The British Government has announced that travellers returning to the UK can cut their self-quarantine requirement by more than half from the statutory 14 days if they pay for a coronavirus test from a private company at a cost of £65 to £120 per person.
The rules, which had been talked about for many months and were initially due to begin from 2nd December, will come into force from 15 December and so far have only been confirmed for England.
Two weeks self-quarantine is currently required for arrivals from countries not on the travel corridors list which currently includes virtually all countries with ski resorts. There may also be travel restrictions on arrivals in the destination country.
The new rules mean arrivals can pay for a private coronavirus test after five days of self-isolation after returning from abroad. If the test result – usually delivered in 24-48 hours – comes back negative they no longer need to self-isolate.
The travel industry has broadly welcome the move but continues to ask for a more efficient regime of pre-departure, faster and cheaper testing to all but remove the need for any period of self-quarantine at all, they argue.
