The axing of Covid travel tests will help the holiday industry get back to normal, according to the founder of a Nottinghamshire travel agency.
From 4am on February 11 people who travel to England and qualify as fully vaccinated will not need to take a COVID-19 test before or after they arrive.
Visitors entering the country will no longer need to self-isolate after their arrival into the country.
These change in rulings have been welcomed by the travel industry, as they had been struggling with the continuous changes in the rules given out by the UK government since last year.
Leo Ford, founder of West Bridgford-based Just Journey, felt worried over the Christmas period as Omicron cases were first reported because people started rethinking their holidays, but now sees the new rules way back to normality.
He said: “This definitely helps giving us a boost.
“I believe it will especially improve travelling for the short term.
“We had a lot of people come to us for holidays in the long term, like Christmas.
“But now we think this will increase the amount of people booking holidays for the short term, like Easter.”
He added: “Lack of testing gives more confidence in travel.
“We are hoping to get back to normality soon.
“Kneejerk reactions [to new variants] are a problem, especially if the government brings testing back.”
He also mentions that he believes the travel industry does not increase any danger to the situation, because the virus is already in circulation in the country – 74,799 COVID-19 cases were reported in the UK yesterday.
The new rules will also change for not fully vaccinated travellers, as they will no longer need to take a day eight test after they arrive in England and they will not need to self-isolate – unless the result of their PCR test is positive.
Unvaccinated travellers will still need to take a pre-departure test in the two days before travelling to England and a day two test after they arrive.
Both fully vaccinated and not fully vaccinated visitors will still need to complete a passenger locator form before arriving to England.
Visitors arriving before the date and time when the new rules come into effect must continue to follow the current rules, which can be found on the Government’s website.
