Negative Covid test needed before travelling to Wales

Passengers travelling to Wales will have to test negative for coronavirus before being allowed to depart, as part of new rules coming into force at 4am on Monday, January 18.

The new rules were announced by Wales’ Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, in response to new coronavirus strains identified in Denmark, South Africa and more recently Brazil.

The rules will apply to people travelling to Wales by boat, plane or train from outside the Common Travel Area, which means people travelling from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands won’t be affected.

In addition, people travelling to Wales from countries deemed high risk are also required to self-isolate for ten days on arrival.

Mr Gething said: “We are doing everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus.

“These new measures will help ensure we prevent new strains of the virus developing internationally from being imported into Wales.

“We are already asking passengers returning from high-risk countries to self-isolate for ten days and these requirements remain in place.

“Added to the requirement to self-isolate, pre-departure tests will provide a further line of defence – helping us control the virus as we continue to roll out the vaccine at pace.”