Boris Johnson's government plans to extend the range of vaccines approved for inbound travel to England and ease Covid curbs on under 18s arriving in the country.
The Department for Transport said the changes would come into effect from 4am on November 22, when all arrivals under 18s will be classified in the same way as fully vaccinated travellers and exempt from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day 8 testing and pre-departure tests.
However, they will be required to take one post-arrival test, followed by a free PCR test to confirm the result if they test positive for coronavirus.
The government also confirmed it would finally accept many vaccines on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing of recognised jabs.
Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin will all be added to the list of approved jabs to benefit more fully-vaccinated people from countries including India, the Maldives and the UAE.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the changes underlined the UK government's commitment to restart international travel.
He said: “As we continue to recover from the pandemic and expand our recognition of international vaccines, the announcements mark the next step in our restart of international travel.
“By also simplifying the rules for international travel for all under-18s coming to England, we’re bringing further good news for families looking to unite with loved ones, and another great boost for the travel sector.”
Health secretary Sajid Javid added: “This is another step forward for the travel industry, businesses and for family and friends wanting to reunite or go abroad."
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