UK tightens travel rules as omicron Covid variant spreads

Travellers heading to the UK will now have to have a Covid test before their departure in effort to limit spread of the virus, government has announced.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the tightened requirements would come into force from 04:00 on Tuesday.

Travellers will be required to submit evidence of a negative lateral flow or PCR test to enter.
Currently people only need to self-isolate until they test negative within two days of arriving.

Nigeria will also be added from Monday to the red list of countries from where people arriving must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, Mr Javid also confirmed.

The moves come after pressure on the government to tighten the policy had been growing over the course of the week.

Last week the government's scientific advisory body Sage said pre-departure tests for those arriving in the UK would be valuable, in the leaked minutes of a meeting seen by the BBC.

The Labour Party previously criticised the government's current testing policy and called for the reintroduction of pre-departure tests.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS