London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 19, 2025

Covid-19: Cheaper travel tests to start on 24 October

Covid-19: Cheaper travel tests to start on 24 October

New rules allowing travellers returning to England to take lateral flow tests instead of more expensive PCR tests will come into force on 24 October.
The government says the changes will take effect in time for families returning from half term breaks.

Fully vaccinated passengers will be told to upload photos of their Covid-19 tests for verification.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would make travel easier and simpler.

The travel industry had said it was vital to make the changes to the Covid travel tests in time for the half term holiday.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: "This is great news and we're pleased to get it over the line in time for the crucial half term period, which will be a massive relief to families desperate to get away this autumn."

Along with last week's reduction of the travel red list and the recognition of vaccinations administered in more foreign countries, the change is "a major step forward that will support the desperately needed recovery of our sector," he said.

The changes come as the UK continues to record the highest level of Covid-19 infections and deaths in western Europe, with another 45,066 cases recorded on Thursday - the largest number since late July.

A further 157 deaths were also recorded.

Policy on travel is devolved, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have previously aligned with policy in England, citing the practicalities of the shared border.

But Wales criticised replacing PCR tests, which are often described as the gold standard for Covid testing, with lateral flow tests, saying that along with other relaxed measures it would "considerably increase" the risk of new variants coming into the country.

Under the existing system, PCR tests taken on day two after returning to England can cost about £75 per person.

When the changes come into effect, anyone who receives a positive result from their lateral flow test will be required to self-isolate and to take a free PCR test to confirm it.

Travellers will be able to order their lateral flow tests from 22 October, when a list of approved providers will be published on the gov.uk website.

NHS Test and Trace tests - which can be ordered for free - cannot be used for international travel, the government said.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "We want to make going abroad easier and cheaper, whether you're travelling for work or visiting friends and family."

He said the change was made possible by the high levels of vaccination, which means "we can safely open up travel as we learn to live with the virus".

Mr Shapps said: "Taking away expensive mandatory PCR testing will boost the travel industry and is a major step forward in normalising international travel and encouraging people to book holidays with confidence."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
OpenAI’s ‘PhD-Level’ ChatGPT 5 Stumbles, Struggles to Even Label a Map
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
The World Economic Forum has cleared Klaus Schwab of “material wrongdoing” after a law firm conducted a review into potential misconduct of the institution’s founder
The Mystery Captivating the Internet: Where Has the Social Media Star Gone?
Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agents in Washington Charged with Assault – Identified as Justice Department Employee
A Computer That Listens, Sees, and Acts: What to Expect from Windows 12
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
UK has added India to a list of countries whose nationals, convicted of crimes, will face immediate deportation without the option to appeal from within the UK
Southwest Airlines Apologizes After 'Accidentally Forgetting' Two Blind Passengers at New Orleans Airport and Faces Criticism Over Poor Service for Passengers with Disabilities
Russian Forces Advance on Donetsk Front, Cutting Key Supply Routes Near Pokrovsk
It’s Not the Algorithm: New Study Claims Social Networks Are Fundamentally Broken
Sixty-Year-Old Claims: “My Biological Age Is Twenty-One.” Want the Same? Remember the Name Spermidine
×