What are the 48-hour testing rules for UK arrivals?

Simon Calder answers your questions on the latest travel rules and what you need to do once you reach your destination

One reader is heading to Britain from St John’s in Newfoundland (Getty/iStock)

Q I am concerned about the new pre-departure test for travellers to the UK. What are the rules if the test within 48 hours lapses as a result of flight cancellation for poor weather? Would you then need a second test or would the first be OK as it’s within 48 hours of the original scheduled departure? I am asking because I am travelling from St John’s in Newfoundland with a major winter storm forecast – plus the necessity for a long backtrack through Montreal or Toronto as the non-stop to London Heathrow is suspended.

Tom C

A First, there is no “48 hours” rule for a pre-departure test for the UK. This was a pure invention of ministers last weekend, subsequently reinforced by a misleading press release and regrettably (though understandably) repeated widely by the media since then. To be absolutely clear, the pre-departure test must be taken on the day scheduled for travel, or either of the two previous days. Were you to take the 2.05pm flight from St John’s to Toronto (which connects to Heathrow at 6.30pm) on a Saturday, you could take the test at 8am on Thursday – nearly 60 hours before your transatlantic flight, and perfectly legal.