PM: Covid-19 tests for fully vaccinated in England to end

All Covid testing requirements for vaccinated travellers arriving into England are to be scrapped, the government has confirmed.

The ‘day two’ lateral flow test that double-jabbed arrivals must currently undertake will no longer be necessary, according to the prime minister.

“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,” Boris Johnson said.

“Thanks to the tough decisions, I think people will agree we got the big calls right… we are now moving through the Omicron wave. So what we’re doing on travel to show this country is open for business, people arriving no longer have to take tests if they’ve been double vaccinated.”

The move means that fully vaccinated travellers will be able to enter the country without any need to test before or after their journey.

The date from when the new rules will take effect has yet to be announced.

International travel restrictions have been gradually eased in the UK over the past month, following a tightening of the rules at the end of last year in response to the Omicron variant.

Pre-departure tests have already been dropped for vaccinated travellers, as has the need to take a PCR test – rather than the cheaper lateral flow – within two days of arrival into the country and quarantine until a negative result is received.