The Covid traveller testing system could be ditched for fully vaccinated holidaymakers as soon as Monday.
Ministers will likely abandon the rapid lateral flow testing that double-jabbed arrivals must pass by day 2 when they discuss the rules.
A simplified version of the online passenger locator application that holidaymakers have to complete before they travel to the UK is also available.
Although the form must be completed within 48 hours after arriving in Britain, passengers complain that it’s cumbersome and asks irrelevant questions such as when returning citizens will stay.
When ministers discuss the rules, it is expected that the rapid flow test for lateral flow double-jabbed arriving passengers must pass within day 2.
A meeting of the Cabinet’s ‘Covid O’ committee will also discuss whether ‘fully vaccinated’ status for travellers should mean having two or three jabs.
It is believed that ministers will keep it at two for the spring.
Double-jabbed travelers could be subject to tests again, and those who have a booster will not need to take any additional precautions.
However, destination countries may still require testing.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, is believed to have pushed for all tests being removed for fully-vaccinated people.
After the government scrapped the pre-return test and the costly post-arrival PCR swabs, the industry would see a boost from the removal of the day two testing.
The current situation is that double-jabbed Britons returning to the UK must pass one quick lateral flow test within two days. A confirmatory test by PCR must be taken if the results are confirmed.
Travellers who are not vaccinated will continue to be subject to self-isolation and multiple testing. New scientific research has shown that travel testing does not prevent the spread of Covid variants imported into the country.
After the government scrapping pre-return test and high-priced post-arrival PCR swabs, the industry would see a boost from the removal of the day two testing. The above photo shows a beach at Bodrum in Turkey.
According to Oxera (an analytics company) and Edge Health, Oxera is a specialist consultancy in research and analysis. The results of the study found that curbs cannot delay the peaking of new strains by anywhere from two to eight days.
The UK took 16 days to react to the Omicron variant.
To support scrapping testing, the Ministry of Finance received research funded by Airlines UK and Manchester Airports Group.
Airlines UK boss Tim Alderslade said: ‘Testing restrictions for the fully vaccinated make no sense at all given the delay in governments being able to detect and act on the arrival of a new variant, as we saw with Omicron.’
He added: ‘This is something the World Health Organisation themselves have admitted. Not only do they fail to suppress the international spread of variants, they place a disproportionate burden on the travel sector and those that rely on the connectivity that aviation provides.’
He added: ‘We need to be smarter in how we deal with future variants rather than resorting to blanket but wholly ineffective measures. Otherwise, we will never be able to truly say that we are “living with Covid”.’
Ben Bradshaw, a member of the Commons transport committee, said: ‘It’s high time the Government scrapped all testing requirements for vaccinated travellers.
‘These have had minimal or zero effect in controlling the virus but have done untold damage to our travel industry and caused huge problems for the public.
‘There is also little point in retaining the passenger locator form – a quick check of vaccine status at departure should suffice.’