Britons abroad face a race to get home before rules requiring international travellers to test negative for coronavirus prior to arriving in England come into force – and the UK Government has not yet released full guidance on which tests they will accept.
From 4am this Friday, those arriving by boat, train or plane – including UK nationals – will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of departure.
But there is still confusion over which tests will be accepted, with the latest UK Government guidance issued yesterday referring to how lateral flow tests might be allowed ‘in some cases’ – and saying further advice will be issued to passengers.
Passengers at London Heathrow Airport last week. Rules requiring international travellers to test negative for coronavirus before arriving in England come into force this Friday
Lateral flow tests are cheaper and give results in 30 minutes, while the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests take up to three days to identify positive cases.
Britons will need to present proof of a negative test result to their carrier on boarding while the UK Border Force will conduct spot checks on arrivals.
Conservative MP Henry Smith, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on aviation, said he welcomed the test requirement for every passenger coming into the UK, pointing out that he had suggested it in the Commons as long ago as last January.
But the MP, whose constituency includes Gatwick Airport, told MailOnline: ‘It has been a long time in the gestation and it is not completely clear as to how it all works.
‘It does seem to be taking an extremely long time to pin down something that a lot of other countries have been doing for many months now. This shouldn’t take as long as it has.
‘All of this is complex, but it is relatively straightforward in terms of asking people to take certain types of test. I don’t see what the delay is in terms of being clear about that is.’
The latest guidance released by the Department for Transport yesterday stated: ‘We will establish the standards that tests must meet in regulations.
‘This will include that the test must be of a diagnostic-standard test such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and could in some cases include LAMP and lateral flow tests within set limits.
‘We will provide clear guidance and advice to passengers regarding testing standards and capacity.’
New arrivals who flout the rules will face a minimum £500 fine, while the operator who transported them will also be fined.
Passengers will still have to quarantine for 10 days regardless of their test results, transport minister Robert Courts said in a statement.
A UK Border sign welcomes passengers on arrival at London Heathrow Airport last month
British nationals attempting to return home who test positive must not travel and must follow the local guidance in their host country, and contact the nearest consulate if they need support.
‘If a passenger arrives in England without a pre-departure negative test result they will be fined,’ Mr Courts said.
‘We will amend the International Travel Regulations so that fines, starting at £500, can be levied on non-compliant passengers.’
Travellers must take an internationally approved test, and Mr Courts said guidance on what was acceptable would be made available to passengers and carriers.
‘We will keep test standards and innovative testing technologies under review,’ he said.
The new rules apply to almost every country in the world, including those on England’s travel corridor list, and further compliance checks are due to be conducted by Border Force staff.
Passengers travelling to England from other UK countries, as well as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, will not be covered by the new regulations.
Children under 11 travelling from any country are also exempt from pre-departure testing.
The DfT said there would also be a limited number of exemptions for people like hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew to allow the free flow of freight.
Travellers from three overseas territories – St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands – will be exempt due to lack of testing infrastructure.
Passengers from Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Barbados will be exempt until 4am on January 21, again due to lack of testing infrastructure in those countries.
Mr Courts said: ‘Measures are likely to be in place until the end of the current lockdown, although a review will take place before the end of that period.’
He added: ‘With the addition of pre-departure testing requirements, our already robust system to protect against imported cases of coronavirus is further strengthened and will provide the greatest overall protection against the risk of transmission during travel to England and after arrival.’
Other countries in the UK are expected to announce their own plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.
Tourist trying to get back to Britain is stranded in the Maldives having spent 14 days in isolation after getting Covid on a diving trip
Kathrin Schuler, pictured with her partner Roger Kuhn, is stranded in the Maldives
A tourist trying to get back to Britain from the Maldives is stranded having already spent 14 days in isolation after getting infected with coronavirus on a diving safari.
Kathrin Schuler, a software engineer for Google in London, had travelled to the country before tier four restrictions came into place.
But due to a positive Covid-19 case on a diving safari, the group all got infected with Covid-19 and had to spend a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a government facility.
Ms Schuler, who is originally from Switzerland but now lives in Canary Wharf, told MailOnline: ‘After completing our 14 days, in line with Maldivian restrictions, we will be allowed to leave and go home.
‘However, it is very unlikely that we will test negative in a new PCR test since Covid-19 cases can test positive for a long time despite no longer being infectious.
‘There is no guidance published yet if our quarantine release paper will be enough to get us home – it is, for example to get back into Dubai, after testing positive so currently, it looks like we will be stuck indefinitely, or until all of us test negative.
‘We are weighing our options. The statutory instrument has not been published yet so we are hoping there will be something in the fine print to allow people who have tested positive and have completed their mandatory quarantine back into the country without a negative PCR test.
‘If that is not the case we are, for better or for worse stuck here until we test negative, which can be months in the worst case. We have reached out to the Department for Transport in the UK but have not heard back as of yet.’
She said one option she was considering was flying to another European country that does not currently require a negative test or lets people in with quarantine letters – and stay there until she tests negative.
Ms Schuler added: ‘This could be an option, considering it might be cheaper than the Maldives and have better infrastructure.
‘However, none of us have packed any warm clothes, plus we would then be subject to that country’s regulations/border closures/quarantine measures/etc.’