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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Travel Desk

Ask me anything: Simon Calder answers your questions as all travel tests scrapped for vaccinated

EPA

Yesterday Boris Johnson announced that all travel testing would be dropped for fully vaccinated travellers into the UK - meaning that from 11 February, you can strike “order day two test” from your holiday to-do list.

There are marginally more developments for unvaccinated travellers, in fact, who from the same date will not have to quarantine and no longer have to take a test on day eight after arrival - leaving just two tests (a pre-departure and a day two) on their list.

This follows the gradually scrapping of travel rules such as the pre-departure test for double-jabbed travellers and the emptying of the red list in December - just weeks after it was dramatically re-filled.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has called this latest development “a return to normality not witnessed since early 2020.” - though in fact, the testing requirement for travel did not come in until 2021.

So what do all these constant changes mean for travel? Is it safe to book a holiday? Could testing suddenly return with a new variant? And have we really seen the last of the red list?

Our expert Simon Calder will be on hand to answer all your latest travel questions in an ‘Ask me anything’ later today (Tuesday, 25 January). He will be answering live in the comments section below between 1pm and 2pm.

Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question.

Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they will be hidden until Simon joins the conversation to answer them.

Then join us live on this page from 1pm as Simon tackles as many of your travel queries as he can within an hour.

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