The British Government said on Monday it would scrap these remaining international travel measures this week, noting it was one of the first major economies to do so and making the move a “landmark.”
After nearly two years, Britain has been at the forefront of efforts to end coronavirus pandemic restrictions and shift towards a strategy of living with the virus, relying on vaccines to provide protection.
“These changes may be due to our vaccine rollout,” Grant Shapps, the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, said on Twitter“And mean greater freedom in the time before Easter.”
According to the UK government, about 86 percent of the population has received a second dose of vaccine and 67 percent has received a booster or third dose.
On February 24, the government stopped people legally required in England to self-isolate if they tested positive for the virus; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have set health measures separately, have also moved to ease restrictions. Since then, cases have risen, but deaths have remained stable, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
From 4am on Friday, travelers will no longer need to fill out a passenger locator form with details about their trip and their vaccination status. Those who are not fully vaccinated will no longer be required to undergo testing to enter the country.
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message to the world – Britain’s travel industry is back,” Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, a trade group, said in a statement. “We can now look forward to a return to pre-Covid normalcy.”
Last month, Iceland announced that it would drop coronavirus requirements on its border, regardless of the traveler’s vaccination status. In Ireland, starting on March 6, passengers will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination status or fill out passenger locator form.
Heathrow Airport in London said that from Wednesday, masks would no longer be mandated in airport terminals, train stations and office buildings. Masks are already no longer needed inside England, but the airport said in a statement it still strongly encouraged people to wear them.
British Airways, Britain’s flag carrier, and British airline Virgin Atlantic said they were also reviewing their mask requirements.
From Wednesday, passengers on British Airways flights will only be required to wear masks on board when their destination requires them, Jason Mahoney, British Airways’ chief operating officer, said in a statement.
Corneel Koster, the principal customer and operating officer for Virgin Atlantic, said the airline would also require scrap masks on routes where international mask-wearing regulations don’t apply, starting on flights to the Caribbean from Heathrow and Manchester.
“Customers should have the personal choice of whether to wear a mask on board,” Mr Koster said in a statement, adding that masking would still be required on many of their routes, including those in and out of the United States. at least Apr 18.
