England Requires Vaccine Passports For Indoor Venues
Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, England has implemented a vaccine passport for various indoor venues and large venues. England has also tightened COVID-19 restrictions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the tightening of virus restrictions in England as Omicron variant cases surge, including guidance to work from home and mandatory COVID passports.
The UK has had more than 10 million confirmed cases and nearly 146,000 people have died from the virus, one of the highest tolls in Europe.
Although it’s the first time England has introduced a vaccine passport, it’s less strict compared to other countries.
The passes will be required “for entry into nightclubs and venues where large crowds gather” specifying that this would mean indoor venues where more than 500 people gather unseated. The passes will be required for any venue with more than 10,000 people present, such as sports stadiums.
The British government will not require the vaccine passport for communal worship, wedding ceremonies, funerals, and other commemorative events or protests.
If travellers can’t show proof of full vaccination, they’ll need to provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test. The Prime Minister said the government may update the requirements to include a booster dose.
Boris Johnson said the new measures were part of a “proportionate and responsible” attempt to curb the spread of the new Omicron variant, which is doubling every 2-3 days in the United Kingdom.
England’s New Entry Requirements
The United Kingdom recently changed its entry requirement to include a mandatory pre-departure COVID-19 test, regardless of vaccination status. All travellers over 12 must submit evidence of a negative lateral flow test or PCR test taken within 2 days of departure to the United Kingdom. All arrivals also need to take a PCR COVID test on day 2.
On top of that change, the U.K. has expanded its travel red list. The current list includes Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
As a result, only British and Irish travellers from these nations can fly to the UK, and they’ll have to complete a mandatory quarantine in a government hotel at their own cost.
The United Kingdom will review the changes to the travel restrictions from 20 December.
England joins its European neighbours in increasing travel restrictions and implementing vaccine passports following the emergence of Omicron.
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