Passenger locator forms could be scrapped before Easter in the UK

Passenger locator forms may be scrapped in the UK in time for the Easter Holidays, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.

Under current rules, all travellers arriving in the country must still complete a locator form. It is the final remaining restriction for fully vaccinated travellers after testing was ditched in February.

Under current guidelines, all UK arrivals must fill out a locator form 48 hours before arriving in Britain. Unvaccinated travellers must also take a COVID-19 test two days before they depart for the UK and a PCR test two days after they arrive.

The passenger locator form was simplified in February after Shapps called the old version of the form “ridiculously complicated.” Currently passengers need only confirm their vaccination status, contact details and travel history.

Will the forms be scrapped in time for Easter?
To date, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has only hinted that the forms will be scrapped and no formal announcement has been made. He told Labour MP Ben Bradshaw that the form would be reviewed by Easter, but gave no specific timeline.

However, government sources told the Mirror that it is “fairly likely” that the forms will be abandoned before the Easter Holidays which begin on Monday 4 April.

Tim Aldersale, chief executive of Airline UK told the Evening Standard that the form is a “deterrent to travel”.

The move will be a welcome boost for travel companies, keen to improve sales over the holiday period.