All travellers to UK require negative COVID test

| 08/01/2021 | 22 Comments
Cayman News Service
Heathrow Airport, London

(CNS): Despite being one of only a handful of places around the world with no community transmission of the coronavirus, even Cayman residents travelling to the UK will now need a negative test before they can fly into the country. As part of efforts to protect Britain against the new more transmissible strains of the virus, all passengers arriving from any international destination must be tested before heading to the UK.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Friday that from Monday, 11 January, inbound passengers arriving by boat, plane or train will have to take a test from an accredited laboratory less than 72 hours before departing the country they are in.

The news comes just as the Cayman Islands has introduced the same mandatory requirement as announced by the premier on Thursday.

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Travellers will need to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a plane and the carrier can turn away any passenger that does not comply. On arrival, the UK Border Force will conduct spot checks to ensure that passengers are fully compliant. Anyone who arrives in the UK without the requisite proof of a negative test faces an immediate fine of £500.

All travellers will still be required to complete a Passenger Locator Form before arrival into the UK.  This is critical in being able to track the virus in the event of a local UK outbreak, and those who fail to complete this form will be subject to an increased fine of £500.

More information, including the limited exemptions which apply, can be found here.


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Category: Health, Medical Health, UK, World News

Comments (22)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The big question is how long is the Vaccine good for ? How long it can protect us ?

  2. Anonymous says:

    People are moving to Southwest Florida, even to go to school and work remotely.
    https://www.winknews.com/2021/01/11/people-are-moving-to-southwest-florida-even-to-go-to-school-and-work-remotely/

  3. Anonymous says:

    72 hour turnaround for a test in some parts of US could be problematic especially if traveling on a Monday and need test results over a weekend.

    • Anonymous says:

      Geez, okay, then maybe reconsider going to the USA during a health crisis? Anyone that flies anywhere right now, could find themselves on the wrong-side of a lockdown and stuck wherever for longer than they had anticipated. Those restless narcissists playing the non-essential travel game, busy stealing capacity and tests from people whose lives depend on them, should understand these are some of the risks in year two of a global pandemic. Know the game.

      • Anonymous says:

        Of course ,many U.S. citizens, spouses and extended family live in Cayman and may require visiting the U.S. for family , health care or a dozen other valid reasons that have nothing to do with being a restless narcissist , unlike yourself.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Why the Government took so.long to enforce people getting tested before they could get on a plane to Cayman. Plain stupid. Anyway so glad they doing it now, thank them, it’s better late than never.

    • Anonymous says:

      We have the protocols already in place to handle Covid positive arrivals. They go straight to quarantine and tested anyways…

  5. anon says:

    The Govt London office just released a list of 4 or 5 locations that offer tests to the public.A family of 4 travelling to Cayman will have to shell out over US$1,000 for their tests!.It may also be a problem meeting the 72 hour deadline. H’Row is supposed to be offering tests but this was not listed and the cost will no doubt be at least as expensive.

    • Anonymous says:

      We are a year into a raging global contagion. It’s about time people reconciled their privileged sense of pre-Covid wanderlust with reality. In this game, it means factoring the risks of getting caught abroad in a full hard lockdown lasting months, limited test supply/availability there, navigating low lab priority, and the hassle of $1000 testing at one of the worst embarkation countries there is.

    • Anonymous says:

      We all have to pay for things in life not everything is provided free by the government Cayman or None Cayman

  6. Anonymous says:

    There can’t be many Caymanians travelling to the UK just now.

  7. Anonymous says:

    But… this is like having a test to see you’re not on fire, before entering a blazing building!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Looking forward to a tight labour market with the 4 corners cut off… Good time to go into salary negotiations

  9. Anonymous says:

    Do you still need to have test if already been vaccinated?

    • Anoymous says:

      Why Not? People around the world who have been vaccinated are still contracting COVID-19. This is also happening in the UK.

    • Anonymous says:

      IATA Travel Pass app is not yet launched, but it will be soon. It, or something similar will offer express verification and clearance for airlines and most border officials, linked to individuals travel passport.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Let’s return the favor!! Same for all other countries. Thanks!

  11. Anonymous says:

    Why is this only being implemented now…?

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