The UK announced new entry requirements for travellers in a bid to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to avoid bringing the new variant detected in South Africa and Denmark into the country.
Arrivals will need to present a negative COVID-19 test on arrival, something many countries have made mandatory. Failure to produce a negative test will result in a £500 (R10 427) fine. The test will need to be taken within 72 hours before departure.
Currently the rule applies to England, but it is believed that other parts of the UK, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow suit.
Travellers arriving from high-risk countries will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine despite presenting a negative test. After five days, a second COVID-19 test will be administered and if the result is negative, they will be able to leave quarantine.
‘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,’ said Grant Shapps, Britain’s Transport Minister.
Exemptions:
- Children under the age of 11
- Air and boat crews
- Hauliers
- Arrivals from Ireland
- Those arriving from countries that do not have the facilities to deliver tests
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