How do the England travel rules change today?
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Today is 4th October, which means that the coronavirus travel regulations for England are changing.
If you are fully vaccinated, it is definitely a change for the better.
If you are an adult and not fully vaccinated, it’s not looking too good. When returning to the UK from anywhere outside the Common Travel Area (the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Ireland) you must quarantine for 10 days.
The official details are on gov.uk here and should obviously override anything written below.
These changes only apply to England, remember.
What counts as ‘fully vaccinated’?
There isn’t, unfortunately, a simple answer to this most basic of questions.
If you have been vaccinated in the UK, Europe or US then your vaccination qualifies without exception.
The ONLY other countries whose vaccinations are accepted are Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.
The only qualifying vaccinations allowed from the countries listed above are Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen.
You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England. Mixed vaccinations are accepted from today.
If you were vaccinated in another country or your vaccination was not of an approved type then you are NOT treated as vaccinated under UK law.
With the exception of people vaccinated in the UK, US and EU, you must be able to provide a vaccine certificate which contains five prescribed pieces of information about you and your vaccinations. If you cannot produce this, you are treated as NOT vaccinated.
What about children?
The Government did not originally publish guidance for children, but gov.uk has recently been updated to say:
“The rules for fully vaccinated people will also apply if you are ….. under 18 and resident in the UK or one of the listed countries or territories with approved vaccination programmes”
All childred aged 5-17 will continue to require a ‘Day 2’ PCR test, as do adults.
What changes today (4th October)?
Are you fully vaccinated as per the definition above?
If so:
The ‘Amber List’ is scrapped for arrivals into the UK. The only ‘named’ list will be the ‘Red List’, plus everywhere else.
‘Fit To Fly’ tests are scrapped. You do not need to do a test before boarding your flight back to England.
You will still need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form before returning to the UK.
You will still need to book and pay for a PCR ‘Day 2’ test before returning to the UK. PCR tests are NOT being scrapped today. The reference number must be included on your Passenger Locator Form.
If you arriving from a ‘Red List’ country, you need to follow the guidelines below.
Are you NOT fully vaccinated as per the definition above?
If so:
The ‘Amber List’ is scrapped for arrivals into the UK. The only ‘named’ list will be the ‘Red List’, plus everywhere else.
You will need to take a ‘Fit To Fly’ coronavirus test (this does not need to be a PCR test) in the three days before you return to England.
You will still need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form before returning to the UK.
You will still need to book and pay for a PCR ‘Day 2’ and ‘Day 8’ test before returning to the UK. The reference number must be included on your Passenger Locator Form.
You will still need to quarantine at home or in the place you staying for 10 days. The ‘Test To Release’ scheme will allow you to leave quarantine on Day 5 if you take an additional PCR test
If you arriving from a ‘Red List’ country, you need to follow the guidelines below.
What are the ‘Red List’ rules?
The ‘Red List’ rules apply to everyone, irrespective of vaccination status, arriving from a country on the ‘Red List’.
The countries on the ‘Red List’ can be found here. The countries on this list will be reviewed later this week and many are expected to be removed.
Nothing changes today regarding entry if you have been in a ‘Red List’ country in the 10 days before entering the UK.
If you have transited in a ‘Red List’ country on your way to the UK, you must follow the ‘Red List’ rules. The Government has announced that this rule will be removed but no date has been set.
You will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish national or you have residence rights in the UK.
You will need to take a ‘Fit To Fly’ coronavirus test (this does not need to be a PCR test) in the three days before you return to England.
You will need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form before returning to the UK.
You need to book a 10-day quarantine hotel package, which includes the two necessary tests.
When will PCR tests be dropped for ‘Day 2’ testing?
If you are fully vaccinated as per the definition above, the requirement to take a ‘Day 2’ PCR test will soon be replaced with a ‘Day 2’ lateral flow test.
This will be implemented ‘during October’ but no date has yet been set.
It is not clear what types of lateral flow test will be accepted or whether it must be medically supervised. The test will still need to be purchased in advance and a reference number added to your Passenger Locator Form.
For more information, the official details are on gov.uk here.
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