Omicron spread: What are the latest travel restrictions in the UK?
It’s the very beginning of winter which implies the holidays are marked on the calendar this month. Holidays usually mean travel. From traveling home to far, far away from home, the holidays are a heavy travel season. But then the pandemic came, maybe creeping along. Perhaps, you looked back at 2009, when H1N1 (also known as swine flu) lived in the headlines.
Many of us didn’t think much of COVID-19 when it was new to the news. Chances are, you thought something along the lines of, “There’s always some bug going around.” Then the talks about cities, even states shutting down, numbers of rising cases and mask mandates. Was there any of that in 2009?
Perhaps your travel plans include England? It’s important to learn what you must do before you travel to England and after you arrive. But first and foremost, what you’ll have to do depends on whether you qualify as fully vaccinated under the rules and regulations for traveling to England. Join us while we explore the travel restrictions for the U.K.
Fully vaccinated
Following the U.K. travel restrictions while fully vaccinated, means doing the following before you go to England.
Take a COVID-19 test which is supposed to be taken amid the two days before you travel to the United Kingdom. You’ll have to book and pay for a COVID-19 PCR test which is to be taken following your arrival in the U.K. And you’ll have to fill out a passenger locator form which will have to be completed in the forty-eight hours before you come to England.
If you plan to stay in England for less than two days, you’ll still be required to book and pay for a day two COVID-19 test. You must quarantine yourself until you receive a negative test result, or until you depart from the U.K., whichever is sooner. Once you arrive in the country, you’ll have to take a COVID PCR test which is the test you booked before travel.
You could take the test anytime after you arrive and prior to the end of day two at the latest. The day you arrive is day zero. You’ll have to quarantine in your home or hotel while waiting for the test results. If the results are negative, go ahead and end your quarantine.
With a positive test result, you’ll have to stay isolated for ten full days. If the test result comes back unclear, you’ll still have to be isolated for ten days or take another private test. If the private test is negative, go sightseeing if you’d like! If the test is delayed, you’ll have to quarantine until you receive the negative result or until day fourteen after arrival, whichever comes first.
Unvaccinated
If you have not gotten the vaccine or are unable to prove the status, you’ll still be able to travel to the U.K. Following their travel restrictions will mean taking the COVID test two days before your trip. Book and pay for the two-day and day-eight PCR tests to be taken after arriving in England. Complete your passenger locator form within forty-eight hours before you arrive in England.
Once you arrive, stay at the hotel or home for ten days. Take the PCR test again. You must book your tests before you travel. Take the first test on or before day two and the second test on or after day eight. If you’re in England for less than ten days, you’ll have to quarantine for the time you’re there. You’ll have to book day two and day eight PCR tests. You’ll only have to take the tests if you’re still in England on those days.
If the test comes back positive, stay quarantined for ten days. Remember, the day you took the test is day zero. You won’t have to take the day eight test if your day two test is positive. If your day two test is negative, you must take your day eight test. If the day eight test is positive, self-isolate for ten full days.
If your day two test is negative, you must continue your quarantine. You’ll have to take your day eight test on or after day eight. If the day eight test is negative, go have fun outside if you’d like.
