All travellers to England from international destinations will need to present proof of a negative test result to their carrier before boarding, it has been announced.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that from next week passengers arriving in England by boat, train or plane – including UK nationals returning from work or holiday – will have have proof of a negatives test result taken in the 72 hours before leaving the country of departure.
Mr Shapps said the move was designed to prevent new variants of the disease which have emerged in countries such as South Africa and Denmark. Failure to comply will lead to an immediate £500 fine.
Mr Shapps said: “We already have significant measures in place to prevent imported cases of Covid-19, but with new strains of the virus developing internationally, we must take further precautions.
“Taken together with the existing mandatory self-isolation period for passengers returning from high-risk countries, pre-departure tests will provide a further line of defence – helping us control the virus as we roll out the vaccine at pace over the coming weeks.”
There will some exemptions to the new requirements, for:
- Hauliers
- Children under 11
- Crew
- Those who travelling from countries without the infrastructure available to deliver the tests
- Arrivals from Ireland
