UK lifted restrictions due to Covid-19: you no longer have to be vaccinated or tested in order to enter

In the last few hours, the Government led by Boris Johnson announced that the United Kingdom will remove all international travel restrictions related to Covid-19 starting at 04:04 hours on Friday, March 18. The news comes and takes effect before the Easter holidays, a date that British tourism will take advantage of along with the new measure.

“The UK is leading the world in lifting all remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions, and today's announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has done to implement the vaccine and protect each other,” said Grant Shapps, British Transport Secretary.

Specifically, from 4 a.m. on Friday, March 18, travelers will no longer be required to use the “passenger location form” and tests for unvaccinated passengers, meaning that they will not have to undergo a PCR test before the trip or after arrival.

“This step reflects the decisions made by the government, as set out in the Living with COVID plan, and the successful launch of vaccines and boosters in the UK, with 86% of the population receiving a second dose and 67% of the population receiving a booster or third dose,” reads the official document.

“We are able to remove these final restrictions thanks to the incredible success of our vaccination programme, which has seen more than 8 out of 10 adults across the UK reinforced,” said Sajid Javid, UK Secretary of Health and Social Care, adding that this does not mean that importance will no longer be given to coronavirus, but will continue to monitor and track the possible emergence of new variants, and that they will maintain a reserve of measures that could be implemented quickly if necessary.

Of course, the measure was highly celebrated by the aero-commercial and tourist sector. Karen Dee, executive director of the UK Airport Operators Association said that the return of unrestricted travel is good news for passengers and that this should allow aviation to take significant steps towards the still ongoing recovery. “People should be encouraged to book their long-awaited vacations, trips to see family and friends abroad they haven't seen in a long time, and trips to rekindle business ties with other countries,” he concluded.

“We are grateful for the timing of the announcement as we prepare to welcome passengers this Easter and summer, for which we know there is a great accumulated demand, and for the UK's leadership in being the first major aviation market to remove all remaining restrictions. Now is the time to return to the skies, to enjoy everything that makes aviation and international travel great, for families and businesses,” said Tim Aldersdale, CEO of Airlines UK.

Undoubtedly, the UK announcement is a milestone since the pandemic began. It is the first major economy in the world to lift all restrictions on international travel after an unknown virus has paralyzed the travel industry and put global tourism in check.

Of course it is a trial, controlled thanks to the high rates of vaccination in the United Kingdom, but it will have to pass the test and prove that it is now possible to live with Covid-19. Based on the results, perhaps more countries in the world will take the example and 2022 will become, now, the year when the world returns to a certain normality.

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