Passengers arriving in England from all international destinations will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test result before departure, the UK’s transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced.
Arrivals will need to take a test no later than 72 hours before departure for England and provide a negative result to their airline or other transport operator, alongside the passenger locator form.
The measure will be implemented in addition to the mandatory ten-day self-isolation for arrivals from countries not on the government’s travel corridor list. Pre-departure tests will be required even for those countries on the list.
On arrival back into the UK, Border Force officials will check passengers’ test results through the current spot check regime to ensure that individuals are compliant with the new rules. Failure to comply will result in an immediate fine of £500.
The measure, due to come into force next week, is designed “to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally”.
Shapps said: “We already have significant measures in place to prevent imported cases of Covid-19, but with new strains of the virus developing internationally we must take further precautions.
“Taken together with the existing mandatory self-isolation period for passengers returning from high-risk countries, pre-departure tests will provide a further line of defence - helping us control the virus as we roll out the vaccine at pace over the coming weeks.”
There are a limited number of exemptions to the new rules, including for hauliers, children under 11, crews and for those who travelling from countries without the infrastructure available to deliver the tests.
Arrivals will still be able to pay to reduce their quarantine from ten to five days by paying for a test no earlier than five days after arrival, through the test to release scheme, which now includes more than 60 test providers in the UK.
Similar rules for arrivals are expected to be announced for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the announcement, Clive Wratten, CEO of the BTA, said: “The BTA welcomes the announcement of pre-departure testing for all travellers coming into the UK and the prioritising of public health. We have been campaigning for this since May 2020.
"The testing scheme, travel corridor list and quarantine requirements will need to be kept under close review so that business travellers can contribute fully to the UK economy as international borders open up. We look forward to working with the Government to develop wider understanding of the breadth of work being undertaken by UK business travellers across the international trade market.”
Advantage Travel Partnership’s CEO, Julia Lo Bue-Said, called the decision a 'knee-jerk reaction'.
She said: “We understand why currently inbound testing is necessary however we, along with the rest of the industry, have been lobbying for pre-departure testing for some time across the board. We are seeing yet again, what appears to be a knee-jerk reaction from Government. This can only be described as piecemeal policy which is unhelpful and causes further stress and strain on agents.
"Public health measures to suppress the virus are paramount however we need a new approach which must include consultation with industry experts who are in the best position to advise on not only logistics but the short-term impact and long-term opportunity to allow business owners to plan when it is the right time to allow people to travel safely again this year.
"We would urge Government to also consider business travel and how this new testing measure can ensure that key industries where travel is a key requirement are able to do so safely and in a seamless manner. We urgently urge the Government to commit to a collaborative approach, and set out a timeframe so that travel agents as well as consumers understand the ramifications when booking a future trip."
Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives UK, said, “It is vital that the lockdown period is utilised to develop a well-coordinated path towards easing travel restrictions at the earliest opportunity once the threat recedes, in particular the requirement to self-isolate for ten days after arrival in the UK, and to review the ‘test to release’ option after five days.
“As the vaccination programme gathers pace and the most vulnerable are protected, it is vital that international travel is normalised through removing layered or conflicting measures that do not achieve the necessary balance to protect public health, restore confidence and rebuild the aviation and travel sector.”