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ALL international passengers entering the UK will be required to show a negative coronavirus test before entering according to the new plans which go into effect next week.
Passengers, including British returning home, will need to undergo an examination up to 72 hours before traveling and show a certificate to enter the country.
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The proof will be verified when they check-in with their airline, train company or ferry before traveling.
Those who refuse will not be allowed to travel.
If someone is smuggled into the UK, they will be subject to a £ 500 fine.
The Sun understands that carriers will also be fined if officials discover that they have not been verifying negative test certificates.
It means that around 100,000 Britons currently in vacation spots like Dubai and the Maldives would have to find evidence of Covid abroad before they can return home.
However, carriers will be exempt from the new rules.
The tough new measures are designed to help stop the spread of mutant variants of the virus, while entry scheme testing has been used in other countries during the pandemic.
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “While inbound testing is vital in helping to reduce infection rates in the UK, many overseas travelers may find it difficult to get the results. of the tests 72 hours before your flight.
“The facilities are not yet designed for the demand.
“We need to see an end date for these restrictions so that consumers don’t delay in booking trips for future trips.”
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We already have important measures in place to prevent imported cases of COVID-19, but with the international development of new strains of the virus we must take more precautions.
“In conjunction with the existing mandatory self-isolation period for passengers returning from high-risk countries, pre-departure testing will provide an additional line of defense, helping us control the virus as we roll out the vaccine at the pace of the next few. weeks. “
Children under the age of 11 will also be exempt from taking a test, as will the crew and those traveling from countries without testing infrastructure.
The new entry test will be run alongside the travel corridor scheme, which means that tests are still required even if passengers are from a country where quarantine is not required.
It comes as England has imposed a travel ban on much of Africa to prevent the spread of a new strain of Covid.
A dozen countries on the continent have had strict travel restrictions, meaning non-British will be barred from entering the UK.
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Transport chiefs have imposed blackout bans due to fears about the new strain found in South Africa last month.
Earlier this week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “very concerned” about the new variant.
And the experts even shared their fears that the new vaccines could be ineffective in the South African strain.
The British and residents will be able to go home, but will have to isolate themselves for ten days when they arrive.
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique and Angola, as well as Seychelles and Mauritius, will be subject to the restrictions, which also apply to travelers who passed through those nations in the last ten days.
South Africa’s travel ban has also been extended for another two weeks when these measures are reviewed.
Not all the usual exemptions will apply, including the “test and release” scheme, and even those who share homes with arrivals will need to ensure they self-isolate.
All new restrictions go into effect at 4 a.m. Saturday.
Unrelated to the new variant, Israel has been removed from the UK’s safe list.
Under the new lockdown rules in England, people are prohibited from traveling abroad unless absolutely necessary for work.
Speaking to ITV earlier this week, Michael Gove hinted at measures on “how we will make sure our ports and airports are safe” will take effect shortly.
He said, “It is already true that there are significant restrictions on people entering this country and of course we are emphasizing that no one should travel abroad.”
It comes as another terrifying mutant variant of Covid, native to the south-east of England, runs through the UK.
Today alone, as the mutant strain spreads across Britain, 1,162 more deaths have been confirmed along with 52,618 new infections.
Boris Johnson revealed plans tonight to defeat the virus with “battle preparation techniques that help us keep up.” The prime minister presented his plan on how to get there.
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A new national reserve service will also be unveiled for people to be vaccinated, and no one will have to travel more than 10 miles to get one, the prime minister added.
Speaking at a press conference tonight, he announced that the general practitioner-run vaccine sites that will provide injections will increase to more than 1,000 by the end of next week, and he promised hundreds of thousands of doses every day.
And he insisted that he “had no doubt” that there would be enough supply to offer a vaccine to all four major vulnerable groups before the February 15 deadline.
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