UK to end Covid testing for vaccinated travelers

The UK will stop requiring vaccinated travelers to take a Covid-19 test after arriving in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. The new rules come on the heels of a recent lifting of pre-flight test requirements, and are part of a general easing of Covid-19 restrictions as the U.K. starts to treat the virus as endemic. “To show that this country is open for business, open for travelers, you will see changes,” Johnson told broadcasters Monday in a pooled interview. “People arriving no longer have to take tests” if they are double vaccinated, he said. The new changes, which take effect on Feb. 11, will lower the cost of travel and give consumers more confidence their plans won’t be upended at the last minute, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told lawmakers on Monday. Airlines, which have sought to lift all testing requirements -- are sure to get a boost, as are hotels and restaurants. Carriers welcomed the government’s decision, which comes ahead of the half-term school holidays next month, followed by spring break and the busy summer season. “We believe testing for travel should now firmly become a thing of the past,” said Johan Lundgren, the CEO of EasyJet. “We now look ahead to what we believe will be a strong summer.”<br/>