International Arrivals To UK Will Need To Take Pre-Departure Covid Test

By Salam Batha

To combat the new Omicron type, all overseas immigrants to the UK will be obliged to do a pre-departure Covid-19 test, the health secretary has stated. Sajid Javid stated that the new rules would take effect at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, December 7.

To enter, travelers must provide proof of a negative lateral flow or PCR test, which must have been taken no more than 48 hours before the departure time. People are only required to self-isolate for two days after arriving if they test negative.

The Scottish and Welsh administrations have also indicated that foreign visitors coming to Scotland and Wales would be required to take a pre-departure Covid test. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged that the guidelines were meant to apply to all devolved states.