Foreign travellers arriving in the UK from Spain won’t have to quarantine for 14 days if they pay for a coronavirus test after 5 days and the result is negative, according to UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps.
The new measure will take effect from December 15 and test will cost between £65 and £120.
The UK’s ‘safe corridors’ with countries where coronavirus cases are significantly low will continue to operate under the new regulations and passengers arriving from those countries will not have to quarantine.
"This new form of coronavirus testing will allow us to travel more freely, see loved ones and continue with international business," Shapps told the Guardian newspaper. "By giving travellers the opportunity to take the test after five days, we are also supporting the industry as it continues to rebuild after the pandemic.”
Shapps claims that taking a test after five days minimises the risk of a false negative, but he also pointed out that travellers will not be able to have a test on the NHS.
Boris Johnson has confirmed that the confinement measures imposed on November 5 in England will end on December 2 and new 3-tiered regional restrictions will be implemented.