Changes in travel to England. Applicable to people who have been vaccinated

The change affects people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the UK or in one of the countries in which the UK government recognizes vaccination programmes. There are currently about 100 countries on this list, all of which are from the European Union. Therefore, the change also applies to travelers from Poland.

Express tests must be purchased from a private supplier prior to arrival. This means that Travelers cannot take advantage of the free tests provided by the Public Health Service. A list of the 24 approved suppliers is available on the British government website, and prices for tests start from 19 pounds (equivalent to about 103 zlotys).

At the moment, the change only applies to arrivals in England. In Wales, it will take effect on October 31. The Scottish and Northern Ireland authorities have also announced that they will implement this solution, but have not set any deadline yet.

The test must be taken no later than the second day after your arrival in England. Passengers must take a picture of the result and the order reference number, then send it back to the supplier they asked to check the result received. You can also book a test at one of the points in the airports. If the rapid antigen test shows a positive result for a passenger, the passenger will have to do that type of PCR test In this case it will be available for free.

Unvaccinated people coming from foreign countries from the so-called red list must take two paid PCR tests – on the second and eighth day of their stay. They are also required to remain in home quarantine for 10 days. On the other hand, passengers returning from the red-listed countries must undergo a 10-day quarantine at one of the designated hotels and take two PCR tests, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.

However, the details of the new rules and exceptions to them are still unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that only vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization and US authorities will be accepted. At the moment, the new rules do not apply to people who have been vaccinated with the Russian preparation Sputnik V.