The United Kingdom has decided to suspend all of its travel corridors that allowed travelers to enter England without the need to quarantine.
Now, all travelers arriving in England from outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man are required to self-isolate for 10 days or take a PCR test after five days of quarantine.
England’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that “What we’re doing now is taking steps that are expected to be taken to protect against the new circumstances because the situation now includes a very high rate of domestic infection in the UK combined with a massive vaccination program. At this crucial phase what we can’t have is new variants with unknown qualities coming in from abroad and that’s why we’ve set up a system to stop arrivals from places where there are new concerns.”
These new measures will be upheld very seriously, all travelers to the UK are required to show proof of a negative Coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of departure in order to enter the country. Those who arrive without that this negative test result could face a fine of £500 (around $680).
This decision making came after the UK faced yet another national lockdown during rising cases, sparked by a new coronavirus strain discovered there and believed to be more contagious than previous strains. That strain has since been discovered in several other countries, including in several states in the U.S.
Based on the reports The UK’s lockdown will last until mid-February, at least. In recent weeks, several countries around the world have ceased traveling from and to the UK.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) has now expanded its requirement to demand all international travelers arriving in the U.S. show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.