The European Union is expected to drop the requirement for pre-departure Covid tests ahead of the Easter break, it has been reported.
The European Council is on Tuesday expected to approve plans with the regime to come into effect from March 1 . It will apply to all those double or triple jabbed within 270 days of their arrival in the country, The Telegraph reports.
Under the new rules, children under the age of 18 who have not been fully jabbed, will be required to show a negative pre-departure PCR test.
Adults who have not been fully-vaccinated within 270 days of their arrival will be treated as unvaccinated. For countries such as Italy, this will mean five-days of self-isolation, while travel to the Netherlands is not permitted unless there is an exemption to the entry ban.
Unvaccinated travellers will also need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day two of their entry to the UK.
Paul Charles, the chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency said: “A one-size-fits-all policy for those who have been fully jabbed makes absolute sense and would enable European economies to bounce back faster.
“The one way to revive travel across Europe is to have a consistent policy for those coming from the UK, which is a such a huge market for the EU.”
It comes amid plans to scrap passenger locator forms in time for Easter, and the end of all remaining domestic Covid restrictions in England.
On Monday, the Prime Minister announced the end to Covid restrictions in England.
As part of the Government’s ‘Living with Covid’ plan, from Thursday, subject to Parliament’s approval, the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test will be removed.
Free universal testing will be scaled back from April 1 and will instead be focused on the most vulnerable.
There will also be an end to self-isolation payments and some practical support that comes with it and for the legal obligation for people to tell their employers when they are required to self-isolate.
