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ARCHIVED - Travellers to the UK can halve quarantine by paying for a covid test
At the moment anyone travelling from Spain to the UK must quarantine
The latest set of announcements from Boris Johnson has done little to clear the air about whether travellers will be able to once again take a winter holiday break when the UK lockdown ends on 2nd December.
Those attempting to travel to Spain have faced months of endless disruption, with travel restrictions, quarantines, lockdowns and multiple flight cancellations, but it looks as though those hoping to get to Spain for a seasonal holiday may be disappointed.
No details have yet been released about whether the UK will drop its travel ban for residents wishing to travel abroad, although it has been announced that those arriving in England from abroad will be soon able to reduce their quarantine by more than half, if they pay for a Covid test after five days, according to the transport secretary.
These new rules will come into force from 15th December onwards, allowing the public to contract a private test at between £65 and £120 a time, if they wish to reduce their quarantine time. It’s an option for some, but will add quite a sizeable chunk of revenue to the cost of a family holiday.
Passengers who arrive from a foreign destination not on the government's travel corridors list will still need to enter self-isolation, but can pay for a test after five days, and if it comes back negative, they will no longer need to self-isolate.
Results will normally be issued in 24 to 48 hours, which means that travellers could be released from quarantine six days after arrival.
Grant Shapps said the scheme would "bolster international travel while keeping the public safe".
Mr Shapps said to the BBC: "Our new testing strategy will allow us to travel more freely, see loved ones and drive international business. By giving people the choice to test on day five, we are also supporting the travel industry as it continues to rebuild out of the pandemic."
Scotland and Northern Ireland are considering a similar scheme while Wales said it was "supportive in principle of the proposals for a Test and Release scheme".
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We will need to consider the data and evidence underpinning this scheme before making any decisions on changing international travel restrictions in Wales."
Scotland said it was working with the main commercial airports in Scotland and clinical advisers to understand the risks and benefits of the scheme as well as the capacity of private sector labs to conduct testing to a minimum standard.
Northern Ireland's Department of Health said: "Consideration is currently being given to the implementation of testing scheme which could potentially allow those who have arrived in Northern Ireland from a non-exempt country to end their self-isolation following receipt of a negative test, which would be privately provided."
Situation in Spain still not clear
At the moment there is still no indication of whether travellers will be easily able to reach their second homes in Spain or visit family.
Although borders are not closed physically into the country, a PCR test must be taken within 72 hours of entering Spain, and give a negative result. The problem principally lies with the situation within the autonomous regions of Spain which each control their own external borders; at the moment, most of the regions have closed their own external regional borders. And in some cases (Murcia for example), residents are not even allowed to travel between municipalities(these are town borders). This situation is very fluid and changes constantly, with the regions changing their restrictions every 2 weeks. At the moment, most regions are closed until 9th December. Preliminary restrictions for the festive season have been announced, but will leave the decision about whether regional borders will be re-opened to the individual regional governments of the 17 regions of Spain; most have not yet decided whether mobility will be permitted or not, making planning very difficult.
Airlines welcome the move but say it is not enough
Cash-strapped airlines say that the move is a step in the right direction and welcome the chance to try and boost ticket sales but say this really isn´t enough to support the sector and kick-start flight sales.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the industry association representing UK-registered carriers, said the announcement provided "light at the end of the tunnel" for the aviation industry and people wanting to go on holiday.
He predicted demand for air travel will "tentatively return" following the decision but said a pre-departure testing regime that can completely remove the need to self-isolate is "the only way we're going to comprehensively reopen the market".
Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme quarantine for arrivals was a "fig leaf that doesn't work" and that testing for travellers coming to England should happen before departure, rather than after arrival.
He also ruled out requiring proof of vaccination for passengers on short-haul routes.