Travel quarantine is now just 5 days with negative Covid test (but seven days is more likely)
TRAVELLERS entering Britain from countries without a travel corridor can now self-isolate from as little as five days, if they provide a negative Covid test.
The new rules, which slash quarantine from ten days if the person takes a test, are part of the government’s new Test to Release scheme.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Travellers must self-isolate on their return to Britain for five days, then pay for a private test from one of 11 government-approved test providers, costing between £65pp and £150pp.
Customers could face a wait of up to 48 hours for their test results though, meaning they could be forced to isolate for up to seven days.
There are concerns that some test providers are also struggling to cope with demand, meaning travellers are having to wait up to 72 hours to receive their test results.
Now that the government has slashed the standard quarantine from 14 days to ten days for people who choose not to take a test on their return to Britain, it is thought that many will opt not to take the pricey test.
Paul Charles, chief exec of the travel consultancy PC Agency, told : "It has not got off to a great start.
"Of the 11 providers listed on the Test To Release website, most cannot help you to leave quarantine early or even meet the demand for testing kits or appointments. Some provider websites are not even working."
"I don’t understand why the Government never learns from the mistakes it makes. It should be consulting with the travel and tourism sector on a daily basis to ensure it creates the right conditions for recovery."
There are currently very few holiday destinations with travel corridors available to Brits, where there is no quarantine required either on arrival or return from a vacation.
Last week, the Canary Islands were dropped from the travel corridor list.
50,000 Brits had trips booked for our most popular winter-sun destination - and some of the islands' 25,000 expats planned to visit the UK for Christmas.
Mum Leanne Barker, from Manchester, said: “I landed in the Gran Canaria on Thursday and the earliest flight home arrives at 5pm Saturday. I'll now have to quarantine for Christmas.”
Adam Kearey, from Lancashire, said: “I arrived in the Canaries with my family 10 minutes before the travel corridor announcement. How can I go to work when I get home if I have to self-isolate?”
Most read in News Travel
Flight prices almost trebled as Brits rushed home yesterday to beat the 4am quarantine deadline. Jet2's Tenerife-London Stansted flight rocketed from £71 to £190.
Many families booked to go to the Canaries for Christmas scrapped trips.
Anyone returning after December 28 could not complete quarantine before schools and many jobs restart on January 4.