UK sets plan for travel return with costly test requirements

The UK said it will decide by early next month whether Britons can resume taking international holidays on May 17, while implementing coronavirus testing rules that airlines criticized as too costly. Countries will be rated according to their Covid-19 risk in a traffic light system, the Department for Transport said Friday. At a minimum, travelers will need to buy a two-test package, including a so-called PCR assessment, that typically costs around $300 per person and can range much higher. “The framework announced today will help allow us to reopen travel safely and sustainably, ensure we protect our hard-won achievements on the vaccine roll-out and offer peace of mind to both passengers and industry,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Airline groups welcomed the progress toward a travel restart after a year of Covid-19 restrictions that walloped the industry. Still, they criticized testing requirements they said would put family vacations out of reach for many. Tim Alderslade, CEO of the industry body Airlines UK, called the proposals a “further setback for an industry on its knees.” The government has said that May 17 is the earliest day foreign holidays can resume, but officials have warned that a further delay could be required if coronavirus infections continue to surge elsewhere in the world. Shapps defended the need for PCR tests that can identify Covid-19 variants and said he’ll look for ways to keep the costs down.<br/>