The change of rules means all under-18s coming to England will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border and will be exempt from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day 8 testing and pre-departure testing. 

The Department for Transport said: “They will only be required to take one post-arrival test and a confirmatory free PCR test if they test positive.”  

Changes will apply from 4am that morning.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “By simplifying the rules for international travel for all under-18s coming to England, we’re bringing further good news for families looking to unite with loved ones, and another great boost for the travel sector.” 

Also on that day, vaccines listed under the WHO Emergency Use List (EUL) will be recognised in the government’s inbound travel rules.     

As a result, Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin will be added to the list of approved vaccines for inbound travel, “benefitting more fully vaccinated people from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and India”. The US also recognises the vaccines on the WHO EUL for inbound travel. 

The WHO EUL Procedure was brought in during the 2014 Ebola outbreak to assess vaccines for use and to support countries in accessing vaccines and other products during public health emergencies.