The UK Government is to introduce testing for people travelling from abroad, it has been confirmed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a press conference on Tuesday, January 5 that the government would be bringing in additional measures for people travelling into the UK from abroad after England entered an alert level five lockdown on Monday.
Responding to a question regarding testing people in airports on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said: "We will be bringing in measures to ensure that we test people coming into this country and prevent the virus being readmitted."
Currently, people travelling from most countries into the UK must quarantine for 10 days, with the option to get a private coronavirus test through the Test to Release system after five days.
It is understood further details on testing for travellers will be set out in the coming days.
Last year, some of the country's biggest airlines and airports joined forces to to try and secure a testing system for travellers.
Heathrow Airport, easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and Manchester Airports Group called for action in a bid to introduce an effective testing policy to help protect thousands of jobs in the struggling industry. Read what they said here.
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A Department for Transport spokesperson confirmed the government's plans for testing, saying: "This country already has some of the strongest safeguards against importing Covid-19 in the shape of mandatory ten-day quarantine for the vast majority of arrivals, and Test to Release.
"But with a new strain of the virus on the loose in South Africa and a more infectious variant already widespread in the UK we need to do more.
"Additional measures, including testing before departure, will help keep the importation of new cases to an absolute minimum, while national lockdown and vaccination take effect."
