The british government announced Wednesday a relaxation of restrictions to travelers arriving in England from abroad, imposed after the appearance of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, a long-awaited measure by the transport sector.
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Starting Friday, travelers will no longer have to present a negative test of coronavirus before embarking to England and, if they are vaccinated, they should not be isolated while waiting for the result of a test carried out after arrival, announced in the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, before parliament.
(Also: The use of mandatory masks in schools in England is back)
Johnson, said in the House of Commons that the previous, more restrictive measures, no longer serve to stop the spread of the omicron variant, since “it is already widely extended” among the British population.
The new measures, which had been requested by tourism companies and airlines, also mean that travelers will not have to undergo a PCR before the second day of arrival in the country, but an antigen test will be sufficient, and they will not have to be confined to no be that they test positive, in which case they will confirm it with a PCR.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have their own competences, will specify their requirements in the coming days.
Johnson confirmed before Parliament that his government does not plan to introduce more restrictions to contain the pandemic because, in view of “the good progress of the booster vaccination” together with the fact that “the omicron is milder”, it is preferable “to keep society and society open. economy”.
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They will remain in England until January 26, with a review days before, the current sanitary requirements: wear masks in some closed spaces such as supermarkets -not in the hotel industry- and in secondary schools, present a negative test or a vaccination certificate at large events and the recommendation to work from home.
In addition, the Government reported this Wednesday that, as of January 11, people without symptoms who test positive for covid with an antigen test will not have to confirm the result with a PCR, although they must also be quarantined.
Those with symptoms will have to obtain confirmation and also confine themselves. This implies that the isolation period for asymptomatic patients is speeded up, which used to begin when the result was confirmed by PCR and will now begin with the first positive, which will allow people to return to work or school earlier.
At the same time, tests, of which there has been a shortage in recent days, are reserved for the people who need them most and workers in essential sectors, such as education or health.
Scotland has also confirmed this Wednesday that it will apply the same guidelines for asymptomatic infections and, as is already done in England, will cut the quarantine period from ten to seven days if negative antigen tests are obtained in the last two.
EFE and AFP
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