As of Sunday 24 October, fully vaccinated passengers and most under 18s arriving in England from countries not on the red list can now take a cheaper lateral flow test, instead of a PCR test, on or before day 2 of their arrival into the UK. The lateral flow tests can be booked from private providers which will be cheaper and faster than PCR tests.
The change will come into effect in time for returnees from the October half term break. Passengers must upload a photo of their test to verify results as soon as possible, with free confirmatory NHS PCRs for any positive cases. Those who already have PCR tests do not need to buy another one.
There will also be a two-tier travel system, with their being a red list of countries deemed no safe to travel from, and a green list for all other countries. Currently, as of 25 October, there are seven countries on the red list:
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Haiti
- Panama
- Peru
- Venezuela
