Doubly vaccinated passengers will no longer have to take pre-departure Covid tests in England from 04:00 GMT on Friday, the government has said.

They will also not be required to self-isolate while awaiting test results after arriving in England.

If they arrive after 04:00 GMT on Sunday, people without symptoms will not need a PCR test if a lateral flow test is positive on day two.

The test changes come after travel firms called for them to be removed.

After the emergence of the Omicron variant, the government said all travellers over the age of 12 must show proof of a negative test lateral flow or PCR test taken within two days of setting off for the UK.

Fully vaccinated people are also currently required to pay for a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival, while those who aren’t must take pre-booked PCR tests on both day two and day eight after arriving, and self-isolate for 10 days.

Travellers currently must pay for private tests rather than using free NHS tests.

The prime minister said the pre-departure test “discourages many from travelling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense”.

The announcement comes after airlines said passenger testing was making no real impact, with data last week suggesting one in 25 people in England had the virus.

They also said compulsory testing had held back the sector’s recovery.

Mr. Johnson met his cabinet earlier and alongside changes to travel tests, the government has said it will ease Covid testing rules for people without symptoms, who will no longer need to confirm a positive lateral flow test with a PCR.

That rule change will come into force on 11 January and apply to England only for now.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson said he hoped the country could “ride out” the current wave, although he acknowledged parts of the NHS would feel temporarily overwhelmed.

EasyJet chief executive, Johan Lundgren also welcomed the news, saying it would make travel “much simpler and easier”, as customers could now book and travel with “confidence”.

Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, added that the announcement meant customer demand would be boosted in a “critical booking window” for the industry.

The trade body Airlines UK has argued that continuing the current measures would be financially disastrous for the industry. Travel and tourism businesses have added that the current limits have depressed demand and dented consumer confidence.

Ahead of the test changes, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) sent the government research it commissioned, which it claimed shows that pre-departure testing has had little or no impact on the spread of Omicron.

It said that passenger numbers at MAG’s airports fell by more than 30% after Omicron measures were introduced.

Tim Hawkins, chief of staff at MAG, told the BBC’s Today programme that the research showed there was a “basis for taking out all tests” related to international travel, due to the high number of Covid cases in the UK.

“We are beyond the point where international travel restrictions can play a role in managing that peak and if there is no benefit to it then we shouldn’t be doing it and we should take those measures out,” he added.

Source: bbc.com