People living in different countries to their loved ones have welcomed a potential Government review of travel rules which could see mandatory PCR tests scrapped for double vaccinated travellers.
The traffic light system requires passengers travelling to the UK from most countries to have PCR tests, which cost the average traveller over £70, according to Which?.
As part of the next travel review, the Government will reportedly consider removing the need for PCR tests for vaccinated people except for those arriving from red list countries.
It would bring the UK in line with some European countries, including Germany and France, who already do not require a PCR test on arrival though may ask for proof of vaccination or a negative test result.
Reports suggest that at the same time, the three-tier system will be replaced with two travel lists, with amber and green categories merging into one green list, while arrivals from red destinations must still quarantine in hotels for 10 days at a cost of £2,250.
The review, which will be completed by the Department for Transport by 1 October, aims to make international travel more affordable and simplify the process of going abroad.
Charlotte Oskay, 45, is British citizen who has been living in red-list Turkey for the past 18 years with her husband Ferhan Oskay, a Turkish national. They have two daughters living in London who they are currently unable to visit due to the travel regulations.
“The current system is failing mixed culture families who aren’t seeking holidays, but are simply trying to reunite with loved ones,” she told i.
The couple were able to travel to the UK last August to visit their daughters, but this year travel has become more difficult with cancelled flights and Turkey entering the red list in May.
“All plans to visit our daughters and support them through a difficult time with the loss of their grandmother and mental health issues due to college, university and work closures, were made impossible. We’re still in limbo,” Ms Oskay said.
Even if she travelled through an amber destination to reach the UK, “the cost of [PCR] tests are prohibitive as the value of our currency, the Turkish Lira, has plummeted over the past few years,” she said.
Ms Oskay and her husband are fully vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine which is approved in the UK, but they were vaccinated by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – which is not recognised by the Government.
“The current system is discriminatory and downright ridiculous,” she said. “If the UK lifted the ten day quarantine rule and PCR testing requirements for vaccinated people, regardless of nationality, it would mean everything to us.
“My daughter was in A&E yesterday and we would have flown over to be with her but we couldn’t due to the current restrictions on Turkey, plus the crazy expense of PCR tests and compulsory 10 day quarantine.”
Dominic Jackman, 29, told i he missed his grandmother’s funeral because of the expensive PCR tests. He and his father are fully vaccinated British citizens who live in Germany.
They were both forced to miss the funeral – which took place in England earlier this month – because of the “prohibitively high price of PCR tests” and confusion over the rules, he said.
The Government website states that passengers must book and pay for PCR tests before they travel to the UK, but Dominic was not planning to stay in the country long enough to take the Day 2 test.
“It doesn’t really make sense to me to have to book and pay for an expensive test that you won’t even be in the country to take,” he said. “The confusion and prohibitive cost of the tests ultimately led to us not being able to attend the funeral in person, instead having to watch it via a webcast.”
Dominic said he is “glad to hear” PCR tests for travel might be scrapped, although it is too late for him.
He said: “It does not make much of a difference now, as I do not intend to travel internationally for the time being unless there is a pressing reason to do so.”
The traffic light system and costly PCR tests have received mounting criticism from industry leaders, with trade association ABTA, which represents tour operators and travel agents in the UK, calling for “a more straightforward and more manageable system to help build confidence in travel”.
A spokesperson from Tui said the current approach to international travel is currently “incredibly cautious, complex and costly” and welcomed a review of the rules.
They said: “We have seen in Europe that it is possible to safely re-open travel and it’s time we took the same approach before we’re left behind.
“We would like to see fully vaccinated travellers and anyone travelling from low-risk countries being able to travel without restrictions or testing. This will provide greater certainty so customers can plan their travel, without fear of rule changes and the need for costly testing.
“Only very high-risk countries with variants of concern should be restricted, with transparent data applied to these destinations.”
What are the current rules?
Currently, fully vaccinated passengers arriving to the UK from green and amber list countries must take a PCR test before coming to the UK and another test within two days of entering the country. If the results are negative, there is no need to isolate.
Those not fully vaccinated must take one test when arriving from a green country, two from amber destinations along with spending up to ten days in isolation.
The red category requires arrivals to self-isolate at a Government-approved quarantine hotel for 10 days.
A spokesperson from the Department for Transport said: “Our international travel policy is guided by one overwhelming priority – protecting public health.
“Decisions on our traffic light system are kept under regular review and are informed by the latest risk assessment from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and wider public health factors.
“The next formal checkpoint review will take place by 1 October 2021.”