Boris Johnson's government is being urged to speed up the end of testing for fully-jabbed passengers entering the UK.
The UK Government has already ended the rule requiring fully-vaccinated travellers to take pre-departure tests before flying home and the Day 2 test has changed from PCR to the cheaper lateral flow.
It is expected Day 2 tests will be scrapped entirely for the fully jabbed, just in time for school half-term holidays, with an announcement anticipated on Wednesday.
All arrivals will still need to fill out a passenger locator form.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has confirmed the end of Plan B rules introduced to combat the spread of the Omicron variant as he drew up a pathway to the end of travel restrictions. This includes immediate removal of guidance to work from home and easing of face mask mandates.
Mr Johnson has promised details on travel test rules will be released within says. He said: “We are certainly reviewing the testing arrangements for travel and the health secretary will be making a statement in the next few days.
“It’s very important everybody in the country understands getting your booster, wherever you want to go in the world, is going to be a pretty crucial thing to do.”
But ministers have been urged to speed up the process and ditch Day 2 testing for fully-vaccinated international arrivals at the next travel review scheduled for the end of the month. Further developments will include the requirement for a third 'booster' dose of the vaccine for anyone wanting test-free travel. Devolved nations are likely to follow.
Moves have been broadly welcomed by the holiday industry. Tourism body UKinbound called testing on return to the country an “impediment to recovery” and said other European countries, including Ireland, had already ended tests for vaccinated arrivals.
But Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, added: "Ministers have been saying all the right things about needing to get on with our lives – this feels like the last hurdle to achieving that."
A UK Government spokesperson defended the decision not to ditch end testing immediately for arrivals to England. The spokesperson said at this point in the pandemic it was important to maintain an extra layer of surveillance” for any new variants.
Restrictions still remain for UK holidaymakers with many overseas nations demanding a mandatory Covid-19 test before entry, regardless of vaccination status.
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