules and expects them to apply across the UK.
Passengers must present their negative test results before boarding and will be stopped if necessary. There will be some exceptions to the new rules, including for carriers, children under the age of 11 and travelers leaving countries without adequate testing infrastructure.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his blueprint for a large-scale vaccination program to protect about 15 million elderly and vulnerable people in the UK and their carers against a self-imposed deadline of 15 February. The government will then consider whether it can lift part of the blocking. regulations.
– Assisted by Alastair Reed, Rodney Jefferson, Emily Ashton, Siddharth Vikram Philip and Christopher Jasper
(Updates with statement airport operators from the sixth paragraph)