Report: UK Border Officers to Stop Routine COVID Checks

Report: UK Border Officers to Stop Routine COVID Checks
A plane comes in to land near a government coronavirus information sign at Heathrow Airport in London, on Feb. 5, 2021. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo
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LONDON—UK border officers have been directed to stop routinely checking whether travelers from many countries have tested negative for COVID-19, British media reported Wednesday, citing leaked government documents.

While the change is designed to reduce waiting times for airport immigration checks, it has raised concerns about importing new coronavirus cases at a time when infection rates in Britain are soaring, the Guardian newspaper reported.