- From 5 January, people flying from mainland China to England will be asked to take a pre-departure test. In addition, a sample of arrivals will be tested for Covid to enhance existing measures to monitor for new variants
- Best defence against the virus remains the vaccine - over 152 million jabs have been given across the UK since December 2021 - with jabs available in walk-in sites and appointments bookable online
The government has announced a series of precautionary and temporary measures to further improve the UK's ability to detect potential new variants of Covid from China, following an increase in cases there and the easing of their border measures next week.
Passengers arriving from China to England from 5 January will need to show a negative Covid-19 pre-departure test (PDT) taken no more than two days prior to departure. Although there are no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, we are working with devolved nations to ensure this is implemented UK-wide as soon as possible.
The decision has been taken to introduce these measures specifically for China arrivals due to a lack of comprehensive health information shared by China. The situation remains under review and the UK is working with China on next steps. If there are improvements in information sharing and greater transparency then temporary measures will be reviewed.
The volume of passengers from China remains low - however, as a precautionary measure, following the re-opening of Chinese borders in January, the government has announced that:
- People travelling from mainland China on direct flights to England from Thursday 5 January will be asked to take a pre-departure Covid test. The government is working with international partners at pace to determine scope and will announce
