Covid Passports: UK Scraps Off Covid-19 Tests, Sets New Measures For Travellers

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By Uganda Online Media Correspondent

From now on, a valid Covid passport will be the only requirement that a European citizen will need to travel within the EU, regardless of the degree of epidemiological risk in their country of origin.

This was agreed on Monday, January 25, by the European Ministers of European Affairs, who have established new rules for traveling between the Member States. Travelers will no longer need to quarantine on arrival or provide a negative Covid test.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps further made a statement outlining the travel update, confirming that from February 11, travelers who have had both doses of a vaccine will no longer be required to take a test after arriving.

He said those who don’t qualify as fully vaccinated are no longer require to do a day eight test after arrival, or self-isolate.

“They will still need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form to demonstrate proof of a negative test taken two days before they travel and they must still take a post-arrival PCR test,” he said.

From next Monday, international tourists can arrive in Spain presenting a certificate of vaccination, proof of having recovered from the virus, or, in the absence of both, of having a negative PCR or antigen test carried out 48 hours before.


In exchange for the passenger meeting any of these requirements, the level of risk in the country of origin will no longer matter.

According to the text approved by the Council of the EU, the Covid passport “should be the determining key.”

“Since the Covid Digital Certificate can be issued securely, verified, and accepted, passengers in possession of one should not be subject to additional restrictions on free movements, such as additional tests.”

“In particular, people traveling within the EU should not in principle be required to quarantine, since it constitutes a significant restriction on free movement.”


This also means that the map drawn up every fortnight by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) with the level of risk in the different regions of the EU will no longer be a guide for countries to determine if, in addition to the Covid passport, the passenger has to take a test or quarantine on arrival and will become merely informative about the epidemiological situation.

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