Pre-arrival tests and travel isolation to end in England

Pre-departure travel Covid tests to enter England from overseas will not be needed anymore from 7 January, the UK government has announced. 

Eligible fully vaccinated travelers and children under the age of 18 will no longer have to take a pre-departure test or self-isolate on arrival in England - returning to the travel rules that were in place before Omicron from 9 January, the UK government said announced through a press release. 

Instead, just one lateral flow test will be needed after arrival - with no isolation while waiting for a result.

Anyone who receives a positive result on their lateral flow test must self-isolate immediately and order an NHS PCR test from the government official.

Positive PCR tests for arrivals will be sequenced to understand if and where variants are emerging around the globe in order to protect the UK public.

People in England with a positive lateral flow test but no symptoms will no longer have to take a PCR from 11 January. 

England's current Plan B rules will continue for now, UK PM Boris Johnson has confirmed. In an update to the UK parliament, Johnson said the Covid measures will be reviewed again by 26 January.

The rules cannot be scrapped completely because hospital admissions are rising rapidly, he added.

Under England's Plan B measures, people are told to continue working from home wherever they can, wear face coverings on public transport and in public places, and show their Covid status to get into nightclubs and large events.