Compulsory Covid-19 tests for travellers could add £1,000 to the cost of a holiday abroad - Daily Mail

Compulsory Covid-19 tests for travellers could add £1,000 to the cost of a holiday abroad

• People hoping to holiday abroad face paying hundreds for compulsory tests
• Hancock announced all travellers must take two extra tests before entering UK 
• The two-test package will be offered to travellers at a cost of £210 per person  

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 22:30 GMT, 9 February 2021 | Updated: 22:42 GMT, 9 February 2021

Families face bills running into hundreds of pounds for compulsory new Covid tests if they holiday abroad.

The rules announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday will force all travellers to take an extra two tests after entering the UK. 

The two-test package will be offered at a cost of £210 per person. 

Holidaymakers and business travellers will have to book tests through an online portal before returning home. 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) announced yesterday new rules will force all travellers to take an extra two tests after entering the UK

People are already required to get a test at their own expense three days before arriving in the UK. 

The new regime means that a family of four is likely to face a total bill well in excess of £1,000, making foreign holidays unaffordable for many.

Those wanting to leave quarantine after five days under the ‘test to release’ scheme would have to pay for another test. 

Mr Hancock did not say how long the rules would stay in place but a Government source said travel testing was ‘here to stay’. 

Holidaymakers and business travellers will have to book tests through an online portal before returning home. Picture: Stock

While hotel quarantine applies to arrivals from 33 ‘red-listed’ countries, the new regime will cover all arrivals.

The first test will be taken two days after arrival and sent for analysis to help identify new virus strains. 

The second test will be taken after eight days. 

Failure to take them could incur fines totalling £3,000 per person.

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2021-02-09 22:30:00Z
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