Pre-departure tests for travellers arriving in England are being scrapped and the Day 2 PCR test will be replaced by a lateral flow, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed.
In a statement to the Commons, he said the requirement to self-isolate on arrival is also being lifted. The pre-departure test will be scrapped for arrivals entering England from 4am on Friday 7 January, a month after it was reintroduced.
Day 2 PCRs will be replaced by lateral flows on 9 January.
Arrivals must still take a PCR test if the Day 2 lateral flow test is positive.
Mr Johnson said: “When the Omicron variant was first identified we rightly introduced travel restrictions to slow its arrival in our country. But now Omicron is so prevalent these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases while continuing to pose significant cost on our travel industry.”
Henry Smith, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation said the step ‘must mark a concerted start of the recovery of our aviation, travel and tourism industries, along with the millions of jobs they support’.
He added: “It is now essential that the Goverments works with industry to agree and implement a long-term plan which can help these vital industries begin their road to recovery.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to make announcements on their plans soon.
