Arriving to the UK after the holidays — take a test and cut the quarantine
In the last few months, many international students arriving in the UK had to self isolate for 14 days before going back to their everyday activities. Now with many people leaving the country for holidays and supposedly coming back in January, a new policy has been introduced with a possibility to cut the 14-day quarantine.
The test to release for international travel scheme is for people who need to self isolate upon their arrival in the UK. The list of countries on the exempt list is not that long — which means that everyone coming from a country that is not on the list has to self-isolate. However, self-isolation rules remain the same up until 15th December, when the new test to release policy starts.
Under the scheme you can choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test. The earliest you can take the test is at least 5 days after you left a destination not on the travel corridor list. If the result is negative, you can stop self-isolating. The scheme is voluntary and applies to those self-isolating in England only.
You should book the test before you arrive in England and select the scheme in your Passenger locator form. If you decide to take part in the scheme after you have arrived in England, you will need to complete another passenger locator form. You will have to pay the private test provider for your test.
The earliest you can take the test is 5 full days after you were last in a place that is not on the travel corridor list. For most international arrivals this will be after 5 full days of self-isolating. If the test result is positive you must continue to self-isolate. You must self-isolate for a further 10 days starting from the day you took the test. If the test result is negative you can stop self-isolating as soon as you receive the result.
However, the tests can be quite pricey so if you’re not in a hurry a better option might be to stay home for two weeks. Prices for a private COVID-19 test range from £60 to £250, including home delivery options or a walk-in.
