Non-vaccinated to self-isolate for ten days even if returning from low-risk country under new Covid travel rules

People who are not vaccinated will have to self-isolate for 10 days, even if returning from a low-risk county, under new Covid travel rules.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced new changes on international travel as the government prepares to scrap protocols introduced during the pandemic.

Amongst them, is the requirement for the unvaccinated to self-isolate for 10 days, no matter where they have flown from, as well as taking PCR tests before departure, on day two and day eight after their arrival.

At the same time, fully-vaccinated travellers will not be required to take a pre-departure test, and only have to take a lateral flow test on day two after their return to the UK.

Mr Shapps tweeted: “From Mon 4 Oct, if you’re fully vax you won’t need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red country and from later in Oct, will be able to replace the day 2 PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow.”

Currently, those who have received both doses of the Covid vaccine must take a PCR test, but are not required to self-isolate if arriving from a green-list country.

Following mounting pressure from the travel and tourism industry the traffic light system will be scrapped and replaced with a new simplified system of a single red list, which will include a smaller number of destinations.

The prime minister’s official spokesman, asked whether the changes are likely to be permanent, said: "I think it would be wrong to rule out anything in the future but it is important to note that we continue to make steady progress to ease restrictions, and that is very much the intention of the approach we will be taking."

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