Omicron variant: negative test required to travel to UK

Europe 1 with AFP 7:47 p.m., December 05, 2021, modified at 7:47 p.m., December 05, 2021

Travelers to the UK will need to test negative before departure to curb the spread of the novel Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the UK government has said, a measure that has caused anger in the travel industry.

From Tuesday at 4 am (local and GMT), "any person aged 12 and over wishing to travel to the United Kingdom must present a negative test (antigen or PCR)" carried out maximum 48 hours before departure "in order to slow down the journey. 'importation of the new variant,' the executive said in a statement on Saturday evening.

No later than two days after their arrival

Travelers arriving in the UK must already have a PCR test no later than two days after arrival, and self-isolate until results. The United Kingdom, one of the most bereaved countries in Europe with more than 145,500 dead since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, reported 246 positive cases for the Omicron variant on Sunday, against 160 the day before. This new screening requirement was badly received by the travel industry, which was just starting to recover from the shock of the pandemic. Clive Wratten, director of the Business Travel Association, called it a "blow to the industry" while Tim Alderslade, of the airlines association Airlines UK, called it "premature" in the absence of all clinical data on Omicron.

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"I know it is a burden on the travel industry, but we have made tremendous progress in this country", with almost 81% of over 12s vaccinated and a booster given to 34% of the population eligible, replied Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Sunday on Sky News.

"We need to take targeted action to prevent this new variant from taking hold in the country and creating an even bigger problem."

To counter Omicron, the United Kingdom has also stepped up its vaccine booster campaign and reintroduced the compulsory wearing of masks in transport and shops.

Nigeria on red list

From Monday at 4 a.m., Nigeria will be added to the red list of countries whose travelers are banned from entering the United Kingdom, with the exception of nationals and residents who will have to observe a ten-day quarantine at the hotel in their costs. This list currently includes ten African countries. Epidemiologist Mark Woolhouse, a member of an expert group advising the government, however, said on the BBC that it was "too late" to halt the progress of Omicron, which is already spreading "fairly quickly" in the world. country. 

"If Omicron is in the UK, and it is, if there's community transmission in the UK, and it looks like it is, then it's that community transmission that will fuel the next one. vague, ”he said.

These measures will be subject to a new evaluation on December 20, according to the executive.