Pre-departure Covid tests for travellers to England scrapped

Boris Johnson has announced a shake-up of the Covid-19 testing regime in England, in what he said was an effort to “ensure our testing capacity reaches those who need it most”.

People travelling to England, with effect from Friday at 4am, will no longer need to take a test before departure, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as infection rates, driven by the Omicron variant, continued to rise across the UK.

“We will be scrapping the pre-departure test, which discourages many from travelling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expenses,” he told MPs.

“We will also be lifting the requirement to self-isolate on arrival until received a negative PCR, returning instead to the system we had in October last year where those arriving in England will need to take a lateral flow test no later than the end of day two and if positive, a further PCR test,” Johnson added.

The government also confirmed that coronavirus testing rules in England will be eased from January 11, amid intensifying concerns over the country’s testing capacity.

Under changes announced by the UK Health Security Agency on Wednesday, individuals who are asymptomatic and who test positive using a lateral flow device will be expected to report their result and self-isolate but will not be advised to take a follow-up PCR test.

A health official told the Financial Times that the move would free up “extra testing capacity” as the PCR testing system comes under pressure from soaring infection rates.

Official data from the Office for National Statistics published on Wednesday found that an estimated 3.7m Britons were infected with Covid-19 at the end of December, the highest number of weekly infections recorded throughout the pandemic.

One in 15 people in England had coronavirus in the week to December 31. The equivalent figure was one in 20 people in Wales and Scotland, while in Northern Ireland it was one in 25 people.

Meanwhile, infections in the week ending December 31 were up about 60 per cent from 2.3m cases a week earlier.

The UKHSA said the latest changes to testing reflected the high prevalence of coronavirus, alongside the “very high accuracy” of lateral flow devices.

“While cases of Covid continue to rise, this tried-and-tested approach means that LFDs can be used confidently to indicate Covid-19 infection without the need for PCR confirmation,” said Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive at the UKHSA.

The government last month reduced the self-isolation period in England from 10 to seven days for people who have been jabbed. Unvaccinated individuals, however, are still required to isolate for 10 days after testing positive or coming into contact with people who have.

Johnson has conceded that public services are likely to be “disrupted by staff absences” linked to coronavirus but argued that the government was acting to protect critical national services and to keep supply chains open.

From January 10, 100,000 critical workers in sectors such as food processing and transport would have increased access to lateral flow tests, while relevant organisations would be sent testing kits directly, Johnson said.

In a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Johnson reiterated the need to stick to Plan B measures within England, which include the use of Covid-19 certificates, stay-at-home guidance and strengthened mask-wearing within certain settings.