Travel rules have once again changed in the UK. This week, the government announced it would be scrapping the requirement for travellers entering the UK to take a pre-departure test as well as the need for those entering the country to self-isolate on arrival.
Previously, travellers would be required to take a test before coming to the UK and would need to remain in isolation until they had received a negative PCR result to stem the spread of the virus in the community and help prevent the arrival of new variants.
However, this is no longer the case - with the Prime Minister telling MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday that relaxing travel measures is a way to “live with COVID without letting our guard down”.
The relaxation of rules only applies to travellers entering the UK with at least two doses of a Covid vaccine and come into force as of 4am this morning (7 January).
The changes mean that new vaccinated arrivals will no longer have to self-isolate until they get a negative PCR test result, and instead, will have to take a lateral flow test at the end of their second day in the UK, and if that result is positive, they will then require a follow-up PCR.
Unvaccinated passengers will still need to take a pre-departure test and self-isolate for 10 days, ensuring they take a PCR test on day two and day eight.
The Prime Minister explained when he announced these new and more relaxed rules, that previous pre-departure measures were said to be having a limited impact because the Omicron variant is so prevalent.
“When the Omicron variant was first identified, we rightly introduced travel restrictions to slow its arrival in our country – but now Omicron is so prevalent, these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases, while continuing to pose significant costs to our travel industry,” he said in his statement.
Johnson continued: “All these measures are balanced and proportionate ways of ensuring we can live with COVID without letting our guard down.
“And we can only do this thanks to the biggest and fastest booster campaign in Europe.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he hopes the move will make travel “easier and cheaper” for passengers who are fully-vaccinated.
The decision to relax the rules on travel comes after the travel industry had been consistently calling for the removal of all COVID testing restrictions, arguing that it would have no real impact on Omicron infection rates and would actually help to restore consumer confidence.
Reacting to the news at the time, Charlie Cornish – CEO at Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – said: “Today’s announcement is very positive news and will help restart the recovery of the travel and tourism sector [as] the removal of these temporary measures is important recognition that travel restrictions should not remain in place if they no longer help prevent the spread of the virus.
“By removing barriers to travel in what is a critical period for forward-booking, passengers, airports, airlines and business across the UK can now plan ahead with confidence.
“We look forward to working with Government on a roadmap for the removal of all remaining restrictions, in order to help our prized aviation sector enjoy a full recovery.”
The Prime Minister said relaxing travel measures is a way to “live with COVID without letting our guard down” / Credit: Manchester Airport
Since the changes were announced on Wednesday, a number of travel companies have now reported a spike in interest for international travel, with easyJet revealing it had seen a boost of almost 200% in bookings, with demand for some destinations up more than 400% week on week.
British Airways also told Sky News that its holidays arm had seen a rise of almost 40% in web searches compared with the previous week.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
The Hoot -
7th January 2022 
