UK Living With Covid: Free Testing and Passenger Locator Form To End
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his Living With Covid plan on 21 February which included scrapping self-isolation requirements.
The Prime Minister announced plans to end free testing for the general public from 1 April, saying it was time for people to “get our confidence back”.
Those who test positive for Covid will no longer have to isolate by law from this Thursday and from April will not even be advised to stay at home if infected.
Changes to international travel rules were not included in the plan, which means that those arriving in the UK must still complete a passenger locator form.
The complicated passenger locator form is compulsory for all travellers arriving in the UK. Although testing restrictions for vaccinated travellers have been scrapped, the form is still in place.
However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is reportedly pushing for the UK’s Passenger Locator Form (PLF) to be axed before the Easter holidays.
Mr. Shapps is aiming for the lengthy and complicated health tracking form to be scrapped by the beginning of April to make Easter travels easier and more appealing.
Future of UK Travel
The UK is unlikely to close its borders or impose travel restrictions to limit coronavirus again unless the “very high bar” of a major threat to the NHS is passed, according to the Living with Covid document.
According to the document if any travel restrictions are required it will involve home isolation only.
Following the Prime Minister’s plan, Transport secretary, Grant Shapps, tweeted:
“Now we’ve got on top of Omicron it’s time to live with Covid.
“I understand the huge personal and economic costs of border measures. So we won’t implement emergency measures in response to new Covid variants in extreme circumstances.
“The February 11 relaxation of travel rules was a huge boost for all. We’re now preparing to stand down our quarantine hotels, have simplified the passenger locator form, and will go further.”
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