As of October 4th, the UK has introduced a new, simplified travel system that categorizes countries as either “red” or “the rest of the world”.
This means that eligible fully vaccinated passengers returning from over 50 countries and territories not on the red list can do so without needing to complete a pre-departure test (PDT), a day 8 test or enter a 10-day self-isolation period.
The new rules also mean that from later in October, eligible fully vaccinated passengers with an approved vaccine and recognised certificate from a country not on the red list will be able to replace their day 2 test with a cheaper lateral flow test.
Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test, at no additional cost, which would be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants.
For more information, please visit gov.uk