Amber and green lists merged, but Welsh Government still to decide on PCR tests for returning travellers

The Welsh Government has confirmed it will merge the green and amber travel lists into one and remove the requirement for pre-departure testing for those fully vaccinated.

The changes will come into effect on October 4 to align with the UK Government system in England.

Under rules in England, the PCR test will not be required on day two of a traveller’s return, replaced instead by a lateral flow test. Testing on day eight will also be dropped.

A decision on moving away from PCR tests in Wales is still to be made, but the Welsh Government has outlined its opposition to the change and is calling on the UK Government to reverse its decision.

In response to a question from Caerphilly Senedd member Hefin David on Tuesday, September 21, First Minister Mark Drakeford raised his concerns over the dropping of the PCR test.

He said: “The most concerning thing of all was their decision to move away from PCR tests on day two after someone returns from overseas, because that was the strongest defence against the reimportation of viruses from elsewhere in the world.

“In Wales, we genomic sequence a higher proportion of tests than any other part of the United Kingdom, and it is that sequencing that allows the very skilled scientists who do it to identify new variations in coronavirus. Without a PCR test, it is very difficult to see how the UK Government will be able to do that.

“So, we do have a decision of our own to make. It is a very difficult decision in a practical sense because so many Welsh travellers return to Wales via an English port or airport, and having a separate Welsh system advertised to them, communicated to them at that point is not something that English ports have been keen to do. Nevertheless, we continue to think it through, to discuss it with those on whom we would have to rely, and we will come to a decision shortly on it.”

The Welsh Government is also considering which countries to expand the vaccine certification recognition system to over the coming weeks.