The United Kingdom (UK) will remain open for travel with all the restrictions removed for eligible vaccinated arrivals effective from February 11.
From 4am on February 11, all the testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals, with only a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) now required.
Arrivals who are not recognised as fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day 2 after they arrive in the UK.
Children aged 12-15 in England will be able to prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection via a digital NHS COVID Pass from 3 February for outbound travel.
Travel changes come in ahead of February half term, and follow the success of the booster programme.
All testing measures for eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK will be removed, as the UK government goes one step further to reopen the travel sector.
The changes announced on January 24 mean that the UK has one of the most free-flowing borders across Europe in addition to having the most open economy and society.
The simplification of travel rules comes just before half term, providing welcome news for families looking to travel abroad during the school holidays, as well as an extra boost for the tourism industry.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said they made the right calls at the right time and thanked their vaccine and booster rollout it’s paying off – allowing them to safely remove nearly all Covid-19 travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers.
“We already have one of the most open economies in Europe with the least restrictions, and because of the changes today we now have a travel sector to match it.”
UK Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said they have entered a new chapter in their fight against Covid-19 and they are taking a balanced approach as they learn to live with the virus.
Source: United News of Bangladesh