LONDON (AP) – The British government tightened travel restrictions on Saturday amid fears of the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, saying all visitors to Britain will need to take a test. COVID-19 before they board the flight.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the new rules would apply from 4am on Tuesday London time.
“Based on the most recent data, we are taking further action to slow the entry of the omicron variant,” he said in a tweet.
Javid also added Nigeria to the UK’s travel “red list”, meaning that visitors from here will be banned with the exception of UK and Ireland residents, and these travelers must be quarantined in facilities designated quarantine facility. He said there was a “significant number” of omicron cases linked to travel with Nigeria, with 27 cases recorded in the UK.
Karen Dee, chief executive officer of the Airport Operators Association, said the new measures would be the “primary containment measure” for travel, just as airports and the travel industry are hoping for. a small increase during the festive season.
“This is a devastating blow to the aviation and tourism industries,” she said.
Authorities recorded another 42,848 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK on Saturday, with another 127 deaths. With more than 145,000 deaths from COVID-19 during the pandemic, the UK is the country with the second highest number of virus deaths in Europe after Russia.
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