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UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced that fully vaccinated passengers arriving from amber-list countries will no longer have to quarantine if their shots were administered by either a US or EU-approved manufacturer.
“Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade – this is progress we can all enjoy," he said.
The move will undoubtedly make travel from the US to the UK a much less arduous prospect – but what about the reverse? How easy is it for people from the UK to travel to the US? Will they face quarantine? Will they need to provide proof of vaccination?
Before these questions are answered, here are the newly announced rules for travel from the US to the UK.
What's changed for travellers going from the US to the UK?
Any fully vaccinated passenger coming from the US, which is on the UK's amber list, will no longer need to isolate if their shots were administered by a US-approved manufacturer.
On the current list of approved vaccine manufacturers in the US are Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. AstraZeneca on Thursday announced it would be deferring its application for US approval until the autumn.
Previously, only travellers from the US who had been inoculated by the UK's NHS were eligible to skip the period of self-isolation.
Will people entering the UK from the US need to have a Covid test if fully vaccinated?
Such travellers will still have to undergo pre-departure Covid-19 screening and take another test two days after landing in England.
They will also need to provide proof of US residency.
When will the US-to-UK travel changes come into effect?
The changes came into effect at 4am British Summer Time on Monday, August 2.
Can people travel from the UK to the US?
Current rules mean that it is not possible for most people from Britain to travel to the US if they have been in the UK in the previous 14 days.
These rules also apply to travellers from Ireland, Schengen Area countries, Iran, Brazil, China or South Africa.
There are some exemptions, however. The UK government said that "US citizens and permanent residents of the US, certain specified close family members and certain other limited categories of visa holders (such as UN staff and diplomats) are exempt".
This cohort can enter the country and will be subject to the normal entry requirements stipulated on the US embassy website.
The news is far better for prospective tourists to the US from the UAE.
What are the rules for travellers entering the US from the UAE?
There are no coronavirus-related restrictions for people arriving in the US from the UAE, guidelines from the US Department of Homeland Security showed, although travellers need to have proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than three days before flying.
Visitors can also show proof of having recovered from the virus in the past three months.
Travellers must also have a valid visa, as always, but the final decision on whether they can be admitted to the country will be made by a US Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry.
Visitors should also check state rules. While many states have removed restrictions, others still have some in place.
Will there be a US-UK travel corridor?
This has been mooted as a possibility for a while now but nothing concrete has materialised – despite US tourists being allowed to travel throughout the EU after it was added to America's safe travel list.
In June, America's chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, told ITV News he felt that if the UK continued its positive vaccination trajectory, "it would be in a very favourable position" by the end of the summer.
This was before the Delta variant took hold in the UK and showed signs of doing the same in the US.
Trips from the UK across the pond may have to be put on ice for some time yet, much to the travel sector's chagrin.
