All entrants into the UK will have to take a PCR test by the end of the second day of their arrivals, and self-isolate while they wait for the result. Spain and Switzerland have also tightened their entry rules, while Japan will bin all international visitors this week.
Travel industry leaders have been quick to express their fears about the damage new restrictions will have on consumer confidence, while the president of South Africa – the country where the Omicron variant was first identified – has labelled travel bans on his country as “unjustified”.
British Airways has also suspended flights to Hong Kong after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19.
