England to Remove Arrival Testing for Vaccinated Travelers

Fully vaccinated travelers to England will soon no longer be required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced. According to a BBC report, Johnson did not specify when the new regulations would go into effect.

Currently, vaccinated travelers entering England have to take a COVID test within two days of arrival; they do not need quarantine while awaiting results. Earlier in January, the country ditched the requirement having fully vaccinated travelers provide proof of a negative PCR test upon arrival.

Unvaccinated travelers will likely have to continue to take a pre-departure test, a PCR test on Day 2 and 8, and self-isolate for 10 days.

Last week, according to VAO News, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that countries lift or ease their existing COVID-19-related travel bans restrictions, noting these could worsen economic and social stress related to the pandemic. The WHO added that travel safety measures, such as masking, testing, isolation/quarantine and vaccination requirements, should be based on risk assessments and should avoid placing an excess financial burden on travelers.

According to The New York Times, COVID-19 cases have begun to fall in North America and Europe, raising hopes that the worst of the Omicron surge might be over. That said, cases continued to rise in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia as the global average of daily infections remain constant at around 3 million, its highest point throughout the entire pandemic. Globally, cases are up 34 percent over a 14-day period, while deaths are up 23 percent.

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