London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

Passengers at Heathrow Airport London during COVID

Travelers banned from entering U.K. without a negative COVID test

Passengers will be subject to an immediate $680 fine if they fail to comply with the new regulations on pre-departure testing.
Anyone entering England by air, rail or sea will have to take a COVID-19 test 72 hours before their departure or face an immediate fine of £500 ($680), the British government has announced.

The new rule will apply to all international arrivals, including U.K. nationals, who will be required to present a negative COVID result before they will be allowed to travel. Currently, it is only a requirement for entry into England, with Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales implementing their own border controls.

Arrivals from countries not on the U.K. "corridor" list of countries with agreements in place will still have to quarantine for 10 days regardless of the result of their test. Countries not exempt under the travel corridor program have to self-isolate for 10 days but this can be shortened if someone has a private test five days after their departure and it comes back negative.

Critics say the move comes too little too late as other countries have been requiring pre-departure negative test results for months, but British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the measure is being introduced now due to concern about new variants of COVID reaching the U.K. following a rapid mutation of the virus first detected in South Africa.

"The reason for doing it now is that we've got a very big concern about the South African and other mutations of this virus, and what we don't want to do is be in a position where the vaccine is rendered less useful by having different variants," he told the BBC.

Experts previously told Newsweek why closing the borders entirely would make little difference to rising cases in the U.K. as the new rapidly spreading variants are already within the country. The U.K. imposed a ban on direct flights from South Africa and restrictions on flights to the country after its new COVID-19 variant was detected in two people in England - one in London and the other in the northwest.

Both were contacts of people who traveled to South Africa. It is already the dominant virus variant in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa and has now spread to other countries including Austria, Norway, and Japan.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock was questioned over the border issue by his predecessor Jeremy Hunt, who has called for U.K. borders to shut in light of new COVID mutations. At a meeting of the U.K. government's health and social care committee, Hunt asked Hancock why Britain was not following east Asian countries in implementing border controls, like pre-departure tests. "We're not doing as much as South Korea and Singapore, even now," he said.

Hancock said the U.K. has full restrictions on people returning from South Africa, with only British nationals allowed to fly home before going into quarantine, and suggested similar measures will be taken if new variants are detected elsewhere in the world.

"We take a risk-based approach," he said. "After all if there's a country where the case rates are lower than the U.K., especially if there's no evidence of new variants, then there isn't a higher risk of someone coming here."

The test requirement will come into place next week, Shapps said. Prior to departure passengers will need to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result to carriers, as well as a passenger locator form, identifying their U.K. address and contact details. Border Force officials will conduct spot checks on arrivals into England and anyone who has not provided proof of a negative test and locator form will be issued an on-the-spot fine. Children under 11 and lorry drivers are exempt.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
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
×