London (TIP): The UK government will lift all its remaining Covid-19 pandemic-related international travel restrictions from March 17, including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country. From 4 am GMT on March 17, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit travel details or take a PCR test even if they are unvaccinated. The change would remove the remaining rules in place for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and another test two days after arrival. “The UK is leading the world in removing all remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions, and today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other”, said UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday evening. “I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today – providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays. (PTI)
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Oil prices slide as coronavirus lockdown concerns outweigh Suez Canal disruptions
Oil prices skidded around 2% as fuel demand concerns re-emerged alongside fresh coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, trimming overnight gains spurred by the grounding of a giant container ship blocking crude shipments through the Suez Canal. Brent crude futures slid $1.14, or 1.8%, to $63.27 a barrel at 0139 GMT, after jumping 6% overnight. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped by $1.27, or 2.1%, to $59.91 a barrel, after climbing 5.9% overnight. Prices had tumbled earlier in the week on worries about tighter pandemic curbs in Europe and vaccine delays stalling growth in demand for fuel, but sharply reversed on Wednesday with the grounded ship in the Suez Canal potentially blocking 10 tankers carrying 13 million barrels of oil. The market was also helped on Wednesday by data showing US gasoline demand improved and refinery run rates were picking up. However, those factors supporting the market were short-lived, even as tugs struggled to free the stranded Suez Canal ship.