Covid UK: Double-jabbed fliers should be free to travel WITHOUT tests says Gatwick airport boss – Daily Mail
Airport bosses today called for the testing of returning double-jabbed travellers to be scrapped, as Covid test entry requirements wreaked havoc on arrival lounges across the country.
In a sign that the country is fed up of stringent travel protocols, a quarter of arrivals from amber list countries are now breaking quarantine rules and one in 10 are not taking PCR tests when they’re back in Britain, official data shows.
<p class="…….
Airport bosses today called for the testing of returning double-jabbed travellers to be scrapped, as Covid test entry requirements wreaked havoc on arrival lounges across the country.
In a sign that the country is fed up of stringent travel protocols, a quarter of arrivals from amber list countries are now breaking quarantine rules and one in 10 are not taking PCR tests when they’re back in Britain, official data shows.
The current rules mean even those who have been double jabbed and are flying in from a green-list country must provide proof of a negative Covid test within two days of landing in the UK.
Those arriving from amber countries who have not been double-jabbed must pay for tests on days two and eight, as well as self-isolating for 10 days upon entry to the UK.
Bosses at Gatwick said the rules mean that the UK’s aviation sector is bouncing back much slower than the rest of Europe, and says that comparable data shows the UK is suffering as a result of the requirement.
Meanwhile there was ‘total chaos’ at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester today with queues of passengers snaking through the airports waiting to show their Covid entry papers.
Witnesses said they had ‘never seen anything like it’ and raged that the country is fast becoming an international ‘laughing stock’.
A major survey by the Office for National Statistics suggests that 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July avoided staying at home when they were supposed to.
And nine per cent did not take the PCR tests required in the days after they landed.
There are no routine Government follow-ups to check whether UK arrivals completed a mandatory PCR Covid test within 48 hours of arriving in the country. They are provided by private companies, with some charging more than £100 per test.
But those coming into the UK must provide proof they purchased a test on the passenger locator forms required to get into the UK, which is believed to be what is causing the holdups.
In Heathrow’s case, the delays are thought to be down to the lack of Border Control staff, combined with the delays due to the restriction in place to curb the spread of the virus.
The ONS found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed.
Gatwick says bookings in Europe – where testing regulations are more relaxed – are at 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels while they remain …….
