Shapps: Pre-departure travel tests have outlived their usefulness

Under the current rules in force until Friday, all fully vaccinated travellers over the age of 12 must show proof of a negative lateral flow or PCR test taken in the two days before coming to the UK. Fully vaccinated people must also pay for a PCR test within two days of arrival and self-isolate while waiting for the result.

People who aren’t fully vaccinated must currently take PCR tests on both day two and day eight after arriving, and self-isolate for 10 days.

But under the new rules:

Meanwhile, Downing Street said it would continue to look at what it means to be “fully vaccinated” given what is known about waning immunity. At the moment, “fully vaccinated” refers to people who have had two jabs, but in Scotland the term is now being used to mean those who have had their booster.

Two doses of some vaccines offer almost no protection from an Omicron infection, although they should still greatly reduce the risk of needing hospital care. But a third booster prevents around 75% of people getting any Covid symptoms.

Mr Shapps said the UK had a much higher level of sequencing than any other country in the world, so it was tracking new variants very carefully “regardless of whether it starts here or somewhere else”.

He warned that stricter travel measures could be reintroduced if another variant of concern emerged, and earlier tweeted that the rules would be reviewed by the end of the month.