Covid Rules: Arrivals in UK must now do a pre-departure Covid test

Anyone over the age of 12 arriving into the United Kingdom from abroad will have to show a negative Covid-19 test result from Tuesday.

The test has to be taken in the two days before a journey to the UK - and anyone who records a positive test won't be allowed to travel.

The new rules have been brought in by the government, in an attempt to slow down the spread of the new Omicron variant.

The current rules say that fully vaccinated people arriving in the UK have to self-isolate at home until they receive a negative PCR test on the second day after their arrival.

The new measures mean that all travellers aged 12 and over - even if they're fully vaccinated - will have to show proof of a negative PCR or lateral flow test before setting off.

The lateral flow tests and PCR tests can't be accessed through the NHS. Instead, travellers will have to pay for the tests from government approved companies.

Professor Mark Woolhouse, a scientist advising the government, has described the rule changes as "a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted."

He said the new rules had come "too late" to make a difference to a potential wave of the Omicron variant in the UK.

What are the rules for children?

Children under five don't have to take any tests at any point.

Anyone aged 12 to 17 has to follow the new government rules and take a Covid-19 test in the 48 hours before travel to the UK.

They will also need to quarantine on arrival back into the UK and take a PCR test on, or before day two, as well as children aged five to 11.