By Emmanuel Adeleke
United Kingdom has scrapped pre-departure COVID-19 tests for inbound travellers, following the recent shake up to COVID-19 restrictions in the country.
The new policy takes effect on Friday, January 7, 2022.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, told the parliament on Wednesday that the requirement to self-isolate on arrival until receipt of a negative PCR test will also be lifted.
According to the Prime Minister, instead of self-isolation, a negative lateral flow test will be acceptable, stressing that the rapid test that has been in use since October 2021 helps to check for COVID-19 infection.
“Research has shown that rapid tests are a reliable test for COVID-19. Unlike the PCR, they give a quick result and do not need to be sent to a lab.
“But the rate of Omicron infections has spiked lately in England, with the country recording 194,747 new cases and 334 further deaths as at noon yesterday.
“The figure for new cases is more than 20,000 below the record figure recorded on Tuesday (218,724), but still the second highest figure on record. But the total number of new cases over the past week is now 40.1 per cent up on the previous week. The equivalent figure on Tuesday was 50.9 per cent,” Johnson said.
