Transport secretary Grant Shapps told Times Radio that the government wanted to get into a “settled status when it comes to these rules”, following the latest changes announced on Wednesday (5 January) which will see an end to pre-departure tests from Friday (7 January).
“I recognise it’s complicated and difficult when they change,” said Shapps. “Later in the month, we will be coming back with our thoughts about stabilising the system for what we hope is the rest of 2022. But we never entirely know with the coronavirus.
“I could see a world in which we did not need to do testing at all. But I cannot guarantee it will be the same the other way round because that depends on what other countries around the world decide to put in place.”
Shapps added that countries were likely to continue looking at travellers’ Covid-19 vaccination status for the “foreseeable future”.
