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England has joined a growing number of nations in scrapping ALL entry restrictions today.
British Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, tweeted: “All remaining Covid travel measures, including the Passenger Locator Form and tests for all arrivals, will be stood down for travel to the UK from 4 am on 18 March,”
“These changes are possible due to our vaccine rollout and mean greater freedom in time for Easter.”
England will join the following nations in ending all COVID-19 travel restrictions:
The Previous Entry Requirements
Previously, all travelers—regardless of vaccination status—had to complete a Passenger Locator Form 3 days before arriving in England.
In addition, all unvaccinated travelers had to take a COVID-19 test 2 days before traveling to England, book and pay for a PCR test to be taken after arriving, in addition to completing a Passenger Locator Form 3 days before arrival.
These restrictions are now finished when entering England as of March 18, 2022.
From 4 am GMT on March 18, all travelers, including unvaccinated travelers, no longer need to:
- Take any tests
- Complete the Passenger Locator Form
- Quarantine upon arrival
As a result, England is back to pre-pandemic normality. Visiting London, or any other popular English cities—such as Manchester, Oxford, Liverpool, and York—is without any COVID-19 stress.
Furthermore, England has completely scrapped all internal COVID-19 restrictions; this includes the legal requirement to self isolate if someone tests positive for COVID-19, the legal requirement to wear masks, and all government restrictions on social distancing, curfews, and gatherings.
The chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, Tim Alderslade, stated: “Today's announcement sends a clear message to the world – the UK travel sector is back.
“With travelers returning to the UK no longer burdened by unnecessary forms and testing requirements, we can now look forward to the return to pre-Covid normality throughout the travel experience.”
A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said: “The removal of all remaining UK travel restrictions is the final important step towards frictionless air travel, helping to further restore consumer confidence as we welcome more customers back to the skies this spring and summer.
“To uphold the experience of all travelers, it's vital that the UK Government works closely with industry to ensure the UK border is ready for increasing passengers, as international travel ramps up.”
But What About The Rest Of The U.K?
Devolved power between the four nations of the United Kingdom—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—means different restrictions in different nations, similarly to different restrictions in different U.S. states.
Scotland and Wales are yet to remove all travel restrictions. Reports suggest both countries are still deciding upon whether to scrap all travel restrictions like England.
We will update you as soon as we know!
British Airways Scraps Masks On Flights
If the thought of visiting England excites you now all restrictions are over, you may fancy taking a flight to London from North America via British Airways.
If so, you’ll be happy to note British Airways has ended requirements to wear masks on most flights starting March 16th. They’re the biggest airliner yet to end the mask mandate.
The move comes after British airliners Jet2 and TUI Airways removed their mask mandates last week. In the United States, however, the TSA still mandates face masks on public transport until next month.
British Airways chief operating officer said to staff: “The legal requirement to wear a face-covering has been removed in England and Wales, and for the past few weeks we’ve been considering our position, considering the complexity of our operation,”
Traveling to the United Kingdom is edging closer to complete pre-pandemic normality.
Read More:
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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
covidvaxinfo
Monday 14th of March 2022
Doesn't UK include Scotland & Wales?
In the linked BBC article it does note WALES is going along "reluctantly." [whatever!]
Got a trip to UK planned for later this year (before winter inevitable spike).
MF
Monday 14th of March 2022
Great news! First big player to do this. Other countries will soon drop restrictions in lock-step.