First Minister: UK Government decision to scrap PCR tests for international travel 'most concerning'

First Minister Mark Drakeford has accused the UK Government of risking the health of the country by scrapping day two PCR tests for international travellers entering the UK. Credit: PA

First Minister Mark Drakeford has accused the UK Government of risking the health of the country by scrapping day two PCR tests for international travellers entering England.

He described the UK Government handling of international travel as "among the most chaotic parts of its response" to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday, the first minister said he had urged the UK Government to follow a "more precautionary approach" to prevent new strains of coronavirus from entering the country.

Last week, it was announced that the traffic light system for international travel was to be scrapped in England.

From October 4, there will be a single, reduced "red list" of destinations from where passengers arriving in England will be required to quarantine in a Government-supervised hotel.

At the same time, people who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations.

From the end of October, travellers will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Travellers in England will be able to opt for a cheaper lateral flow test Credit: PA

The Welsh Government is still considering whether to adopt the same rules for international travel.

It comes as the Welsh Government remove Kenya, Oman, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Egypt from the red list. These changes came into effect on Wednesday morning.

Mark Drakeford said: "The UK Government's approach to international travel during the pandemic has been among the most chaotic parts of its response.

"It's very hard indeed to follow their thinking in this area.

"We have consistently urged of them a more precautionary approach to defending the borders of the UK against the reimportation into the UK of coronavirus and particularly the importation of new variants that may be occurring elsewhere in the world."

Drakeford described the UK Government's handling of international travel as "among the most chaotic parts of its response" to the pandemic. Credit: PA

Mr Drakeford described the decision to remove the requirement of a PCR test on day two as the "most concerning thing of all".

"That was the strongest defence against the reimportation of viruses from elsewhere in the world," he said.

"In Wales we genomic sequence a higher proportion of tests than any other part of the UK 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.

"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.

"Having a separate Welsh system advertised and communicated to them is not something that English ports have been keen to do.

"Nevertheless we continue to think it through, to discuss it with those we will have to rely and we will come to a decision shortly on it.

"The real answer should have been to retain day two PCR tests across the UK and the failure to do so, I think, really is a step away from the duty the UK Government owes to the health of people in this country."