The government has finally attempted to crack down on the problem of people bringing Covid back into the UK, a mere 11 months after the pandemic began. The transport minister Grant Shapps has announced that from Monday, for the first time, travellers will be required to present a negative Covid test at the border, to ensure new variants aren’t brought into the country.
The rules will apply equally to British and foreign nationals, which means holidaymakers will be forced to seek out a Covid test abroad before they return to the UK.
But has Shapps missed a trick when it comes to the new testing regime? According to the rules, travellers will have to present a negative Covid test which has been taken 3 days before they arrive at the border.
But what happens if you go on a three- or two-day break? From Mr Steerpike’s reading of the guidance, there is nothing to stop a traveller being tested in the UK, travelling for a weekend break, and then returning to the country using the negative result they obtained in England less than three days earlier. Which means anyone on a short break doesn’t really need to provide a negative Covid test abroad at all. Anyone travelling to Belgium, for example, could pick up a test on Friday morning, travel to Brussels, and return by Monday morning without a need for another test.
While this may cut down on some of the bureaucracy currently involved with travelling, Mr S suspects that this isn’t exactly what those pushing for tougher border controls had in mind. Could it possibly be that Mr Shapps’ new travel rules weren’t properly thought through?
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