Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 6 December 2021, Official Report, column 64, whether he has any further advice for UK citizens who have contracted and recovered from covid-19 overseas on testing to demonstrate their negative status.

From 7 December 2021, all travellers are required to take a pre-departure test and receive a negative result to depart for England. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), lateral flow device and LAMP tests may be used for this purpose. Recent infection and associated immunity is not necessarily associated with a residual positive PCR test. There is no guarantee that a new positive test outcome is not a new COVID-19 infection and potentially a variant of concern.