London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Omicron: Overseas travellers to Wales to require PCR tests

Omicron: Overseas travellers to Wales to require PCR tests

Everyone who enters Wales from abroad will need to take a PCR test and isolate pending a negative result.

The Welsh government announced the move after the UK government brought in several new restrictions in England.

It comes as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been detected in Brentwood, Essex, and Nottingham.

The Welsh government said it was a "serious development", and ministers would meet over the weekend to discuss whether further action was needed.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said face coverings would become mandatory again in shops and on public transport in England from next week under a raft of measures to target the new Covid variant.

Face coverings are already mandatory in shops, health and social care settings and on public transport in Wales.

The new variant was first reported on Wednesday in South Africa, with early evidence suggesting it has a higher re-infection risk.

The Prime Minister warned that the new variant does appear to spread "very rapidly", and can be spread "between people who are double vaccinated".

The UK Omicron cases are linked and are connected to travel in southern Africa, where 10 countries have been placed on the UK's travel red list, meaning all arrivals will have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

The UK's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said there was a "reasonable chance" vaccines could be less effective against the new variant but stressed people who are vaccinated or receive the booster jab will be less likely to become seriously ill.

He said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation would now need to decide whether to extend the booster vaccine down to adults age 18, and whether a second dose should be offered to children aged 12-15.

In October the UK government dropped the requirement to take a day two PCR test when returning to the UK, in favour of a cheaper lateral flow test


The Welsh government has criticised Downing Street for removing all countries from the red list prior to the identification of the Omicron variant.

It also said it was concerned with the replacement of PCR tests with lateral flow tests on day two for travellers returning to the UK.

Welsh ministers met on Saturday night and are expected to hold further discussions on Sunday.

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The emergence of this new variant is a serious development in the ongoing pandemic and reinforces the need for everyone in Wales to get their vaccine or booster when offered, wear face coverings when necessary, and book a test if they develop symptoms.

"We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the UK Government about its decision to relax international travel rules quickly, precisely because of the risk of introducing new variants into the UK."

What were the previous travel rules?


Prior to the identification of the new variant, the UK government announced it would remove all countries from the red travel list on 28 October.

This meant fully vaccinated travellers from the seven countries previously listed would no longer have to quarantine in a hotel.

The UK government also dropped the requirement to take a day-two PCR test when returning to the UK, in favour of a cheaper lateral flow test.

The Welsh government adopted the same changes at the time, but raised concerns with the UK government for relaxing the rules too quickly.

The return of the UK's red travel list will require travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to quarantine in a hotel on arrival to the UK.

All contacts of suspected Omicron cases must self-isolate, regardless of whether or not they are fully vaccinated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×