UK Dropping COVID Testing for Arriving International Travelers

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced fully vaccinated international travelers will no longer be required to take a coronavirus test upon arrival.

The new rule will begin on February 11, 2022.

According to BBC.com, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the decline in Omicron cases and success doctors had against the latest highly contagious COVID-19 strain would result in the country’s economy reopening.

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“And although we have to be cautious, we are now moving through the Omicron wave, and you can see the figures are starting to get better,” Johnson said during a press conference.

“So, what we're doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travelers, 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,” Johnson continued.

Johnson had been dealing with the chief executives of the UK’s largest airlines, who remained steadfast in their assertion that coronavirus-related travel restrictions should be lifted, as they had a limited effect in preventing the spread of the latest variant.

“We believe testing for travel should now firmly become a thing of the past,” easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren told BBC. “It is clear travel restrictions did not materially slow the spread of Omicron in the UK and so it is important that there are no more knee-jerk reactions to future variants.”

“We commend the government for removing all testing,” Lundgren continued. “EasyJet plans to return to near 2019 levels of flying this summer and so we can't wait to welcome our customers back onboard.”

Last week, Johnson announced people would no longer be required to wear face masks anywhere or work from home, saying that scientists believed the wave of Omicron variant cases had peaked nationally.

The Prime Minister also revealed plans to change self-isolation protocols and drop mandatory COVID-19 certification requirements for businesses, unless they choose to continue enforcing the mandate.

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