UK set to discontinue compulsory 10-day quarantine rule

After months of controlled border entry rules, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has decided to include more countries in the quarantine-free travel list.

Fully vaccinated travellers from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and a few more will now be allowed to enter and roam around the UK without having to quarantine. Till now, travellers had to first quarantine themselves for 10 days in government-designated hotels.

However, with the new changes, travellers coming to the country in the later half of October will not have to quarantine for 10 days.

Also read | India, UK in talks for early resolution on Covid travel rules row

Johnson is set to announce changes on Thursday. These new and relaxed rules are expected to bring in more travellers and give a much-needed boost to the tourism industry of the UK.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the early months of 2019, the UK has been strict about quarantine rules for incoming travellers, especially for the ‘red list’ countries. While people co-operated in the beginning, the policies and quarantine costs were criticised recently.

The hotel quarantine cost in the UK for the travellers coming from high-risk countries is nearly £2,285 per adult. This has adversely affected the number of travellers entering the country and has brought a downward spiral for the tourism industry.

Also read | 'Bring a friend, get rewarded': Swiss nationals to get gifts for bringing friends for Covid jabs

However, now the government is also planning to completely scrap the ‘amber list’ for medium-risk countries and instead allow all fully-vaccinated to enter the country by taking a Covid test.

In addition to this, all travellers coming to the UK from non-red list countries will not have to take two Covid PCR tests. They will now be given the option to skip the PCR test usually taken two days after the arrival and can opt for cheaper lateral flow test.