The prime minister has announced that all arrivals into the UK will have to take a test and self-isolate until they have a negative result.
The temporary measures will be reviewed in three weeks, Boris Johnson said in a Downing Street briefing this evening, after two cases of the new Omicron variant being detected in the UK.
The Telegrpah reports that the requirement will be in effect from Monday.
Earlier today, four more southern African countries were added to the red list. The countries added today are:
Johnson said that they need to go further and implement a testing regime for arrivals from all over the world.
The prime minister said that they were not going to stop people from travelling. Anyone who enters the UK will have to take a test by the end of the second day, and will have to wait until they have a negative result.
There are many things we just cannot know at this early stage, and Johnson stressed that the measures were precautionary.
He said that Omicron can be spread between people who are double-vaccinated.
He noted that the new configuration of the virus might reduce the effectiveness of our vaccines over time.
Until October 24th, when the government allowed the use of lateral flow tests as proof of Covid status, all arrivals to the UK had to have a test.
The cheaper rapid tests can be used to test for variants, whereas the more expensive tests can be used to test for them.
The higher cost of the tests had deterred people from travelling.
Johnson thanked scientists in South Africa for sharing details of their findings of the new variant, but said the UK needed to buy time for scientists at home to understand exactly what we are dealing with.
Measures at the border can only ever delay the arrival of a new variant, rather than stop it all together, as Johnson noted as he announced tightened rules on the wearing of face masks in shops and on public transport. Anyone who tests positive for the Omicron variant in the UK must self-isolated for 10 days.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said on his account that there was no change for unvaccinated arrivals into the UK.
He said that the measures would be reviewed in three weeks to make sure they work.
The first cases of Omicron variant have been identified in the UK.
>
Grant Shapps is a member of the House of Commons.
Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said that public health must be a priority. Governments from around the world are acting without learning from the last two years.
Business travel will be affected by the introduction of costly tests and mandatory self-isolation for travellers. It is crucial that international protocols are introduced without delay to save lives, economies and futures.
