Fully vaccinated people traveling to England and Scotland from the United States and much of Europe can now skip the 10-day quarantine, but fully vaccinated Canadian travelers to England are not exempt from quarantining upon entry.
The British government and Scottish government announced the change Wednesday morning, to take effect on August 2. Passengers arriving after 4am on the 2nd will not be required to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated with vaccines approved by the EMA and the FDA.
The news release from the U.K. government specifies that travelers arriving from countries ranked as Amber Countries will qualify if they received their vaccinations in the United States or in Europe, but will be required to complete a pre-departure test before arriving in England, and a PCR test within two days after arrival.Those vaccinated in the United States will also need to provide proof of residency in the United States. The release also specified that additional rules would also apply to those arriving in England from France.
Notably, travelers vaccinated in Canada are not exempt from the quarantine requirements that U.S.- or E.U.-vaccinated individuals have had waived. A spokesperson for the U.K. Department for Transport confirmed in a statement issued to the CBC that Canada was not exempt from these travel restrictions, but no reason was given as to why the change does not apply to Canadians. This means Canadians will still have to quarantine for 10 days wherever they plan on staying in England or Scotland, and take a COVID-19 test after the 8th day of their quarantine in addition to the requirements mentioned above.
Wales and Northern Ireland, the other two countries comprising the United Kingdom, have not changed their international travel restrictions.
“We’ve taken great strides on our journey to reopen international travel and today is another important step forward,” said English Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in the news release. “Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade – this is progress we can all enjoy.”
Scottish energy and transport secretary Michael Matheson said the step was made possible due to the success of vaccination programmes in Scotland as well as in the United States and across Europe.
Published by HOLR Magazine