UK lifts all travel restrictions from March 18
From 4am on March 18 (11am Vietnam time), visitors to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will no longer have to fill in passenger locator information forms, and those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will not have to take tests before and after arriving in the UK.
Having imposed some of the strictest international travel restrictions in Europe at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Britain has now become more open than many other European countries and the US, which still has some restrictions in place, including requiring vaccination certificates.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the rule changes were due to the UK's vaccination programme and people would have a "freer Easter". Photo: Reuters
The UK will maintain contingency measures to deal with variants of concern, but these will not include requiring travellers to quarantine in hotels, as the UK Government advocates applying "the least stringent measures possible", according to the UK Department for Transport.
British tour operators have long hoped the requirement to complete passenger locator forms would be scrapped, so lifting any restrictions, even for unvaccinated visitors, would be a boost to the country's tourism industry.
South Korea lifts quarantine regulations for international visitors from April 1
From the beginning of April, foreign tourists (including Vietnamese) who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to enter Korea without medical quarantine. Those who have been fully vaccinated with two doses and have registered with the Korean vaccination management system (Q-Code) will be exempt from quarantine from March 21.
South Koreans who have been fully vaccinated and registered with the country's vaccination management system will also be exempt from medical quarantine upon returning home from March 21. Photo: KTO Vietnam
To confirm that they have received the full dose of vaccine, visitors can directly log in their vaccination information through the declaration system and attach a certificate of completed vaccination for confirmation. After completing the declaration, each person will be given a QR code. When entering the country as well as going to tourist destinations, restaurants... that require health declaration, visitors only need to show the QR code to scan. This declaration also helps the Korean Government easily manage tourists.
However, if an entrant comes from a country that is not exempt from quarantine, they will still have to self-isolate for 7 days. Currently, there are 4 countries that do not enjoy quarantine exemption status when arriving in Korea: Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Myanmar.
