Norfolk travel agency "shocked" at speed of changes to the travel rules
Travel agency ‘shocked’ over quick restriction turnaround as government tries to tackle Omicron variant
New travel restrictions have come into force to tackle the spread of the Omicron covid-19 variant.
From Tuesday 7th December, all passengers coming into England will need to show proof of a negative Covid test at the airport.
The rule applies to all travellers regardless of vaccination status.
Travel rules have tightened significantly over the past week in an effort to suppress the spread of Omicron, which was first identified in South Africa.
Ministers announced last week that all arriving passengers need to take a PCR test within two days of arrival and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
Tests must be taken no more than 48 hours before the departure time, and private PCR or lateral flow tests from pharmacies are accepted
In addition, Nigeria has become the 11th African country to be added to the ‘red list’ of countries.
People arriving from those countries must quarantine for 10 days in a government-approved hotel.
The travel industry reacted with dismay to the new testing rules.
Vicky Samwell, Manager at Oyster Travel Norwich, was in Tenerife when the mandatory day-2 PCR test was announced just two days before her flight back.
Although she had already booked antigen tests for her return home, she was forced to make arrangements for PCR tests.
Vicky said the short notice by the government was ‘shocking’.
‘I think they’ve just moved a bit too quickly given that there isn’t a lot of science or evidence to suggest that they needed to do that right now.
‘It’s just really frustrating for the travel industry. Really frustrating.’
She recalls the Transport Secretary saying he would not introduce pre-departure tests because he knew of the dramatic effect it would have on the travel industry. Then forty-eight hours later, they went ahead.
‘The travel industry haven’t received any tailored support throughout the whole pandemic. We obviously had the furlough scheme, as did everybody else, but the travel industry, in my view, is one of the worst affected sectors.
‘The rules that they implement basically affect us straight away. Literally within minutes.’