Industry members looking to travel to England from the U.S. and the European Union received a shot in the arm on Wednesday, with the U.K. government lifting stringent quarantine requirements.
Effective Aug. 2, passengers from countries on the U.K.’s amber list, who have been fully vaccinated in Europe (EU Member States, European Free Trade Association countries and the European microstate countries of Andorra, Monaco and Vatican City) and the U.S. won’t have to quarantine when entering England. These are part of a range of new measures designed to continue to drive forward the reopening of international travel, set out as part of the country’s second Global Travel Taskforce checkpoint review.
Passengers are required to be fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency; in the U.S. with vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration; or in the Swiss vaccination program. They will be able to travel to England without having to quarantine or take a day 8 test on arrival.
Travellers will still be required to complete a pre-departure test before arrival into England, alongside a PCR test on or before day 2 after arrival. Those vaccinated in the U.S. will also need to provide proof of U.S. residency. Passengers from all countries can’t travel to the U.K. unless they have completed a passenger locator form.
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Separate rules will continue to apply for those arriving from France. These passengers must quarantine for 10 days after arrival and take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8, even if fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Brits hoping to head Stateside will need to wait a while longer.
It’s still not possible for most British nationals to enter the U.S. if they have been in the U.K., Ireland, Schengen zone, Iran, Brazil, China, South Africa or India within the previous 14 days. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is in discussions with the U.S. government about this.
The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention still urges Americans not to travel to the U.K., which it lists as “very high” (the highest rung) in COVID levels.
U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but thanks to our world-leading domestic vaccination program, we’re able to look to the future and start to rebuild key transatlantic routes with the U.S. while further cementing ties with our European neighbours.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid added: “By reopening quarantine-free travel for travellers who have been fully vaccinated in European countries and the U.S., we’re taking another step on the road to normality which will reunite friends and families and give U.K. businesses a boost.
The quarantine relaxation applies only to visitors to England. The devolved administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have their own sets of quarantine rules.