Islanders travelling home through UK will need pre-departure test

Tuesday 07 December 2021

Islanders stopping in the UK as they travel back from foreign holidays will have to make sure they have a negative covid test before they arrive in a UK airport.

The UK’s new travel rules for all arrivals coming from outside the Common Travel Area came into force at 04:00 today in response to the Omicron variant.

Laying out the new advice, Jersey Government officials said: “From 4am on Tuesday 7 December, all passengers arriving in the UK from outside the Common Travel Area (CTA) are required to provide evidence of a negative PCR or Lateral Flow test taken within 48 hours of their arrival in the UK.

"This also applies to passengers transiting onwards to destinations within the CTA, including Jersey."

As of last Friday, all passengers arriving in Jersey will have to undergo a PCR test on arrival and isolate until their result or provide evidence of a negative PCR test, regardless of vaccination status or previous infection.

The Government added: "All passengers aged 11 and over arriving in Jersey, who have been outside the CTA in the preceding 10 days, including those who have transited through the UK, continue to be required to either:

1.   provide evidence of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours before arrival in Jersey; or

2.   undertake a free PCR test on arrival and isolate until a negative test result.”

They added: “Travel from Jersey to the UK remains unaffected with no test or isolation requirement for passengers entering the UK from Jersey, unless they have been outside the CTA in the preceding 10 days.”