The government in England is to cut the 14-day quarantine on arrival with the aid of a new testing regime from 15 December.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has given international travellers not on the safe corridor list the option to take a test after five days of self-isolation, with a negative result releasing them from the need to isolate.
The tests must be purchased form a private provider, yet to be confirmed, at a cost of up to £120, with up to 48 hours to get a result.
Under the ‘Test to release for international travel’ strategy, passengers arriving into England by plane, ferry or train should book their test before they travel.
Shapps, said: “We have a plan in place to ensure that our route out of this pandemic is careful and balanced, allowing us to focus on what we can now do to bolster international travel while keeping the public safe.
“Our new testing strategy will allow us to travel more freely, see loved ones and drive international business. By giving people the choice to test on day 5, we are also supporting the travel industry as it continues to rebuild out of the pandemic.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “The aviation industry is vital to our economy – creating jobs and driving growth- which is why we have supported them throughout this crisis through the job retention scheme, loans and tax deferrals.
“This new package of support for airports, alongside a new testing regime for international arrivals, will help the sector take off once again as we build back better from the pandemic.
Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director, said: “Reducing quarantine periods is an important step to boost passenger confidence and get people flying again. And the financial support will be welcomed too, particularly for smaller airports. The UK aviation sector is a source of many skilled jobs and also plays a critical enabling role for trade and investment across the economy.
“Establishing a successful pre-departure testing system must be the next priority, ensuring the UK maintains its hub status for international connectivity and firms have access to the global talent and trade upon which they rely.”
As Shapps was making his announcement IATA revealed that it was in the final development phase of the IATA Travel Pass, a digital health pass that will support the safe reopening of borders.
IATA is calling for systematic COVID-19 testing of all international travellers and the information flow infrastructure needed to enable this must support:
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General & CEO, said: “Today borders are double locked. Testing is the first key to enable international travel without quarantine measures. The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share, and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements. That’s the job of IATA Travel Pass. We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation.”
ATA Travel Pass incorporates four open sourced and interoperable modules, which can be combined for an end-to-end solution:
- Global registry of health requirements – enables passengers to find accurate information on travel, testing, and eventually vaccine requirements for their journey.
- Global registry of testing/vaccination centres – enables passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of their destination.
- Lab App – enables authorised labs and test centres to securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers.
- Contactless Travel App – enables passengers to (1) create a ‘digital passport’, (2) receive test and vaccination certificates and verify that they are sufficient for their itinerary, and (3) share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel. This app can also be used by travellers to manage travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout their journey, improving travel experience.
Insight: The safe reopening of borders has been much yearned for since March and now England is edging towards the possibility of some freedom of movement.
But how much? Factoring in the waiting period for test results, quarantining could be cut to one week, which is, indeed, something. There is no clarity as yet on how easy it will be to get the tests, where they can be acquired or how effective they are. Early rumours suggest that they are the widely-criticised LAMP tests.
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss, said: “The introduction of air passenger testing on day five is a vital first step to reopening the skies in the run-up to Christmas. However, a five-day quarantine is likely to prove a significant deterrent for travellers, especially those on business.”
It’s taken 24 weeks to get to this first step. An acceleration is needed to get to where France and Germany are, with five-minute tests on arrival.