PCR

It can take between up to six days for Covid symptoms to appear (Photo: Shutterstock)

Total days symptoms can last after testing positive for Covid

UK tourists heading to Spain face tighter rules if they get Covid symptoms (Photo: Getty Images)

UK tourists face new Covid rules in Spain if they have symptoms

Some people infected with Covid-19 don’t experience any symptoms of the virus (Photo: Shutterstock)

How long after Covid exposure will you test positive?

Heathrow Airport PCR test on arrival: how to book an on-site PCR test

What Covid tests can I get at Heathrow Airport? PCR and Lateral Flow

Some countries have not yet made it mandatory for travellers to show proof of vaccination (Photo: Getty Images)

Countries allowing UK travellers to visit without a Covid vaccine

Lateral Flow Tests UK LFT rapid antigen

How do I order Covid lateral flow tests? Where to get home testing kit

Free Covid testing will end for the general public in England from 1 April (Photo: Getty Images)

Cost of lateral flow and PCR kits as England to scrap free testing

Covid entry rules have been eased in the Maldives (Photo: Adobe)

Maldives entry requirements for UK visitors as testing rules ease

The UK government has scrapped the legal requirement to self-isolate in England (Photo: Getty Images)

The date Covid self isolation rules are set to end in the UK

Day 2 PCR test at home: is it safe to take a day 2 test at home

PCR testing: the cheapest reliable Covid tests for home use

PCR tests are mainly used for people who have Covid-19 symptoms (Photo: Getty Images)

What Covid rules say about when to get a PCR test - and how to book

Some countries have set an expiry date for the validity of vaccine certificates (Photo: Getty Images)

Rules on booster jabs for travel - and the countries that ask for one

Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving in England who are fully vaccinated will be axed (Photo: Getty Images)

Covid tests scrapped for fully vaccinated arrivals in England

The Omicron Covid variant was first detected in early November 2021 (Photo: Shutterstock)

Does Omicron Covid variant show on lateral flow and PCR tests?

Composite image

These are the 10 areas of Scotland with the highest Covid rates

Boris Johnson has confirmed Plan B Covid restrictions will be lifted in England (Photo: Getty Images)

Date Plan B Covid restrictions will come to an end in England

Covid testing rules for people without symptoms have been relaxed (Photo: Getty Images)

Confirmatory PCR tests scrapped for people with no Covid symptoms
Asymptomatic people in England no longer have to get a follow-up PCR test after testing positive on a lateral flow
Claire Schofield

You should not eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes before doing a PCR test (Photo: Getty Images)

What rules say about eating before a PCR test - and when to take one

England has now ditched the requirement for ‘pre-departure’ tests for inbound international travellers - so what are the new rules?

How to get a LFT test for travel near me: where to get tests

Confirmatory PCR tests won’t be needed for those in England with no symptoms who have a positive lateral flow. Photo: Shutterstock

PCR tests after positive lateral flow to be suspended in England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus (Covid-19). Picture date: Tuesday January 4, 2022.

100,000 critical workers to get daily lateral flows from next week

(Composite: Kim Mogg / JPIMedia

Can lateral flows give a false positive? Accuracy of tests explained

You should do rapid lateral tests on days when you’re more likely to catch or spread Covid (Photo: Shutterstock)

Latest on UK Covid test shortages - and when you can order them

Our interactive maps reveal which neighbourhoods have the highest rate of coronavirus infection, and which are experiencing the greatest growth.

This map shows the number of Covid cases in your neighbourhood

One in five people taking PCR tests in England got positve results in the run up to Christmas.

Record high Covid positivity as 1 in 5 test positive in England

A PCR test involves taking a swab of the inside of your nose and the back of your throat, using a long cotton bud (Photo: Shutterstock)

How long do PCR Covid test results take?

Here are the travel rules for UK travellers in some of Europe’s major nations. (Credit: NationalWorld/Mark Hall)

How Covid entry rules differ across Europe for UK visitors

Contributor reports also identified loss of appetite and brain fog as common symptoms (Photo: Shutterstock)

The ‘surprising’ Omicron variant symptom that can appear when eating
The prevalence of Omicron is higher in London than other regions of the UK
Helen Johnson

Close contact Covid rules vary across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Photo: Shutterstock)

Covid close contact rules across the UK explained

A woman wearing a protective mask walks her dog on the Esplanade du Trocadero square in front of the Eiffel Tower in March 2020 (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

UK to France travel: new Covid restrictions and entry rules explained

The tightened rules comes following concerns over the Omicron variant (Photo: Getty Images)

All the venues you’ll need a Covid pass in the UK - and how to get one

An illustration picture shows a smartphone screen displaying a Covid-19 vaccine record on the National Health Service (NHS) app.

How do I get a Covid pass in England - and new rules explained

People across England have had difficulty booking PCR tests

Why there is a shortage of PCR test bookings in parts of the UK

The self isolation and testing rules for Covid vary across the UK (Photo: Shutterstock)

Do you have to isolate if someone in your house has Covid?

The pre-departure test is in addition to the day two PCR test after arrival in the UK (Photo: Getty Images)

The pre-departure tests you need for travel abroad as UK rules change

Holidaymakers will need to order a PCR test from a provider before travel (Photo: Getty Images)

Rules on Covid PCR tests for travelling abroad – and how to order one

Stansted Airport PCR test on arrival: how to book an on-site PCR test

Stansted Airport PCR test on arrival: how to book an on-site PCR test

Everyone must self-isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with a case of the Omicron variant (Photo: Getty Images)

Covid isolation laws to stay until March with £10k fine for rule break

The Omicron Covid variant has now been identified in various parts of the UK (Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

Face masks now compulsory in shops and on public transport in England

Coronavirus testing rules will relax for returning holidaymakers from 24 October (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Rule change for travellers to use lateral flow tests instead of PCR

(Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)

43,000 people may have been given wrong negative Covid test results

Travel test rules set to change - what you need to know

If you test positive for Covid-19 from a PCR test, you must self-isolate straight away (Photo: Getty Images)

Self-isolation rules you need to follow if you test positive for Covid

Access to free Covid-19 testing could be scrapped (Photo: Shutterstock)

Free access to Covid tests could be scrapped - what you need to know

How to tell symptoms of ‘worst cold ever’ and Covid apart

Travellers arriving in the UK from a country on the ‘red list’ must take a pre-departure test in the three days before arrival (Photo: Getty Images)

PCR test rules for travel explained and when they will change

Those arriving in the UK who take a lateral flow test to check their Covid status will have to take a photograph of it to prove the result (Photo: Shutterstock)

PCR Covid tests for travellers to be scrapped ‘before half-term’

Traffic light system scrapped as travel rules simplified

Number of ‘red list’ countries for travel to be slashed this week

More people are testing positive in every part of England - with Yorkshire and East Midlands worst affected

Covid positivity rate: more people testing positive in every region

The next travel update is expected on Thursday 16 September (Photo: Getty Images)

Travel traffic light system set to change to ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ list

Ryanair will launch 14 new routes from the UK this winter (Photo: Getty Images)

Ryanair is launching 14 new routes from the UK this winter

Scientists at the ZOE Symptom Study App have said their data shows sneezing and having a runny nose are common Covid symptoms (image: Shutterstock)

Most common Covid symptoms in the last month for people with both jabs

People who have been fully vaccinated can still transmit the Delta variant (Photo: Getty Images)

Fully vaccinated can still pass on Covid Delta variant

Sajid Javid has reduced PCR tests for holidaymakers by £20 for travellers returning from green list countries (Getty)

Sajid Javid cuts cost of Covid travel tests for green list countries

The lifting of Covid restrictions in England includes the end of social distancing measures and the wearing of face masks (Photo: Shutterstock)

These are the self isolation rules from 16 August

TUI have cancelled holidays to several popular holiday destinations (Picture: Getty Images)

TUI cancels more holidays amid uncertainty over travel restrictions