A passenger with luggage is seen at London Heathrow Airport in west London on February 14, 2021 . – A new 10-day hotel quarantine regime for British residents returning to the UK from 33 coronavirus variant hotspots begins on February 15, despite concern from the country’s busiest airport Heathrow that “significant gaps” remain in the plans.
Fully vaccinated travelers from the United States and much of Europe can enter England without quarantining starting next week.
The British government says people who have received both doses of a vaccine approved by the FDA in the U.S. or the European Medicines Agency, can take pre- and post-arrival coronavirus tests instead of self-isolating.
There is one exception: France, which Britain has dubbed a higher risk because of the presence of the beta variant of the coronavirus. Visitors from France will continue to face a British quarantine.
Currently only people who have been vaccinated in Britain can skip 10 days of quarantine when arriving from most of Europe or North America. The move to boost Britain’s ailing travel industry comes despite rising coronavirus cases.
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The rule change takes effect Monday and only applies to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will decide whether to follow suit.
