Covid-19 travel restrictions to be removed - Here’s when and what it means for travellers
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This means, from 4am on the 18 March, anyone entering the UK will not need to take tests or complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF).
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Also, remaining managed hotel quarantine capacity will be fully stood down from the end of March, putting the UK as one of the first major economies to end all Covid-19 international travel rules.
The government said it will remove the remaining restrictions on international travel for all passengers ahead of the Easter holidays.
It has been described as a “landmark moment” for passengers, as well as the travel and aviation sector.
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Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, stated: “The UK is leading the world in removing all remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions, and this announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other.
“I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today - providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the travel sector and partners around the world to keep international travel moving.”
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Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, added: “As we learn to live with Covid, we’re taking further steps to open up international travel once again ahead of the Easter holidays.
“We will continue monitoring and tracking potential new variants, and keep a reserve of measures which can be rapidly deployed if needed to keep us safe.
“We can remove these final restrictions thanks to the incredible success of our vaccination programme which has seen more than eight out of 10 adults across the UK boosted.”
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To ensure the protection of public health, the government will maintain a range of contingency measures in reserve, which, should the need arise, would enable it to take swift and proportionate action to delay any future harmful variants of Covid-19 entering the UK.
In future, the government’s default approach will be to use the least stringent measures, if appropriate, to minimise the impact on travel as far as possible – given the high personal, economic and international costs border measures can have – and the contingency measures will only be implemented in extreme circumstances.
Given the current state of the pandemic and a move towards global travel volumes returning to normal, the remaining managed hotel quarantine capacity will be fully stood down from the end of March.
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CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, Steve Heapy, has welcomed the move.
He said: “Two years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this announcement marks international travel finally returning to normal.
“The removal of passenger locator forms and testing regimes means that customers can at long last enjoy hassle-free travel, just like they did before the pandemic.
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“With Easter just around the corner and summer fast approaching, this announcement comes at the perfect time.
“Since restrictions started to be eased at the beginning of the year, we have experienced strong, sustained demand and the complete removal of forms and requirements will boost that demand even further.”
Additionally, the UKHSA will continue to closely monitor the prevalence and spread of harmful variants and keep international data under review.
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While there will be no border health measures on arrival in the UK from 18 March, other countries are at different stages in the pandemic and many still require passengers to comply with requirements.
Travellers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice to keep up to date with other countries’ entry requirements.
Passengers are also encouraged to carefully check booking conditions for flexibility in amending bookings prior to buying tickets.
People will continue to be able to access their vaccine and recovery records through the NHS Covid Pass to use when travelling overseas.
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