UK Arrivals Requirement to Take PCR Test, November 30th

As of the 30th of November 2021, the government have added a UK arrivals requirement to take a PCR test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. This comes with new mandatory requirements for face masks in shops and on public transport as a precautionary measure in light of the Omicron Covid variant.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke on Saturday the 27th of November to announce these reactionary measures to the Omicron variant.

These changes apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers alike. All entering the UK from any destination must take a PCR test before the end of day-2 after their arrival instead of a lateral flow test, and all arrivals must self-isolate at home or in their accommodation until they receive a negative result. If the result of the PCR test is delayed, they must continue to self-isolate until they get the negative result, or for 14 days total.

10 countries have also been moved onto the UK red list in reaction. These 10 countries are:

• Angola
• Malawi
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• South Africa
• Botswana
• Eswatini
• Lesotho
• Namibia
• Mozambique

Alongside the UK measures being put in place, other countries have increased restrictions for UK visitors including Spain, Morocco, Denmark, Switzerland, and Japan. We recommend keeping up to date on further changes to destination restrictions on the Foreign Travel Advice page.

These temporary measures will be reviewed again in 3 weeks, said Boris Johnson, highlighting that he does not want to stop travel, but more information is needed. Grant Shapps also posted the measures on Twitter on Saturday the 27th.

The Department for Transport said on the 28th of November, “From 4 am 30 November, lateral flow tests will not be accepted. You must arrange to take a PCR test before the end of day 2 after you arrive.

“You must self-isolate in your home or the place you are staying until you receive your test result.

“If your PCR test results are delayed, you must self-isolate until your test result is known or until day 14 after arrival, whichever is sooner.”

“We are not going to stop people travelling,” Boris said. “But we are going to require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival – and to self-isolate until they have a negative result.

“These are targeted measures to provide confidence and protection, and we will review these measures in three weeks to ensure they are working effectively.”

If you are uncertain about how these changes affect your holiday booking with a PTS member or you want to book a holiday for 2022, don’t forget to get in touch with your PTS member. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing a PTS member to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.

And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS and how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages.