uzbekistan covid 19 travel restrictions

• Travel Restrictions - Covid-19

Uzbekistan Travel Restrictions - Covid-19

Last updated: June 8, 2022

Uzbekistan and Coronavirus

Uzbekistan lifted the most Covid-related restrictions. Public transport in and between cities is functioning normally, and all establishments are operating normally. Hotels and guesthouses remain open but are subject to special health and safety rules. Wearing a face mask is not mandatory anymore.

Uzbekistan offers AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sputnik V, Pfizer, and a Chinese vaccine to citizens and residents. 

Since June 10, all restrictions related to the coronavirus have been lifted for tourists entering Uzbekistan at all entry points - by road, by air and by rail. You will no longer need a vaccination certificate, a PCR test or an antigen test.

Uzbekistan’s  visa-free policy  has not changed, and nationalities which were previously granted visa-free entry are still allowed to enter without a visa for travel purposes.

When purchasing travel insurance, please ensure that the plan covers COVID-19 treatment expenses.

Uzbekistan Quarantine Rules

Visitors are not currently subject to quarantine or self-isolation restrictions.

Where Can I Get a COVID-19 PCR Test in Uzbekistan?

There are more than 40 laboratories in Uzbekistan which can provide PCR testing for Covid-19, including the following clinics:

Tashkent: Tibbiyot Dunyosi, +998 95 199 5500, +998 71 277 5090 (www.td.uz) Genotexnoligiya, +998 95 198 8303 (www.genetech.uz) Unilab Service, +998 33 070 1133 Shox International Hospital, +998 71 207 0017 (www.shox.hospital) Swiss Lab, +998 71 207 6556, +998 95 145 0006

Samarkand: Samarqand Tibbiy Diagnostika, +998 66 233 9333, +998 66 233 0533 (www.samtibdiag.uz) Gamma Med Clinic, +998 95 507 3330, +998 93 353 2726, www.gammamed.uz Parizoda Medical Service, +998 95 500 1848, +998 91 546 6171 Neo-Vita Medical Center, +998 90 530 1144, +998 95 560 1118

Fergana: Free-Joy Medical Laboratory, +998 91 126 3040 Biotest Medical, +998 90 634 3120, +998 73 244 0033

Kokand: Evromed, +998 91 202 0077

Nukus: Medical Centre, +998 78 770 7777, +998 99 503 0303 Emergency Medical Service +998 61 224 8820, +998 91 373 3108

Bukhara: Emergency Medical Service, +998 65 223 3740

Urgench: Emergency Medical Service, +998 62 228 8281, +998 62 228 8270

Khiva: Shohijahon Diagnostic, +998 99 731 4425, +998 99 347 0997

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have in relation to the latest Uzbekistan travel restrictions related to coronavirus/Covid-19.

PCR Test in Uzbekistan - Tashkent

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Uzbekistan Traveler View

Travel health notices, vaccines and medicines, non-vaccine-preventable diseases, stay healthy and safe.

• Packing List

After Your Trip

Be aware of current health issues in Uzbekistan. Learn how to protect yourself.

Level 1 Practice Usual Precautions

• Global Measles May 28, 2024 Many international destinations are reporting increased numbers of cases of measles. Destination List: Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia

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Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need. If you or your doctor need help finding a location that provides certain vaccines or medicines, visit the Find a Clinic page.

Routine vaccines

Recommendations.

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include

• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis
• Flu (influenza)
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)

Immunization schedules

All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see  Your COVID-19 Vaccination  for more information. 

COVID-19 vaccine

Hepatitis A

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Uzbekistan.

Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series.

Travelers allergic to a vaccine component or who are younger than 6 months should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given.

Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin.

Hepatitis A - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep A

Hepatitis B

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers of all ages traveling to Uzbekistan.

Hepatitis B - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep B

Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading.

All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to  CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel .

Measles (Rubeola) - CDC Yellow Book

Dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in Uzbekistan.

If rabies exposures occur while in Uzbekistan, rabies vaccines are typically not readily available.

Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis.

Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel.

For more information, see country rabies status assessments .

Rabies - CDC Yellow Book

Recommended for most travelers, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas.

Typhoid - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Typhoid

Avoid contaminated water

Leptospirosis

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)

• Touching urine or other body fluids from an animal infected with leptospirosis
• Swimming or wading in urine-contaminated fresh water, or contact with urine-contaminated mud
• Drinking water or eating food contaminated with animal urine
• Avoid contaminated water and soil
• Avoid floodwater

Clinical Guidance

Avoid bug bites.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever

• Tick bite 
• Touching the body fluids of a person or animal infected with CCHF
• Avoid Bug Bites

Leishmaniasis

• Sand fly bite

Airborne & droplet

• Breathing in air or accidentally eating food contaminated with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
• Bite from an infected rodent
• Less commonly, being around someone sick with hantavirus (only occurs with Andes virus)
• Avoid rodents and areas where they live
• Avoid sick people

Tuberculosis (TB)

• Breathe in TB bacteria that is in the air from an infected and contagious person coughing, speaking, or singing.

Learn actions you can take to stay healthy and safe on your trip. Vaccines cannot protect you from many diseases in Uzbekistan, so your behaviors are important.

Eat and drink safely

Food and water standards around the world vary based on the destination. Standards may also differ within a country and risk may change depending on activity type (e.g., hiking versus business trip). You can learn more about safe food and drink choices when traveling by accessing the resources below.

• Choose Safe Food and Drinks When Traveling
• Water Treatment Options When Hiking, Camping or Traveling
• Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
• Avoid Contaminated Water During Travel

You can also visit the Department of State Country Information Pages for additional information about food and water safety.

Prevent bug bites

Bugs (like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas) can spread a number of diseases in Uzbekistan. Many of these diseases cannot be prevented with a vaccine or medicine. You can reduce your risk by taking steps to prevent bug bites.

What can I do to prevent bug bites?

• Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
• Use an appropriate insect repellent (see below).
• Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents). Do not use permethrin directly on skin.
• Stay and sleep in air-conditioned or screened rooms.
• Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.

What type of insect repellent should I use?

• FOR PROTECTION AGAINST TICKS AND MOSQUITOES: Use a repellent that contains 20% or more DEET for protection that lasts up to several hours.
• Picaridin (also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and icaridin)
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undecanone
• Always use insect repellent as directed.

What should I do if I am bitten by bugs?

• Avoid scratching bug bites, and apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce the itching.
• Check your entire body for ticks after outdoor activity. Be sure to remove ticks properly.

What can I do to avoid bed bugs?

Although bed bugs do not carry disease, they are an annoyance. See our information page about avoiding bug bites for some easy tips to avoid them. For more information on bed bugs, see Bed Bugs .

For more detailed information on avoiding bug bites, see Avoid Bug Bites .

Stay safe outdoors

If your travel plans in Uzbekistan include outdoor activities, take these steps to stay safe and healthy during your trip.

• Stay alert to changing weather conditions and adjust your plans if conditions become unsafe.
• Prepare for activities by wearing the right clothes and packing protective items, such as bug spray, sunscreen, and a basic first aid kit.
• Consider learning basic first aid and CPR before travel. Bring a travel health kit with items appropriate for your activities.
• If you are outside for many hours in heat, eat salty snacks and drink water to stay hydrated and replace salt lost through sweating.
• Protect yourself from UV radiation : use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, wear protective clothing, and seek shade during the hottest time of day (10 a.m.–4 p.m.).
• Be especially careful during summer months and at high elevation. Because sunlight reflects off snow, sand, and water, sun exposure may be increased during activities like skiing, swimming, and sailing.
• Very cold temperatures can be dangerous. Dress in layers and cover heads, hands, and feet properly if you are visiting a cold location.

Stay safe around water

• Swim only in designated swimming areas. Obey lifeguards and warning flags on beaches.
• Practice safe boating—follow all boating safety laws, do not drink alcohol if driving a boat, and always wear a life jacket.
• Do not dive into shallow water.
• Do not swim in freshwater in developing areas or where sanitation is poor.
• Avoid swallowing water when swimming. Untreated water can carry germs that make you sick.
• To prevent infections, wear shoes on beaches where there may be animal waste.

Keep away from animals

Most animals avoid people, but they may attack if they feel threatened, are protecting their young or territory, or if they are injured or ill. Animal bites and scratches can lead to serious diseases such as rabies.

Follow these tips to protect yourself:

• Do not touch or feed any animals you do not know.
• Do not allow animals to lick open wounds, and do not get animal saliva in your eyes or mouth.
• Avoid rodents and their urine and feces.
• Traveling pets should be supervised closely and not allowed to come in contact with local animals.
• If you wake in a room with a bat, seek medical care immediately. Bat bites may be hard to see.

All animals can pose a threat, but be extra careful around dogs, bats, monkeys, sea animals such as jellyfish, and snakes. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately:

• Wash the wound with soap and clean water.
• Go to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor about your injury when you get back to the United States.

Consider buying medical evacuation insurance. Rabies is a deadly disease that must be treated quickly, and treatment may not be available in some countries.

Reduce your exposure to germs

Follow these tips to avoid getting sick or spreading illness to others while traveling:

• Wash your hands often, especially before eating.
• If soap and water aren’t available, clean hands with hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol).
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you need to touch your face, make sure your hands are clean.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Try to avoid contact with people who are sick.
• If you are sick, stay home or in your hotel room, unless you need medical care.

Avoid sharing body fluids

Diseases can be spread through body fluids, such as saliva, blood, vomit, and semen.

Protect yourself:

• Use latex condoms correctly.
• Do not inject drugs.
• Limit alcohol consumption. People take more risks when intoxicated.
• Do not share needles or any devices that can break the skin. That includes needles for tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture.
• If you receive medical or dental care, make sure the equipment is disinfected or sanitized.

Know how to get medical care while traveling

Plan for how you will get health care during your trip, should the need arise:

• Carry a list of local doctors and hospitals at your destination.
• Review your health insurance plan to determine what medical services it would cover during your trip. Consider purchasing travel health and medical evacuation insurance.
• Carry a card that identifies, in the local language, your blood type, chronic conditions or serious allergies, and the generic names of any medications you take.
• Some prescription drugs may be illegal in other countries. Call Uzbekistan’s embassy to verify that all of your prescription(s) are legal to bring with you.
• Bring all the medicines (including over-the-counter medicines) you think you might need during your trip, including extra in case of travel delays. Ask your doctor to help you get prescriptions filled early if you need to.

Many foreign hospitals and clinics are accredited by the Joint Commission International. A list of accredited facilities is available at their website ( www.jointcommissioninternational.org ).

In some countries, medicine (prescription and over-the-counter) may be substandard or counterfeit. Bring the medicines you will need from the United States to avoid having to buy them at your destination.

Select safe transportation

Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of healthy US citizens in foreign countries.

In many places cars, buses, large trucks, rickshaws, bikes, people on foot, and even animals share the same lanes of traffic, increasing the risk for crashes.

Be smart when you are traveling on foot.

• Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks.
• Pay attention to the traffic around you, especially in crowded areas.
• Remember, people on foot do not always have the right of way in other countries.

Riding/Driving

Choose a safe vehicle.

• Choose official taxis or public transportation, such as trains and buses.
• Ride only in cars that have seatbelts.
• Avoid overcrowded, overloaded, top-heavy buses and minivans.
• Avoid riding on motorcycles or motorbikes, especially motorbike taxis. (Many crashes are caused by inexperienced motorbike drivers.)
• Choose newer vehicles—they may have more safety features, such as airbags, and be more reliable.
• Choose larger vehicles, which may provide more protection in crashes.

Think about the driver.

• Do not drive after drinking alcohol or ride with someone who has been drinking.
• Consider hiring a licensed, trained driver familiar with the area.
• Arrange payment before departing.

Follow basic safety tips.

• Wear a seatbelt at all times.
• Sit in the back seat of cars and taxis.
• When on motorbikes or bicycles, always wear a helmet. (Bring a helmet from home, if needed.)
• Avoid driving at night; street lighting in certain parts of Uzbekistan may be poor.
• Do not use a cell phone or text while driving (illegal in many countries).
• Travel during daylight hours only, especially in rural areas.
• If you choose to drive a vehicle in Uzbekistan, learn the local traffic laws and have the proper paperwork.
• Get any driving permits and insurance you may need. Get an International Driving Permit (IDP). Carry the IDP and a US-issued driver's license at all times.
• Check with your auto insurance policy's international coverage, and get more coverage if needed. Make sure you have liability insurance.
• Avoid using local, unscheduled aircraft.
• If possible, fly on larger planes (more than 30 seats); larger airplanes are more likely to have regular safety inspections.
• Try to schedule flights during daylight hours and in good weather.

Medical Evacuation Insurance

If you are seriously injured, emergency care may not be available or may not meet US standards. Trauma care centers are uncommon outside urban areas. Having medical evacuation insurance can be helpful for these reasons.

Helpful Resources

Road Safety Overseas (Information from the US Department of State): Includes tips on driving in other countries, International Driving Permits, auto insurance, and other resources.

The Association for International Road Travel has country-specific Road Travel Reports available for most countries for a minimal fee.

Maintain personal security

Use the same common sense traveling overseas that you would at home, and always stay alert and aware of your surroundings.

Before you leave

• Research your destination(s), including local laws, customs, and culture.
• Monitor travel advisories and alerts and read travel tips from the US Department of State.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) .
• Leave a copy of your itinerary, contact information, credit cards, and passport with someone at home.
• Pack as light as possible, and leave at home any item you could not replace.

While at your destination(s)

• Carry contact information for the nearest US embassy or consulate .
• Carry a photocopy of your passport and entry stamp; leave the actual passport securely in your hotel.
• Follow all local laws and social customs.
• Do not wear expensive clothing or jewelry.
• Always keep hotel doors locked, and store valuables in secure areas.
• If possible, choose hotel rooms between the 2nd and 6th floors.

Healthy Travel Packing List

Use the Healthy Travel Packing List for Uzbekistan for a list of health-related items to consider packing for your trip. Talk to your doctor about which items are most important for you.

Why does CDC recommend packing these health-related items?

It’s best to be prepared to prevent and treat common illnesses and injuries. Some supplies and medicines may be difficult to find at your destination, may have different names, or may have different ingredients than what you normally use.

If you are not feeling well after your trip, you may need to see a doctor. If you need help finding a travel medicine specialist, see Find a Clinic . Be sure to tell your doctor about your travel, including where you went and what you did on your trip. Also tell your doctor if you were bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling.

For more information on what to do if you are sick after your trip, see Getting Sick after Travel .

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• COVID-19 travel restrictions: Uzbekistan
• < Travel restrictions

Travel restrictions

By Kiwi.com June 30, 2022

By Kiwi.com | June 30, 2022

This article was published on June 30, 2022, and all the information in the article is correct as of this time. Before you book your trip, we highly recommend that you also check official sources for the most up-to-date travel requirements, as they are subject to constant change.

Can I enter Uzbekistan?

As of April 2022, Uzbekistan is open to travelers from all over the world. Nevertheless, several COVID-19 restrictions are in place.

Can I enter Uzbekistan if I am vaccinated?

You can enter Uzbekistan if you are vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated at least 14 days after completing your vaccination course.

As of April 2022, the following vaccines are approved in Uzbekistan:

• AstraZeneca
• ZF-UZ-VAC2001

Travel documents if I am vaccinated 

• A vaccination certificate with a valid QR code

Minors under 12 are exempt from presenting a certificate.

Can I enter Uzbekistan if I am unvaccinated?

You can enter Uzbekistan if you are unvaccinated. 

Travel documents if I am unvaccinated 

• The negative result of a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departing for Uzbekistan.

Minors under 12 are exempt from presenting a test result.

Can I leave Uzbekistan?

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers can leave Uzbekistan. Please check the entry requirements at your destination country in advance to make sure you will be permitted to travel. 

• A document confirming vaccination status

In addition, please check for potential testing requirements at your destination country . Certain countries require testing of all incoming travelers regardless of their vaccination status.

Travel documents if I am unvaccinated

• A certificate of recovery from COVID-19 (no more than 180 days old before the day of crossing the border of a particular country)
• A negative COVID-19 test result (the relevant period and kind of test may vary, please check the requirements of the destination country)

COVID-19 situation in Uzbekistan currently

As of April 2022, the COVID-19 situation in Uzbekistan is relatively safe. 

Is it safe to travel to Uzbekistan right now?

International travel to Uzbekistan is safe now. Local COVID-19-preventative measures are basic:

• Wearing masks indoors
• Keeping a social distance

Is Tashkent open for travel now?

The capital of Uzbekistan is open for travel now. Nevertheless, please abide by local COVID-19 rules throughout your stay

Do I have to go into quarantine if I go to Uzbekistan?

At present, you do not have to go into quarantine in Uzbekistan.

How do I get a health pass to travel to Uzbekistan?

You can use a digital COVID-19 pass issued by your country of origin.

Useful links:

• Entry rules to Uzbekistan

Visit our   Travel Restrictions section at Kiwi.com Stories   to read   more travel restrictions articles

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Coronavirus Updates

The u.s. lifts the pandemic travel ban and opens the doors to international visitors.

The Associated Press

Passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport, Oct. 27, 2020. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. Rick Bowmer/AP hide caption

Passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport, Oct. 27, 2020. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status.

The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart because of the pandemic.

Starting Monday, the U.S. is accepting fully vaccinated travelers at airports and land borders, doing away with a COVID-19 restriction that dates back to the Trump administration. The new rules allow air travel from previously restricted countries as long as the traveler has proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test. Land travel from Mexico and Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test.

Airlines are expecting more travelers from Europe and elsewhere. Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month.

The change will have a profound effect on the borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the U.S. shut down nonessential travel.

Malls, restaurants and Main Street shops in U.S. border towns have been devastated by the lack of visitors from Mexico. On the boundary with Canada, cross-border hockey rivalries were community traditions until being upended by the pandemic. Churches that had members on both sides of the border are hoping to welcome parishioners they haven't seen during COVID-19 shutdown.

Loved ones have missed holidays, birthdays and funerals while nonessential air travel was barred, and they are now eager to reconnect.

River Robinson's American partner wasn't able to be in Canada for the birth of their baby boy 17 months ago because of pandemic-related border closures. She was thrilled to hear the U.S. is reopening its land crossings to vaccinated travelers.

"I'm planning to take my baby down for the American Thanksgiving," said Robinson, who lives in St. Thomas, Ontario. "If all goes smoothly at the border I'll plan on taking him down as much as I can. Is crazy to think he has a whole other side of the family he hasn't even met yet."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. That means that the AstraZeneca vaccine, widely used in Canada, will be accepted.

For air travelers, the airlines are required to verify vaccine records and match them against ID, and if they don't, they could face fines of up to nearly $35,000 per violation. Airlines will also collect information about passengers for contact tracing efforts. There will be CDC workers spot-checking travelers for compliance in the U.S. At land borders, Customs and Border Protection agents will check vaccine proof.

The moves come as the U.S. has seen its COVID-19 outlook improve dramatically in recent weeks since the summer delta surge that pushed hospitals to the brink in many locations.

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JHU has stopped collecting data as of

After three years of around-the-clock tracking of COVID-19 data from...

Group 41 Overview

Confirmed cases, group 17 notes.

Reduced counts in U.S. cases and deaths are the result of states and territories not reporting the information for some or all of the weekend. Those states and territories are: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Typically, these states' Monday updates include the weekend totals.

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COVID-19: travel health notice for all travellers

Uzbekistan travel advice

Latest updates: Laws and culture – updated information about money

Last updated: June 4, 2024 08:03 ET

On this page

Safety and security, entry and exit requirements, laws and culture, natural disasters and climate, uzbekistan - take normal security precautions.

Take normal security precautions in Uzbekistan

Border with Afghanistan - Avoid all travel

Avoid all travel to within 5 km of the border with Afghanistan due to the ongoing and dangerous security situation and the risk of terrorism.

Border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - Exercise a high degree of caution

Exercise a high degree of caution in areas bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the western Fergana Valley, south of the road linking the Ravat border crossing and the Soh river, due to the unpredictable security situation in the region.

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Borders areas

Armed clashes have occurred in the mountainous area bordering Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan . The situation could escalate without notice.

Afghanistan

The land border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan has been closed since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

The area is heavily guarded and the Uzbek military established several checkpoints to deter smuggling, illegal crossings and other illegal activities.

In 2022, shelling from Afghanistan was reported in the Uzbek city of Termez, causing damage to several buildings.

In 2020, Uzbekistan announced the completion of a demining operation along its border with Tajikistan.

Although no incidents have been reported since, landmines still pose a threat to your safety.

Land disputes and tensions between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have occurred since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, in early 2023, Uzbek and Kyrgyz authorities announced that they finally reached an agreement on the delimitation of their shared borders.

Kyrgyz authorities may restrict access to border crossings with Uzbekistan without warning.

You should confirm with local authorities if border posts are open for travel before heading to Kyrgyzstan.

Despite landmines clearing efforts, marked and unmarked minefields may still be present in areas bordering the following countries, especially in uncontrolled areas:

If you are travelling to any of these areas despite the advisory in effect:

• stay on main roads and paved surfaces
• avoid roadside ditches, shoulders and unmarked trails
• cross only at official border crossings
• strictly observe warning signs indicating the possible presence of landmines

There is a low threat of terrorism. This threat is amplified by individuals returning from fighting in the Middle East. Local security forces conduct operations to counter terrorist threats, which can lead to sporadic violence.

Terrorist attacks could occur at any time.

Targets could include:

• government buildings, including schools
• places of worship
• outdoor recreation events
• airports and other transportation hubs and networks
• public areas such as tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping centres, markets, hotels and other sites frequented by foreigners

Always be aware of your surroundings when in public places.

Be particularly vigilant during:

• sporting events
• religious holidays
• public celebrations
• major political events, such as elections

Terrorists may use such occasions to mount attacks.

Petty crime

Petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, is common and home break-ins and burglaries occur. Thefts occur in crowded places, such as:

• public transportation
• public markets and bazaars
• restaurants
• bars and nightclubs

Incidents of petty crime are more frequent at night and in the following regions:

There are reports of foreigners being robbed by individuals posing as police officers.

If you’re approached:

• ask to see police credentials
• offer to go to the police station
• remain vigilant

During your stay:

• keep your car and home doors locked and windows closed at all times
• don’t leave personal items and documents in plain sight in a vehicle
• make sure that your personal belongings, including your passport and other travel documents are secure at all times
• don’t show signs of affluence
• avoid travelling alone in isolated and poorly-lit areas

Credit card and ATM fraud occurs, especially outside reputable establishments and banks.

When using debit or credit cards:

• pay careful attention when your cards are being handled by others
• use ATMs located in well-lit public areas or inside a bank or a store
• avoid using card readers with an irregular or unusual feature
• cover the keypad with one hand when entering your PIN

Overseas fraud

Demonstrations

Planned and unplanned demonstrations are rare and security forces tightly control crowds to prevent escalation and violence.

In 2022, the authorities intervened in large-scale demonstrations in the Karakalpakstan region over constitutional reforms. They have led to vandalism and violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The situation could escalate without notice.

Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time. They can also lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.

• Avoid areas where demonstrations and large gatherings are taking place
• Follow the instructions of local authorities
• Monitor local media for information on ongoing demonstrations

Mass gatherings (large-scale events)

Women’s safety

Women travelling alone may be subject to some forms of harassment and verbal abuse.

Advice for women travellers

Adventure tourism

Adventure tourism, such as zip-lining, rock climbing or trekking, can be dangerous, especially if they are not well-organized. Trails are not always marked and weather conditions can change rapidly.

Tour operators may not meet international standards.

If you are participating in adventure tourism, such as zip-lining, rock climbing, trekking, hiking, parasailing:

• never do so alone, and do not part with your tour companions  
• consider hiring an experienced guide from a reputable company 
• obtain detailed information on your activity and on the environment in which you will be setting out  
• buy travel insurance that includes helicopter rescue and medical evacuation   
• ensure that your physical condition is good enough to tackle the challenges of your activity  
• avoid venturing off marked trails  
• refrain from using equipment if you have doubts on their safety  
• Make sure you always have access to an emergency kit

Power outages

Power outages, referred to as planned outages, occur regularly throughout the year and last for several hours due to the lack of natural gas supply. During winter months, the heating of buildings is difficult and the supply of drinking water is limited due to freezing temperatures.

They usually lead to long lines at grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies.

• Plan accordingly
• Keep a supply of water, food and fuel on hand

Road safety

Road conditions.

Roads are generally in good condition in Tashkent, but in rural areas, particularly in the Tian Shan and Fan mountains, they are poorly maintained and dangerous due to:

• large potholes
• malfunctioning or absence of traffic lights
• insufficient lighting
• uneven surface
• bad road markings and signage

Gas stations are limited and the quality of fuel is poor in rural areas.

Driving habits

Drivers often disregard traffic laws, including:

• sudden lane changes without signaling
• driving on the opposite side of the road and astride lanes
• stopping abruptly

Vehicles entering roundabouts have priority over those already in them.

Pedestrians often cross in the middle of the road and drivers don’t always give pedestrians the right of way.

Police frequently stop drivers for minor infractions or to verify their identification. Foreigners may face harassment, including bribes.

If you’re driving in Uzbekistan:

• always drive defensively
• avoid driving at night
• use main roads and highways as much as possible
• always carry a cellphone and a charger

Public transportation

You should avoid taking taxis in Uzbekistan. Licensed and unlicensed taxis operate in Uzbekistan, but it’s difficult to differentiate them.

Vehicles don’t always have roof-mounted taxi signs and are not always equipped with safety features like seatbelts.

Drivers are often distracted and don’t always take the shortest itinerary. Unlicensed taxis may pick up additional passengers, which poses a risk to your safety.

In major cities, there are ridesharing applications on which you can order a taxi with safer vehicles and fixed fares.

If you choose to take taxis during your stay:

• order it at the reception if you are staying at a hotel
• don’t use unmarked taxis
• never share a taxi with strangers
• confirm the fare in advance
• have small bills available for payment

The rail network is extensive and trains are generally modern and safe.

When travelling by rail in Uzbekistan, it is sometimes necessary to cross into neighbouring countries.

• Make sure that your personal belongings, including your passport and other travel documents, are secure at all times
• Make sure that you have the required travel documents to cross into neighboring countries
• Don’t leave your compartment unattended
• Keep the door locked from the inside

Buses operate in and between major cities. They are generally crowded and have no air conditioning. Some buses are in poor condition.

Pickpockets are common on buses.

Minibuses called "Damas vans" often lack security features like seatbelts.

• Always carry your valuables and identification with you
• Avoid storing bags in the overhead compartment or under your seat
• Don't take buses that look overloaded or in poor condition

We do not make assessments on the compliance of foreign domestic airlines with international safety standards.

Information about foreign domestic airlines

Every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders. The Government of Canada cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet your destination’s entry or exit requirements.

We have obtained the information on this page from the Uzbek authorities. It can, however, change at any time.

Verify this information with the  Foreign Representatives in Canada .

Entry requirements vary depending on the type of passport you use for travel.

Before you travel, check with your transportation company about passport requirements. Its rules on passport validity may be more stringent than the country’s entry rules.

Regular Canadian passport

Your passport must be valid at least 6 months before entering Uzbekistan.

Passport for official travel

Different entry rules may apply.

Official travel

Passport with “X” gender identifier

While the Government of Canada issues passports with an “X” gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the “X” gender identifier. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Other travel documents

Different entry rules may apply when travelling with a temporary passport or an emergency travel document. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Useful links

• Foreign Representatives in Canada
• Canadian passports

Tourist visa: not required for stays of up to 30 days Business visa: not required for stays of up to 30 days Student visa: not required for stays of up to 30 days

If you require a visa, you must obtain it before arriving in Uzbekistan

• Official Electronic Visa Portal – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan
• Visa of the Republic of Uzbekistan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Overland travel

When travelling by rail or road in Uzbekistan, it is sometimes necessary to cross into neighbouring countries. To avoid complications, make sure you have a multi-entry visa for Uzbekistan and any visa required for entry into these countries.

Registration

You must register with the local authorities if you intend to stay for more than 3 days. Hotel staff normally registers guests when they check-in. The registration slip may be requested upon leaving Uzbekistan.

Online registration - Ministry of internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Tourist areas

Travel to certain tourist areas, including in the Surkhandarya region, requires special permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

You should contact the nearest Uzbek diplomatic representation or an Uzbek travel agency for more information on whether you need to request an authorization prior to travelling to certain areas.

• Contact information – Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan
• Contact information – National Tourist Information Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan
• Children and travel

Learn more about travelling with children .

Yellow fever

Learn about potential entry requirements related to yellow fever (vaccines section).

Relevant Travel Health Notices

• Global Measles Notice - 13 March, 2024
• COVID-19 and International Travel - 13 March, 2024

This section contains information on possible health risks and restrictions regularly found or ongoing in the destination. Follow this advice to lower your risk of becoming ill while travelling. Not all risks are listed below.

Consult a health care professional or visit a travel health clinic preferably 6 weeks before you travel to get personalized health advice and recommendations.

Routine Vaccines

Be sure that your  routine vaccines , as per your province or territory, are up-to-date regardless of your travel destination.

Some of these vaccines include: measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella (chickenpox), influenza and others.

Pre-travel vaccines and medications

You may be at risk for preventable diseases while travelling in this destination. Talk to a travel health professional about which medications or vaccines are right for you.

Yellow fever is a disease caused by a flavivirus from the bite of an infected mosquito.

Travellers get vaccinated either because it is required to enter a country or because it is recommended for their protection.

• There is no risk of yellow fever in this country.

Country Entry Requirement*

• Proof of vaccination is not required to enter this country.

Recommendation

• Vaccination is not recommended.

* It is important to note that country entry requirements may not reflect your risk of yellow fever at your destination. It is recommended that you contact the nearest diplomatic or consular office of the destination(s) you will be visiting to verify any additional entry requirements.

About Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada

There is a risk of hepatitis A in this destination. It is a disease of the liver. People can get hepatitis A if they ingest contaminated food or water, eat foods prepared by an infectious person, or if they have close physical contact (such as oral-anal sex) with an infectious person, although casual contact among people does not spread the virus.

Practise  safe food and water precautions and wash your hands often. Vaccination is recommended for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It can spread quickly from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air.

Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of being infected with it when travelling internationally.

Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are fully protected against measles.

  Hepatitis B is a risk in every destination. It is a viral liver disease that is easily transmitted from one person to another through exposure to blood and body fluids containing the hepatitis B virus.  Travellers who may be exposed to blood or other bodily fluids (e.g., through sexual contact, medical treatment, sharing needles, tattooing, acupuncture or occupational exposure) are at higher risk of getting hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all travellers. Prevent hepatitis B infection by practicing safe sex, only using new and sterile drug equipment, and only getting tattoos and piercings in settings that follow public health regulations and standards.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious viral disease. It can spread from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air.

It is recommended that all eligible travellers complete a COVID-19 vaccine series along with any additional recommended doses in Canada before travelling. Evidence shows that vaccines are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. While vaccination provides better protection against serious illness, you may still be at risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. Anyone who has not completed a vaccine series is at increased risk of being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and is at greater risk for severe disease when travelling internationally.

Before travelling, verify your destination’s COVID-19 vaccination entry/exit requirements. Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are adequately protected against COVID-19.

 The best way to protect yourself from seasonal influenza (flu) is to get vaccinated every year. Get the flu shot at least 2 weeks before travelling.  

 The flu occurs worldwide. 

•  In the Northern Hemisphere, the flu season usually runs from November to   April.
•  In the Southern Hemisphere, the flu season usually runs between April and   October.
•  In the tropics, there is flu activity year round. 

The flu vaccine available in one hemisphere may only offer partial protection against the flu in the other hemisphere.

The flu virus spreads from person to person when they cough or sneeze or by touching objects and surfaces that have been contaminated with the virus. Clean your hands often and wear a mask if you have a fever or respiratory symptoms.

In this destination, rabies is commonly carried by dogs and some wildlife, including bats. Rabies is a deadly disease that spreads to humans primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal. While travelling, take precautions , including keeping your distance from animals (including free-roaming dogs), and closely supervising children.

If you are bitten or scratched by a dog or other animal while travelling, immediately wash the wound with soap and clean water and see a health care professional. In this destination, rabies treatment may be limited or may not be available, therefore you may need to return to Canada for treatment.  

Before travel, discuss rabies vaccination with a health care professional. It may be recommended for travellers who are at high risk of exposure (e.g., occupational risk such as veterinarians and wildlife workers, children, adventure travellers and spelunkers, and others in close contact with animals). 

Food and Water-borne Diseases

Travellers to any destination in the world can develop   travellers' diarrhea   from consuming contaminated water or food.

In some areas in Central Asia, food and water can also carry diseases like  hepatitis A  and  typhoid . Practise  safe food and water precautions  while travelling in Central Asia.  Remember: Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it!

Travellers' diarrhea is the most common illness affecting travellers. It is spread from eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

Risk of developing travellers' diarrhea increases when travelling in regions with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation. Practise safe food and water precautions.

The most important treatment for travellers' diarrhea is rehydration (drinking lots of fluids). Carry oral rehydration salts when travelling.

Typhoid   is a bacterial infection spread by contaminated food or water. Risk is higher among children, travellers going to rural areas, travellers visiting friends and relatives or those travelling for a long period of time.

Travellers visiting regions with a risk of typhoid, especially those exposed to places with poor sanitation, should speak to a health care professional about vaccination.  

Insects and Illness

In some areas in Central Asia, certain insects carry and spread diseases like   Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever ,   leishmaniasis ,   Lyme disease ,   malaria , and   tick-borne encephalitis .

Travellers are advised to   take precautions against bites .

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a viral disease that can cause fever, pain and bleeding under the skin.  In some cases, it can be fatal.  It spreads to humans through contact with infected animal blood or tissues, or from the bite of an infected tick.  Risk is generally low for most travellers.  Protect yourself from tick bites and avoid animals, particularly livestock.  There is no vaccine available for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.

Animals and Illness

Travellers are cautioned to avoid contact with animals, including dogs, monkeys, snakes, rodents, birds, and bats. Certain infections found in Central Asia, like  rabies , can be shared between humans and animals.

Person-to-Person Infections

Crowded conditions can increase your risk of certain illnesses. Remember to  wash your hands  often and practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette to avoid colds, the  flu  and other illnesses.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)  and  HIV  are spread through blood and bodily fluids; practise safer sex.

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by bacteria and usually affects the lungs.

For most travellers the risk of tuberculosis is low.

Travellers who may be at high risk while travelling in regions with risk of tuberculosis should discuss pre- and post-travel options with a health care professional.

High-risk travellers include those visiting or working in prisons, refugee camps, homeless shelters, or hospitals, or travellers visiting friends and relatives.

Medical services and facilities

Medical services and facilities are below Canadian standards and medical personnel is often not properly trained. The equipment is not adequate for serious medical procedures and often lack basic supplies, especially in rural areas.

Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays.

Travel health and safety

Some prescription medication may not be available in Uzbekistan.

Pharmacies operate with little oversight and may disregard international standards and recommendations. They sell several medications without requiring a prescription from a doctor, including narcotics.

Counterfeit and expired medicines are prevalent in Uzbekistan.

If you take prescription medication, you’re responsible for determining their legality in the country.

• Bring sufficient quantities of your medication with you
• Always keep your medication in the original container
• Pack your medication in your carry-on luggage
• Carry a copy of your prescriptions

Keep in Mind...

The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller. The traveller is also responsible for his or her own personal safety.

Be prepared. Do not expect medical services to be the same as in Canada. Pack a   travel health kit , especially if you will be travelling away from major city centres.

You must abide by local laws.

Learn about what you should do and how we can help if you are arrested or detained abroad .

Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe. Convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines.

Drugs, alcohol and travel

Uzbekistan's customs authorities strictly control the import of medicines and pharmaceutical products and quotas are imposed.

You must declare to customs if you have narcotics or psychotropic substances in your possession.

The law also requires you to present a letter from your doctor declaring:

• your diagnosis
• your prescription’s name
• how long you must take the medication for

You must also present the original prescription to customs officers.

If you fail to declare the drugs in your possession at customs, you could face:

• heavy fines
• confiscation of your medication

Import of medicines into Uzbekistan – State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Identification

You should carry photo identification at all times, such as a passport, but keep a photocopy in a safe place, in case it is lost or confiscated.

2SLGBTQI+ travellers

The laws of Uzbekistan prohibit sexual acts between individuals of the same sex.

2SLGBTQI+ travellers should carefully consider the risks of travelling to Uzbekistan.

Travel and your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics

Dual citizenship

Dual citizenship is not legally recognized in Uzbekistan.

If local authorities consider you a citizen of Uzbekistan, they may refuse to grant you access to Canadian consular services. This will prevent us from providing you with those services.

Travellers with dual citizenship

International Child Abduction

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international treaty. It can help parents with the return of children who have been removed to or retained in certain countries in violation of custody rights. The convention applies between Canada and Uzbekistan.

If your child was wrongfully taken to, or is being held in Uzbekistan, and if the applicable conditions are met, you may apply for the return of your child to the Uzbek court.

If you are in this situation:

• act as quickly as you can
• contact the Central Authority for your province or territory of residence for information on starting an application under The Hague Convention
• consult a lawyer in Canada and in Uzbekistan to explore all the legal options for the return of your child
• report the situation to the nearest Canadian government office abroad or to the Vulnerable Children's Consular Unit at Global Affairs Canada by calling the Emergency Watch and Response Centre

If your child was removed from a country other than Canada, consult a lawyer to determine if The Hague Convention applies.

Be aware that Canadian consular officials cannot interfere in private legal matters or in another country's judicial affairs.

• List of Canadian Central Authorities for the Hague Convention
• International Child Abductions: A guide for affected parents
• The Hague Convention – Hague Conference on Private International Law
• Canadian embassies and consulates by destination
• Request emergency assistance

You must be at least 18 years old to drive a car in Uzbekistan, but certain car rental agencies impose the minimal age at 21 years old.

Using a cell phone while driving is prohibited.

Police officers rarely speak English.

Numerous roadside cameras have been installed to help enforce traffic regulations. You could receive heavy fines if you drive above the speed limit or don’t comply with the Highway Code.

A Canadian driver’s licence alone is not acceptable to drive in Uzbekistan. You must carry an international driving permit.

International Driving Permit

Religious proselytism

Religious proselytizing and certain religious activities are illegal in Uzbekistan, including:

• importing, producing and distributing religious content without prior approval from the government
• practicing private religious education without registration
• wearing religious attire in public

If you engage in illegal religious activities, you could face:

• lengthy jail sentences
• deportation

Dress and behaviour

Islamic practices and beliefs are closely adhered to, particularly in rural areas.

To avoid offending local sensitivities:

• dress conservatively
• behave discreetly
• respect religious and social traditions

In 2025, the lunar month of Ramadan is expected to begin on or around February 28.

In public, between sunrise and sunset, be discreet when:

The currency of Uzbekistan is the Uzbekistani sum (UZS), which is used for most transactions. 

You may also be able to use U.S. dollars. Carry bills that are in good shape, as worn U.S. bills may not be accepted by stores and banks. 

Credit cards are not widely accepted, except in larger hotels, restaurants and cafés in major cities.

You can exchange money at official exchange counters at international airports or at any bank and major hotel, but Canadian dollars cannot be exchanged in Uzbekistan. 

There are ATMs throughout Uzbekistan, but they are more prevalent in larger cities. The majority dispense Uzbekistani sums and don’t accept international cards, but some ATMs provide U.S. dollars. It is common that ATMs run out of cash.

Purchasing money on the black market is illegal and may result in extortion or jail sentences.

 Foreign currency declaration

There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency you can import. However, you must declare any foreign currency equivalent to more than 2,000 USD.

Import of foreign currency – State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

During summer and winter, heat and cold waves occur, called ''Chilla'', and can last up to 40 days.

Summers are usually hot and dry with temperatures often exceeding 40 C. Winters are cold and the temperature may fall below -30 C in the west.

Earthquakes

Uzbekistan is located in an active seismic zone. Although there have been no incidents in recent years, a tremor can occur at any time.

Earthquakes – What to do?

Rainy season

In Uzbekistan, the rainy season usually extends from November to May. Rain is very rare during summer months.

The number of floods caused by heavy rainfall and the melting of snow and ice has increased in recent years, especially in the following regions:

• Kashkadarya

Mudflows and landslides occur and can cause significant damage to buildings.

Seasonal flooding can affect overland travel and the provision of essential services. Roads may become impassable and bridges damaged.

• Monitor local media for updates, including on road conditions
• Stay away from flooded areas
• Monitor weather reports
• Follow the instructions of local authorities, including evacuation orders

Weather forecast – Center of hydrometeorological service of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Local services

In case of emergency, dial:

• police: 102
• medical assistance: 103
• firefighters: 101

Consular assistance

Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

For emergency consular assistance, call the Embassy of Canada to Kazakhstan, in Astana, and follow the instructions. At any time, you may also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.

The decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad. We take the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provide credible and timely information in our Travel Advice to enable you to make well-informed decisions regarding your travel abroad.

The content on this page is provided for information only. While we make every effort to give you correct information, it is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. The Government of Canada does not assume responsibility and will not be liable for any damages in connection to the information provided.

If you need consular assistance while abroad, we will make every effort to help you. However, there may be constraints that will limit the ability of the Government of Canada to provide services.

Learn more about consular services .

Risk Levels

  take normal security precautions.

Take similar precautions to those you would take in Canada.

  Exercise a high degree of caution

There are certain safety and security concerns or the situation could change quickly. Be very cautious at all times, monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities.

IMPORTANT: The two levels below are official Government of Canada Travel Advisories and are issued when the safety and security of Canadians travelling or living in the country or region may be at risk.

  Avoid non-essential travel

Your safety and security could be at risk. You should think about your need to travel to this country, territory or region based on family or business requirements, knowledge of or familiarity with the region, and other factors. If you are already there, think about whether you really need to be there. If you do not need to be there, you should think about leaving.

  Avoid all travel

You should not travel to this country, territory or region. Your personal safety and security are at great risk. If you are already there, you should think about leaving if it is safe to do so.

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Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

COVID-19 international travel advisories

Visitors to the U.S. do not need to be tested or vaccinated for COVID-19. U.S. citizens going abroad, check Department of State travel advisories for the country you will visit.

COVID-19 testing and vaccine rules for entering the U.S.

You do not need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or take a COVID-19 test to enter the U.S. This applies to U.S. citizens and non-citizens.

U.S. citizens traveling to a country outside the U.S.

Find country-specific travel advisories, including COVID-19 restrictions, from the Department of State.

See the CDC's COVID-19 guidance for safer international travel to learn:

• If you can travel if you recently had COVID-19
• What you can do to help prevent COVID-19 

LAST UPDATED: May 31, 2024

Have a question?

Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

International Travel Restrictions by Country

Find out where you can travel and covid-19 policies.

Select origin country, search destination or select a country on the map to see travel restrictions.

The travel status of individual countries can change suddenly, and we know it can be hard to stay on top of it all. That's why we're getting you the information you need to consider when planning travel. Learn about country-specific entry requirements such as the border status, COVID-19 testing requirements, and quarantine requirements. Many countries are reopening their borders for international travel. Find out which countries are open to vaccinated travelers.

Just enter your departure country above - the map will update to reflect countries' opening status and any entry requirements for air travelers. Before you book, be sure to double check your country's official government site.

Destinations you can travel to now

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Sign up for email alerts as countries begin to open - choose the destinations you're interested in so you're in the know.

Filter by region, status and more

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Albania.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Algeria.

American Samoa

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter American Samoa.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Angola.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Anguilla.

Antigua And Barbuda

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Antigua And Barbuda.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Argentina.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Armenia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Aruba.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Australia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Austria.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Azerbaijan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bahrain.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bangladesh.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Barbados.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Belgium.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Belize.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Benin.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bermuda.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bhutan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bolivia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Botswana.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Brazil.

British Virgin Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the British Virgin Islands.

Brunei Darussalam

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Brunei Darussalam.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Bulgaria.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Burundi.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Cambodia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Cameroon.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Canada.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Cape Verde.

Caribbean Netherlands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Caribbean Netherlands.

Cayman Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Cayman Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Chad.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Chile.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter China.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Colombia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Comoros.

Cook Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Cook Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Costa Rica.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Croatia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Curaçao.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Cyprus.

Czech Republic

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Czech Republic.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Denmark.

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Djibouti without restrictions.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Dominica.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Dominican Republic.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, need to quarantine to enter East Timor.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Ecuador.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Egypt.

El Salvador

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter El Salvador.

Equatorial Guinea

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Equatorial Guinea.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Eritrea.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Estonia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Eswatini.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Ethiopia.

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).

Faroe Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Faroe Islands.

Federated States of Micronesia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Federated States of Micronesia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Fiji.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Finland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter France.

French Guiana

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter French Guiana.

French Polynesia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter French Polynesia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Gabon.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Gambia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Georgia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Germany.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Ghana.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Gibraltar.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Greece.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Greenland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Grenada.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guadeloupe.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guam.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guatemala.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guinea.

Guinea-Bissau

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guinea-Bissau.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guyana.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Honduras.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Hong Kong.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Hungary.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Iceland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter India.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Indonesia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Ireland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Italy.

Ivory Coast

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Ivory Coast.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Jamaica.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Japan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Jersey.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Jordan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kazakhstan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kenya.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kiribati.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kosovo.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kuwait.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Kyrgyzstan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Laos.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Latvia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Lesotho.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Liberia.

Liechtenstein

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Liechtenstein.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Lithuania.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Luxembourg.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Macau.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Madagascar.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Malawi.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Malaysia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Maldives.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Malta.

Marshall Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Marshall Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Martinique.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mauritania.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mauritius.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mayotte.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mexico.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Moldova.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mongolia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Montenegro.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Montserrat.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Mozambique.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Namibia.

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Nauru without restrictions.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Nepal.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Netherlands.

New Caledonia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter New Caledonia.

New Zealand

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter New Zealand.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Nicaragua.

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Niger without restrictions.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Nigeria.

North Macedonia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter North Macedonia.

Northern Mariana Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Northern Mariana Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Norway.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Oman.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Pakistan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Palau.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Panama.

Papua New Guinea

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Papua New Guinea.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Paraguay.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Peru.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Philippines.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Poland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Portugal.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Puerto Rico.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Qatar.

Republic of the Congo

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Republic of the Congo without restrictions.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Réunion.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Romania.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Rwanda.

Saint Barthélemy

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saint Barthélemy.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Saint Lucia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saint Lucia.

Saint Martin

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saint Martin.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Samoa.

São Tomé and Príncipe

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter São Tomé and Príncipe.

Saudi Arabia

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Saudi Arabia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Senegal.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Serbia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Seychelles.

Sierra Leone

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Sierra Leone.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Singapore.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Slovakia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Slovenia.

Solomon Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Solomon Islands.

South Africa

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter South Africa.

South Korea

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter South Korea.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Spain.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Sri Lanka.

St. Maarten

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter St. Maarten.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Sudan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Suriname.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Sweden.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Switzerland.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Taiwan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Tajikistan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Tanzania.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Thailand.

The Bahamas

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter The Bahamas.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Togo.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Tonga.

Trinidad and Tobago

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Trinidad and Tobago.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Tunisia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Türkiye.

Turkmenistan

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, will not be allowed to enter Turkmenistan.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Tuvalu.

U.S. Virgin Islands

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Uganda.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the United Arab Emirates.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the United Kingdom.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Uruguay.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Uzbekistan.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Vanuatu.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Vietnam.

Wallis and Futuna

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Wallis and Futuna.

Western Sahara

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, will not be allowed to enter Western Sahara.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Zambia.

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Zimbabwe.

Get trip-ready with at-home COVID-19 tests

How often is the data on this page updated.

We check for travel restriction information from government authorities daily, and update the page any time we get new information. The following information regarding travel restrictions for each country is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication.

How many countries are closed to visitors?

As of Sep 11, 2 countries have completely restricted entry to non-citizens and 5 are open but require quarantine and/or a negative COVID test.

Where can I travel without COVID restrictions?

Currently you can travel from the United States to 197 countries without restrictions. Please check our map to learn more.

Are there any other types of travel restrictions besides COVID-19 tests and quarantines?

These are the two main types of restrictions or requirements needed to travel into another country. However, the COVID-19 testing options are continually widening as new methods are developed. Different countries may accept results from different or multiple test types, so be sure to check the individual country's specific requirements.

What should I do if I get COVID-19 while in another country?

If you get COVID-19 while in another country, follow the local authority's recommendations. These may include hospitalization, self-isolating and testing in that country. Be sure to contact your travel insurance company and travel provider as well and inform them of your situation.

What should I do if the borders of the country I am visiting close?

Depending on your home country, you may need to change your departure date and return home as soon as possible. If that's the case, contact your travel provider to find the earliest departure.

Additional resources

• What you need to know
• Airline policies
• Hotel policies
• Car policies
• Tips for flying
• Tips for hotel
• Tips for vacation rental

If you're looking for personalized travel advice for your own travel plans like whether or not a restriction applies to your trip, we won't be able to answer any questions or offer advice. Please consult your local government's resources.

Search Smartraveller

Latest update

Exercise a high degree of caution in Uzbekistan overall due to the threat of terrorism and violent crime and the risk of civil unrest.

Higher levels apply in some areas.

Uzbekistan (PDF 284.58 KB)

Asia (PDF 2.21 MB)

Local emergency contacts

Fire and rescue services.

In Tashkent, call 101.

In all other regions, call 01.

Medical emergencies

In Tashkent, call 103.

In all other regions, call 03.

In Tashkent, call 102.

In all other regions, call 02.

Always get a police report when you report a crime.

Your insurer should have a 24-hour emergency number.

Ministry of Emergency Situations - Rescue Services (including for mountain rescue, ground search and rescue, air-water rescue)

In Tashkent, call 1050.

In all other regions, call 050.

Advice levels

Exercise a high degree of caution in Uzbekistan overall.

Do not travel to the border region with Afghanistan.

Do not travel to the border region with Afghanistan due to the volatile security situation.

Reconsider your need to travel to Andijan, eastern region of the Ferghana Valley, other regions bordering Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

Reconsider your need to travel to:

• eastern region of the Ferghana Valley
• other regions bordering Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

The security situation is volatile due to regional political tension and conflict, and there's a risk of violent protests and unmarked landmines.

• Terrorist attacks have happened in Uzbekistan. Future terrorist attacks could target places popular with foreigners. Be alert to possible threats, especially in public places.
• Security threats are more severe in Uzbekistan's border regions. Landmines are also a risk. If you decide to travel to border regions despite our advice, pay close attention to your personal security. Monitor the media for new risks.
• Demonstrations can turn violent. Violent protests are more common in Andijan and the eastern region of the Ferghana Valley. Avoid large gatherings and protests. Follow the advice of local authorities.
• Pickpocketing and robbery can occur. Thieves target travellers. The risk is higher on trains and in unofficial taxis. More crimes happen at night. Carry only what you need and don't walk alone.
• Some criminals pose as police officers to rob people. There have been reports of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by police and other local officials.

Full travel advice: Safety

• Uzbekistan has strict controls on importing certain medicines, including psychotropic medication. Sleeping tablets or medicines containing codeine may also be restricted. Declare all medication and other restricted items on arrival.

HIV/AIDS is prevalent. Take steps to reduce your risk of exposure to the virus.

• Ticks are active in country areas from spring to autumn. They can spread disease. Regularly check your body for ticks during and after visits to forest areas. Remove ticks from your body as soon as possible.
• Medical facilities are limited and medicines and equipment are often in short supply. You may need to pay cash up-front before receiving treatment.

Full travel advice: Health

• Penalties for drug offences are severe and include long jail terms.
• Always carry your passport and visa. Police often ask for proof of identity.
• It's illegal to have same-sex relations.
• It's illegal to take photos of government or military buildings and public transport sites.
• Uzbekistan doesn't recognise dual citizenship. This may limit the consular help we can provide. Dual nationals need a permit to depart Uzbekistan. Dual nationals may also be required to do national service. Always travel on your Australian passport.

Law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan cooperate closely with agencies in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. If you commit an offence in one of these countries, you may be detained in another (including at the border) and extradited for prosecution.

• Standards of behaviour and dress are conservative. Take care not to offend. If in doubt, ask locals for advice.

Full travel advice: Local laws

• You can enter Uzbekistan once and stay up to 30 days without a visa. You'll need a visa if you're staying longer than 30 days or if you need multiple entries. Check your visa details when you get it. The length of stay on your visa might differ from the length you applied for. Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. You should contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan for the latest details.
• If you stay 3 or more days, you'll need to register with local authorities. Register in each city you stay in. Check if your hotel has done this for you.
• Borders with neighbouring countries can close without notice. Some border crossings may only be open to local residents. Ask local authorities about border conditions before you travel.

The land border with Afghanistan is closed until further notice.

Full travel advice: Travel

Local contacts

• The Consular Services Charter details what the Australian Government can and can't do to help you overseas.
• Australia does not have an embassy in Uzbekistan. Contact the Australian Embassy in Russia for consular help.
• To stay up to date with local information, follow the Embassy's social media accounts.

Full travel advice: Local contacts

Full advice

Terrorist attacks have happened in Uzbekistan.

Targets could include places popular with foreigners.

On 6 November 2019, reportedly 17 people were killed in an armed attack on a Tajik security checkpoint on the Tajik/Uzbek border. Local authorities advised that IS was responsible for the attack.

To protect yourself from terrorism:

• be alert to possible threats, especially in public places
• take care near possible targets
• report suspicious activity or items to police
• monitor the media for new threats
• take official warnings seriously
• follow the advice of local authorities

If there's an attack, leave the area as soon as it's safe.

Terrorism is a threat worldwide.

More information:

Terrorist threats

Civil unrest and political tension

Regional political tensions and conflict add to security threats. Threats are more severe in Uzbekistan's border regions.

Border with Afghanistan

The high threat of terrorist attacks makes Afghanistan very dangerous.

There have been reports of terrorists raiding into Uzbekistan.

Borders with Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic

Security in the regions bordering Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic is volatile.

Occasionally, there is armed conflict in rural areas in the east of Uzbekistan. The conflict is between extremist or criminal groups and government forces.

There have been clashes between Uzbek and Kyrgyz security forces. The clashes are due to tension over recognition of the border between the two countries.

In 2016, Uzbek border guards blocked a section of the border with the Kyrgyz Republic for a short time. This happened in the Ala-Buka district.

There are unmarked landmines in parts of Uzbekistan bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

If you travel to these areas despite our advice, be alert to possible hazards.

Demonstrations and protests

Demonstrations occur throughout the country and can turn violent.

In July 2022, violent protests occurred in Karakalpakstan, leading to injuries and deaths. Uzbekistan introduced a state of emergency, which was lifted on 21 July 2022. The situation is now stable but may deteriorate rapidly. Ensure you have security plans in place.

Violent protests have occurred in Andijan and the eastern region of the Ferghana Valley.

If you travel to these regions despite the risks, monitor developments. Security may worsen without warning. Have other plans ready.

To stay safe during civil unrest:

• avoid large gatherings and protests
• monitor the media for possible unrest

Public protests and events that draw large groups of people can turn violent.

Demonstrations and civil unrest

You could encounter crime in Uzbekistan.

Thieves target foreigners, often with pickpocketing and other petty crimes.

Robberies happen, especially on trains and in unofficial taxis.

Some criminals pose as police officers then rob victims.

Crime levels are higher at night, including on trains.

There have been reports of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by police and other local officials.

To stay safe, be very careful in all parts of Uzbekistan and:

• don't walk alone
• monitor the media for new safety or security risks

Cyber security 

You may be at risk of cyber-based threats during overseas travel to any country. Digital identity theft is a growing concern. Your devices and personal data can be compromised, especially if you’re connecting to Wi-Fi, using or connecting to shared or public computers, or to Bluetooth. 

Social media can also be risky in destinations where there are social or political tensions, or laws that may seem unreasonable by Australian standards. Travellers have been arrested for things they have said on social media. Don't comment on local or political events on your social media. 

More information:  

• Cyber security when travelling overseas  

Climate and natural disasters

Uzbekistan is in an active earthquake zone.

If a natural disaster or severe weather  happens:

• secure your passport in a safe, waterproof place
• monitor local media
• monitor other sources such as the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
• keep in contact with friends and family

Travel insurance

Get comprehensive travel insurance before you leave. 

Your policy needs to cover all overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation. The Australian Government won't pay for these costs.

If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. This applies to everyone, no matter how healthy and fit you are.

If you're not insured, you may have to pay many thousands of dollars up-front for medical care.

• what activities and care your policy covers
• that your insurance covers you for the whole time you'll be away

Physical and mental health

Consider your physical and mental health before you travel, especially if you have an existing medical condition. 

See your doctor or travel clinic to:

• have a basic health check-up   
• ask if your travel plans may affect your health
• plan any vaccinations you need

Do this at least 8 weeks before you leave.

If you have immediate concerns for your welfare or the welfare of another Australian, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 or contact your  nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate  to discuss counselling hotlines and services available in your location.

• General health advice
• Healthy holiday tips  (Healthdirect Australia)

Medications

Not all medication available over the counter or by prescription in Australia is available in other countries. Some may even be considered illegal or a controlled substance, even if prescribed by an Australian doctor.

Sleeping tablets or medicines containing codeine are controlled in Uzbekistan.

If you plan to take medication, check if it's legal in Uzbekistan. Take enough legal medicine for your trip.

Carry copies of your prescription and a letter from your doctor, translated into Russian or Uzbek. The letter must state:

• your diagnosis
• the name of the prescription
• the required dosage
• the length of time you need to take it
• that it's for personnel use

Declare all medications on arrival. You could face fines or criminal charges if either:

• you don't declare a medication, or
• the quantity exceeds legal limits

Officials may charge you for undeclared or excessive medicine quantities even if you have a doctor's prescription and letter.

Contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan for advice.

• Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Uzbek State Customs Committee

Health risks

Insect-borne diseases.

Travel in forested areas may expose you to tick bites. Ticks can carry diseases. Ticks are very common in country areas and are most active from spring to autumn.

To reduce your risk of tick-borne disease:

• regularly check your body for ticks during and after visits to forest areas
• remove ticks from your body as soon as possible

To protect yourself from illness:

• ensure your accommodation is insect-proof
• use insect repellent
• wear long, loose, light-coloured clothing
• consider taking medicine to prevent malaria

Seek medical advice if you have a fever, muscle pain, rash or severe headache.

Other health risks

Waterborne, foodborne, parasitic and other infectious diseases are prevalent. These include:

• tuberculosis
• brucellosis

More serious outbreaks occur from time to time.

• in rural areas, drink boiled water or bottled water with sealed lids
• avoid ice cubes in rural areas
• avoid raw and undercooked food, such as salads

Seek medical advice if you have a fever or diarrhoea.

Infectious diseases

Medical care

Medical facilities.

Medical facilities are limited in Uzbekistan. Medicines and equipment are often in short supply.

You often need to pay in cash up-front before doctors or hospitals will treat you. This includes for emergency care.

If you become seriously ill or injured, you may need to be moved to a place with better facilities. Medical evacuation can be very expensive.

You're subject to all local laws and penalties, including those that may appear harsh by Australian standards. Research local laws before travelling.

If you're arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you under our Consular Services Charter . But we can't get you out of trouble or out of jail.

Penalties for drug offences are severe. They include long prison sentences served in local jails.

Carrying or using drugs

Police often ask to check your identity. Always carry your passport and visa.

Things that are illegal in Uzbekistan include:

• same-sex relationships
• not declaring medications you're carrying on entry, see Travel .

It's also illegal to take photos of:

• government or military buildings
• public transport infrastructure, including metro stations

LGBTI travellers

Australian laws

Some Australian criminal laws still apply when you're overseas. If you break these laws, you may face prosecution in Australia.

Staying within the law and respecting customs

Dual citizenship

Uzbekistan doesn't recognise dual nationality.

If you're a dual citizen, this limits the consular services we can give if you're arrested or detained.

Always travel on your Australian passport .

Uzbek citizenship

Under Uzbek law, an Uzbek citizen loses their Uzbek citizenship when they become a citizen of another country.

If you're an Uzbek citizen and you become an Australian citizen, you must notify Uzbek authorities.  Within 30 days, notify either:

• the Uzbek Ministry of Interior
• the nearest Uzbek embassy or consulate
• Embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan

National service

Uzbekistan has national service obligations.

If you keep your Uzbek citizenship and visit Uzbekistan, you may need to do national service.

There are penalties for citizens of Uzbekistan who serve in the military or security forces of another country.

Permit to depart

You'll need a 'permit to depart Uzbekistan' if you're a dual national using your Uzbek passport. You need the permit when you travel in Russia and in neighbouring Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

If you don't have the permit or if it has expired, you may face difficulties at border control stations.

Our ability to help you may be very limited in these cases.

Contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan to find out how to get or renew this permit. Do this before you enter any of the CIS countries or Russia on an Uzbek passport.

Dual nationals

Local customs

Standards of dress and behaviour are conservative.

Take care not to offend. If in doubt, dress conservatively and seek local advice.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is observed in Uzbekistan. Respect religious and cultural customs and laws.

During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking may be illegal in public during the day. If you're not fasting, avoid these activities around people who are. Seek local advice to avoid offence.

Explore our Ramadan page to learn more, including dates for Ramadan.

Visas and border measures

Every country or territory decides who can enter or leave through its borders. For specific information about the evidence you'll need to enter a foreign destination, check with the nearest embassy, consulate or immigration department of the destination you're entering. 

Australians can enter Uzbekistan under a new visa-free arrangement. It covers single-entry stays of up to 30 days.

You'll still need a visa if you're staying for more than 30 days or need multiple entries.

Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. Contact the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Singapore (accredited to Australia) for details about visas and other travel requirements.

Uzbek visas specify validity, number of entries, and length of stay. Check your visa details when you get it.

The length of stay on your visa may differ from the length you asked for in your application.

Authorities may fine, detain or deport you if you:

• arrive in the country before the visa validity period
• overstay your visa

Border measures

Contact your airline or your nearest embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan to confirm entry requirements.

Other formalities

Declare all medications and other restricted items on arrival. See  Health .

Stays of more than 3 days

If your stay is for 3 or more days, weekend days included, you'll need to register with local authorities.

Register in each city in which you intend to stay. Most hotels do this for their guests, but you're legally responsible.

Confirm with check-in staff that they have registered you.

If you stay in private accommodation or your hotel doesn't offer this service, register either:

• at the local Department of Foreign Travel and Exit Registration Office (OVIR), or
• through the online registration system

Border crossings

Uzbekistan's borders with neighbouring countries can close without notice.

Some border crossings may only be open to local residents.

Check with local authorities which border crossings are open and if they're available for you to pass through. Do this before you travel.

Some countries won't let you enter unless your passport is valid for 6 months after you plan to leave that country. This can apply even if you're just transiting or stopping over.

Some foreign governments and airlines apply the rule inconsistently. Travellers can receive conflicting advice from different sources.

You can end up stranded if your passport is not valid for more than 6 months.

The Australian Government does not set these rules. Check your passport's expiry date before you travel. If you're not sure it'll be valid for long enough, consider getting a new passport .

Lost or stolen passport

Your passport is a valuable document. It's attractive to people who may try to use your identity to commit crimes.

Some people may try to trick you into giving them your passport. Always keep it in a safe place.

If your passport is lost or stolen, tell the Australian Government as soon as possible:

• In Australia, contact the Australian Passport Information Service .
• If you're overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate .

If you get a new passport, make sure you get your Uzbek visa transferred into your new passport. If your visa is in a cancelled or expired passport, you may not be able to exit or enter the country.

• Embassy or consulate of Uzbekistan, if you're outside Uzbekistan
• Your local Uzbek Visa and Registration Office, if you're in Uzbekistan

Passport with 'X' gender identifier 

Although Australian passports comply with international standards for sex and gender, we can't guarantee that a passport showing 'X' in the sex field will be accepted for entry or transit by another country. Contact the nearest  embassy, high commission or consulate of your destination  before you arrive at the border to confirm if authorities will accept passports with 'X' gender markers. 

More information:   

• LGBTI travellers  

The currency of Uzbekistan is the Uzbek Som (UZS).

Rules apply to the import and export of foreign currency.

Complete 2 customs declaration forms on arrival. Customs authorities will keep one form. Keep the other form because you'll need to show it when you leave.

Access to money

Banks, hotel exchange offices and the currency exchange office at the new terminal of the Tashkent airport exchange UZS for US dollars.

Uzbekistan is mostly a cash economy. However, some places accept:

• credit cards
• debit cards, mainly Visa
• traveller's cheques

Traveller's cheques in Australian dollars are not accepted.

Ask your bank if your ATM card will work in Uzbekistan. ATMs are often broken or out of cash.

Local travel

Unmarked landmines are a threat in regions bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. See Safety

Driving permit

You can drive in Uzbekistan if you have both:

• an Australian driver's licence
• an International Driving Permit (IDP)

You must get your IDP before departing Australia.

Road travel

You're more likely to be killed in a car accident in Uzbekistan as in Australia.

Hazards include:

• poor driving standards
• lack of street lighting
• livestock and animal drawn carts on roads
• pedestrians crossing roads without warning

Rural roads are particularly treacherous, including in the Tian Shan and Fan Mountains.

Drivers must pay a fee to bring cars into Uzbekistan. The size of the fee depends on how long you'll stay. Pay at border crossings.

You need an official permit for any travel to:

• Termez on the Afghan border
• areas of Surkhandarya in the south-east

Security checkpoints are common.

There aren't many service stations in rural areas.

Check you have the right insurance before driving.

If you plan to drive:

• learn local traffic laws and practices
• get local advice on road conditions in rural areas
• avoid travel at night
• be alert to hazards especially at night
• don't drink and drive
• obey police signals to stop, including at checkpoints

Driving to border regions is risky. If you do, check in advance if the borders are open.

Driving or riding

Motorcycles

Check your insurance policy covers you using a motorbike, quad bike or similar vehicle.

Always wear a helmet.

Use only registered taxis and limousines. Arrange them through your hotel if you can.

Public transport

If you plan to take the bus or train, check your itinerary carefully. Some domestic routes transit through bordering countries.

If this is the case, make sure you hold:

• an Uzbek multiple-entry visa
• visas for the transit countries

Rail travel can be unreliable and dangerous due to crime.

Transport and getting around safely

On 11 April 2022, the EU announced that 21 Russian-owned airlines were banned from flying in EU airspace due to safety concerns. 

DFAT doesn't provide information on the safety of individual commercial airlines or flight paths. If you're flying domestically or internationally, you should research your aviation provider.

Check Uzbekistan's air safety profile with the Aviation Safety Network.

Emergencies

Depending on what you need, contact your:

• family and friends
• travel agent
• insurance provider

Consular contacts

Read the Consular Services Charter for what the Australian Government can and can’t do to help you overseas.

Australia doesn't have an embassy in Uzbekistan. You can get consular help from the Australian Embassy in Russia.

Australian Embassy, Moscow

13 Kropotkinsky  Pereulok Moscow  119034 Russia Phone: (+7 495) 956-6070 Fax: (+7 495) 956-6170 Website:  russia.embassy.gov.au Twitter:  @PosolAustralia

Check the Embassy website for details about opening hours and any temporary closures.

24-hour Consular Emergency Centre

In a consular emergency, if you can't contact an embassy, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on:

• +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
• 1300 555 135 in Australia

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CDC streamlines COVID-19 guidance to help the public better protect themselves and understand their risk

Embargoed Until: Thursday, August 11, 2022, 3:00 PM ET Contact: Media Relations (404) 639-3286

Today, CDC is streamlining its COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if they are sick or test positive for the virus. COVID-19 continues to circulate globally, however, with so many tools available to us for reducing COVID-19 severity, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.

“We’re in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools—like vaccination, boosters, and treatments—to protect ourselves, and our communities, from severe illness from COVID-19,” said Greta Massetti, PhD, MPH, MMWR author. “We also have a better understanding of how to protect people from being exposed to the virus, like wearing high-quality masks, testing, and improved ventilation.  This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives.”

In support of this update CDC is:

• Continuing to promote the importance of being up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Protection provided by the current vaccine against symptomatic infection and transmission is less than that against severe disease and diminishes over time, especially against the currently circulating variants. For this reason, it is important to stay up to date, especially as new vaccines become available.
• Updating its guidance for people who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines on what to do if exposed to someone with COVID-19.  This is consistent with the existing guidance for people who are up to date on COVID-19 vaccines.
• Recommending that instead of quarantining if you were exposed to COVID-19, you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5.
• If your results are positive, follow CDC’s full isolation recommendations.
• If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
• If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5.
• Regardless of when you end isolation, avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 until at least day 11.
• You should wear a high-quality mask through day 10.
• Recommending that if you had moderate illness (if you experienced shortness of breath or had difficulty breathing) or severe illness (you were hospitalized) due to COVID-19 or you have a weakened immune system, you need to isolate through day 10.
• Recommending that if you had  severe illness or have a weakened immune system, consult your doctor before ending isolation. Ending isolation without a viral test may not be an option for you. If you are unsure if your symptoms are moderate or severe or if you have a weakened immune system, talk to a healthcare provider for further guidance.
• Clarifying that after you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
• Recommending screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures will no longer be recommended in most community settings.
• Emphasizing that physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others.  It is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to maintain physical distance.

Actions to take will continue to be informed by the COVID-19 Community Levels , launched in February. CDC will continue to focus efforts on preventing severe illness and post-COVID conditions, while ensuring everyone have the information and tools, they need to lower their risk.

This updated guidance is intended to apply to community settings. In the coming weeks CDC will work to align stand-alone guidance documents, such as those for healthcare settings, congregate settings at higher risk of transmission, and travel, with today’s update.

### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

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COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19

• Cabinet Office

Updated 6 May 2022

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2022

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19

1. Introduction

The Government’s aim throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been to protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens across the United Kingdom (UK). This document sets out how the Government has and will continue to protect and support citizens by: enabling society and the economy to open up more quickly than many comparable countries; using vaccines; and supporting the National Health Service ( NHS ) and social care sector. It also sets out how England will move into a new phase of managing COVID-19. The Devolved Administrations will each set out how they will manage this transition in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The global pandemic is not yet over and the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ( SAGE ) is clear there is considerable uncertainty about the path that the pandemic will now take in the UK. [footnote 1] This document therefore also sets out how the Government will ensure resilience, maintaining contingency capabilities to deal with a range of possible scenarios.

COVID-19 response: Roadmap to the present day

Vaccines have enabled the gradual and safe removal of restrictions on everyday life over the past year, and will remain at the heart of the Government’s approach to living with the virus in the future. The Government and the NHS , with the help of volunteers, has delivered one of the largest vaccination programmes in history.

Figure 1: Vaccines: UK Cumulative vaccinations [footnote 2]

Area chart of the percentage of the UK population aged 12+ who have received first doses, second doses and booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. On the 14 of September 2021, 84% of the population had had a first dose, 77% had had a second dose, and the booster programme had not yet started. On 16 February 2022, this had increased to 91% of the over 12 population who had received a first dose, 85% who had received a second dose and 66% who had received a booster dose.

The speed of the vaccine rollout put the UK in a strong position. The UK was the first country in the world to authorise and deploy the Pfizer and Oxford / AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. [footnote 3] The UK was the first major European economy and first G20 member to vaccinate 50% of its population with at least one dose, [footnote 4] and to provide boosters to 50% of the population. [footnote 5] Moreover, on JCVI advice, the UK prioritised those at highest risk from COVID-19 for vaccination early in the roll-out. Although other countries now exceed the UK’s proportion of the total population vaccinated, the speed and highly targeted nature of the vaccination programme had a direct impact on the Government’s ability to open up the economy and ease social restrictions sooner than other comparator countries, without placing the NHS under unsustainable pressure.

As a result of the vaccine rollout, the Government was able to ease restrictions in England through the first half of 2021 - following the plan set out in the Roadmap in the Government’s ‘COVID-19 Response: Spring 2021’ publication. [footnote 6] The nationwide lockdown introduced in January 2021 was lifted in four steps, with decisions to progress based on data not dates. Each step was taken at least five weeks apart, allowing time to assess the impact of the previous step against four key tests before taking the next step.

On 19 July 2021, the Government removed most restrictions in England at step 4 of the Roadmap and, in doing so, opened up earlier than many other comparable countries. The Government made a deliberate choice to do so at this point as it coincided with the end of the school term and meant that restrictions were removed over the summer period when more activities take place outdoors and there is less pressure on the NHS .

In September 2021 the Government published its ‘COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan’, setting out a comprehensive plan for managing the virus over the colder months. [footnote 7] Plan A for England relied on booster vaccinations, testing and isolation, guidance on safer behaviours and measures at the border. The publication also outlined a Plan B which could be deployed later in the winter if the situation deteriorated. The measures in Plan B – mandatory face coverings, working from home guidance and COVID-19 certification – were designed to reduce transmission while minimising economic and social impacts.

From September to November 2021, the Government:

• a. Extended the vaccine programme to children aged between 12 and 15 and started the booster campaign for those 50 and over and in high risk groups;
• b. Maintained a lower level of restrictions than most European comparator countries; and
• c. Managed relatively high levels of Delta infections without placing the NHS at risk of unsustainable pressures.

On 24 November, scientists in South Africa reported a new variant with troubling yet uncertain characteristics to the World Health Organization ( WHO ). This was subsequently named the Omicron variant. [footnote 8] The UK was one of the first countries to respond, initially through travel restrictions, then through accelerating and extending the COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign. The Government was in a position to implement Plan B measures in England at short notice as a result of the plans developed for managing the virus over the autumn and winter period.

Although the Omicron variant drove prevalence of the virus to an unprecedented high, adherence to Plan B, wider behaviour change and large-scale testing appeared to slow the growth sufficiently to buy time for the extended booster campaign. This trend was improved by high and sustained vaccine-induced protection in the population against severe disease, and a decrease in severity found in the Omicron variant, which meant that hospitalisation rates remained lower than in previous waves. In particular, the proportion of patients being admitted to intensive care and requiring mechanical ventilation remained lower, with rates declining even when prevalence had increased. [footnote 9] This was in part also due to better clinical understanding of the disease.

During this period, the public continued to show willingness to get vaccinated and boosted, to test and self-isolate if they had symptoms or tested positive, and to follow behaviours and actions that limit methods of transmission.

The people of the UK also owe much to the NHS and its brilliant staff - as well as to providers and staff in adult social care - who throughout the pandemic have drawn deeply on their professionalism, skills and training to do their very best for patients and care recipients. This includes hugely ramping up the booster campaign last winter in response to the Omicron variant. This response played a key role in avoiding the kind of stringent restrictions seen in other countries this winter. Against this backdrop, the Government reverted to Plan A on 27 January, maintaining England as one of the most open countries in Europe.

COVID-19: Future outlook

There are a range of possible futures for the course of the pandemic. SAGE has recently considered four scenarios describing plausible outcomes, though these are not predictions. [footnote 10] All scenarios assume that a more stable position will eventually be reached over several years. In the ‘reasonable best case’ there may be a comparatively small resurgence in infections during autumn/winter 2022-23, and in the ‘reasonable worst case’ a very large wave of infections with increased levels of severe disease. The ‘optimistic central’ and ‘pessimistic central’ scenarios are considered the most likely.

The emergence of new variants will be a significant factor in determining the future path of the virus. New variants of COVID-19 will continue to emerge. [footnote 11] This could include variants that render vaccines less effective, are resistant to antivirals, or cause more severe disease. [footnote 12] The pathway to greater stability will also be affected by the use of vaccination and available treatments.

The term ‘endemic’ is sometimes used to denote when a more steady or more predictable state has been reached but it does not mean that a virus will necessarily circulate at low levels or that outbreaks cannot or will not occur. Given the uncertainty, the Government will need to continue to monitor how COVID-19 is behaving and be ready to respond to resurgences and new variants.

Once COVID-19 becomes endemic it should be possible to respond to the virus in a similar way to other existing respiratory illnesses, through sustainable public health measures. The transition to an endemic state will be highly dynamic and affected by the international situation. It will occur at different times globally due to differences in the spread of the disease and access to vaccines.

The Government expects that the population’s defences against new variants will continue to strengthen as immunity increases through advances in vaccine technology and repeated exposure to the virus. As with other human coronaviruses, children will very likely be exposed to COVID-19 during their childhood and future generations are likely to become progressively more protected by the combination of vaccination and infection.

Studying other infectious diseases can offer insights into the future of COVID-19, though comparisons are imperfect. While a different disease to COVID-19, the most common comparison is to influenza. Both viruses can result in severe illness and complications and are thought to spread in similar ways. The virus that causes COVID-19 is far more contagious and can cause more serious illness, even in otherwise healthy people. Influenza is managed through ongoing surveillance, annual vaccination and annual public messaging, including campaigns to increase vaccine uptake and the ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ campaign to reduce transmission from coughs and sneezes. Influenza still produces regular winter epidemics, causing pressure on the NHS every winter. The interaction of future COVID-19 waves with other respiratory infections, like influenza, will be important to monitor. Co- or sequential circulation could lead to an increased or longer period of pressure on healthcare services.

Over time, though hard to predict, it is likely that COVID-19 will become a predominantly winter seasonal illness with some years seeing larger levels of infection than others. This may take several years to occur and waves of infection may occur during winter or at other times in the year.

COVID-19: Future response

The Government’s objective in the next phase of the COVID-19 response is to enable the country to manage COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses, while minimising mortality and retaining the ability to respond if a new variant emerges with more dangerous properties than the Omicron variant, or during periods of waning immunity, that could again threaten to place the NHS under unsustainable pressure.

To meet this objective, the Government will structure its ongoing response around four principles:

• a. Living with COVID-19: removing domestic restrictions while encouraging safer behaviours through public health advice, in common with longstanding ways of managing most other respiratory illnesses;
• b. Protecting people most vulnerable to COVID-19: vaccination guided by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation ( JCVI ) advice, and deploying targeted testing;
• c. Maintaining resilience: ongoing surveillance, contingency planning and the ability to reintroduce key capabilities such as mass vaccination and testing in an emergency; and
• d. Securing innovations and opportunities from the COVID-19 response, including investment in life sciences.

Vaccines underpin all of these principles and form the basis of the Government’s strategy for living with COVID-19. Effective vaccines have allowed the economy and society to reopen and the country’s ability to live with the virus in the future will continue to depend on deeper and broader population immunity conferred by vaccines and infections. In line with this:

• a. The Government will continue to be guided by JCVI advice on deploying vaccinations. This includes the recent decision to offer vaccination to all 5-11 year olds later in the spring. Subject to JCVI advice, further vaccinations (boosters) may be recommended for people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 this autumn and, ahead of that, a spring booster for groups JCVI consider to be at particularly high risk.
• b. To enable any further vaccination programme, if necessary, the Government has procured enough doses of vaccine to anticipate a wide range of possible JCVI recommendations. The UK’s procurement approach will continue to consider a range of long term contingency plans to ensure adequate protection is always available for those who need it and to respond quickly in an emergency.
• c. The Government has secured contracts with vaccine manufacturers that secure UK access to the most up-to-date vaccines - including protection against emerging variants. The UK remains an attractive destination for life sciences investment, and the Government is committed to supporting UK resilience for future pandemics, by considering how to support research, development and manufacturing capability.
• d. The Government will help build global resilience to COVID-19 by meeting its commitment to donate 100 million vaccine doses by June 2022 and by continuing to support the ACT Accelerator. The Government is also working domestically and with the G7, G20, and international partners to reduce the impact of future pandemics through the 100 Days Mission. [footnote 13]

Work is underway across the health and care system to consider how vaccines will be procured, prioritised and deployed in the future. The Government’s aim is to capture the best learning from the pandemic response.

2. COVID-19: Data and impacts

Vaccination, infection and hospitalisation rates.

Booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine provide good protection against severe disease and hospitalisation for the Omicron variant. Following two doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines, a Pfizer booster initially gives around 90% protection against hospitalisation, though this effect wanes over time. [footnote 14] Similarly, a Moderna booster gives 90 to 95% protection against hospitalisation up to 9 weeks after vaccination. [footnote 15]

Vaccine uptake

In England, over 65% of all those aged 12 and over have received a booster, increasing to 66% across the UK. [footnote 16] [footnote 17] Vaccination rates are even higher among those most vulnerable to COVID-19 - who were prioritised for vaccination - and in England, over 93% of those aged 70 and over have received a booster. [footnote 18]

Figure 2: UK population COVID-19 vaccine coverage, by dose, of those aged 12 and over as of 16 February 2022 [footnote 19]

Pie chart showing the percentage share of the population over 12 years old who are unvaccinated or received one, only two or three doses of a COVID-19 vaccination. As of 16 February 2022, 9% of the over 12 population were unvaccinated, 6% had received only one dose, 19% had received only two doses and 66% had received a booster dose.

Since the start of September 2021 over 1.5 million adults over the age of 18 in England have come forward for a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, long after receiving an initial offer. [footnote 20] As a result, the percentage of the population aged over 18 in England who have received at least one dose has increased from 88 to 92%. [footnote 21] However, over 3.4 million people in England aged 18 and older remain unvaccinated. [footnote 22]

Whilst vaccine uptake has increased across many groups, it remains considerably lower amongst certain communities. The UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA ) data show booster uptake was lowest amongst Black and Pakistani adults (below 35%). [footnote 23] Data also shows that adults living in the most deprived areas of England also had lower booster uptake (53%) than those living in the least deprived areas (84%). [footnote 24] Analysis also shows that disparities in vaccine uptake are also present in younger age groups: only 39% of 18 to 24 year olds in England have received a booster dose, much lower than for older age groups. [footnote 25]

The proportion of 12 to 15 year olds who have received at least one dose of vaccine is lowest in Gypsy/Roma, Traveller Irish, Black Caribbean and Black African groups (all below 30%), with a 63 percentage point difference between the most and least vaccinated ethnic groups. [footnote 26] There is also large variation in vaccine coverage by deprivation in 12 to 15 year olds. In the least deprived areas in England 70% of this age group have received at least one dose, compared to 36% in the most deprived. [footnote 27]

Overall, the accumulation of immunity, as well as the use of effective treatments, means the link between COVID-19 infections and progression to severe disease is substantially weaker than in earlier phases of the pandemic. Patients in hospital per 100 infections have remained low over the last six months, with less than 1 hospitalisation per 100 infections compared to above 4 per 100 infections during the Alpha variant peak. [footnote 28] [footnote 29] Lower hospitalisation is partly due to improved treatments but also in part attributable to the lowered virulence of the Omicron variant.

Figure 3: UK: Patients in hospital with COVID-19 per 100 infections using ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey estimates [footnote 30] [footnote 31]

Line chart of the ratio of patients in hospital per infection. In early 2021 there were nearly 5 patients for every 100 infections, this has dropped to less than 0.5.

The ratio is lagged by 8 days (the difference in the peak infections to peak admissions), reflecting the estimated number of infections that occurred 8 days ago that went on to be admitted to hospital on a given date.

Reporting on COVID-19

As testing reduces and the Government’s approach to managing COVID-19 further evolves, UKHSA will keep the content and frequency of reporting on COVID-19 under close review - including the Gov.uk Dashboard - to ensure that statistics are being produced with the appropriate level of quality and transparency, and remain useful and relevant as per the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Impact of COVID-19 response to date on the economy and society

Since March 2020, to reduce transmission, protect the NHS from unsustainable pressure and to reduce mortality, the Government has had to introduce stringent measures by restricting social and economic activity.

The measures introduced were necessary because COVID-19 was a new disease to which the population had no immunity, and for which there was no readily available treatment. However, the measures introduced had extraordinarily high social and economic costs with unprecedented impacts on individuals and families, public services and private businesses.

In particular, the health and education sectors have been significantly affected, as well as the provision of other public services such as the court system. The pandemic has also caused a period of unparalleled global economic uncertainty. Restrictions to control the virus - including social distancing, business closures and reduced international travel - on top of voluntary behaviour change, had significant economic costs, and disrupted the delivery of critical private and public sector services.

Impacts on health, education and public services

During the pandemic, over 720,000 patients have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19, [footnote 32] and over 160,000 people have now died within 28 days of a positive test in the UK. [footnote 33] Caring for this number of patients has restricted the ability of the NHS to provide other types of care. As a result the NHS elective backlog has reached a record high and waiting times for ambulances and emergency care have substantially increased.

The provision of other public services has also been significantly affected. The court backlog increased substantially during the pandemic [footnote 34] and restricting face-to-face education has had significant adverse impacts on children and young people’s learning, development and mental health. Pupils and students from disadvantaged backgrounds experienced greater losses in learning than their more affluent peers as a result of the pandemic. [footnote 35] There is clear evidence that time out of education can be detrimental to children and young people’s future prospects and earning potential, with implications also for long-term productivity.

Mental health and well-being have also been negatively impacted. Self-reported measures of personal well-being dropped to record lows during the first and second waves, with some groups experiencing particularly poor or deteriorating mental health - including women, young people, disabled people, those in deprived neighbourhoods, certain ethnic minority groups and those who experienced local lockdowns. [footnote 36] There was a marked increase in the number of under 18s referred to specialist care for issues such as self-harm and eating disorders in 2021. [footnote 37] Reports of domestic abuse increased during lockdown periods. [footnote 38]

Impacts on the economy

The pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions ( NPIs ) created significant economic disruption and drove the largest recession on record, with the UK economy contracting by 9.4% in 2020. [footnote 39]

As experience allowed for improved understanding of the impact of restrictions, businesses, consumers and the Government adapted. For example, the Government was able to deploy more targeted interventions. Compared to pre-pandemic levels (February 2020), output was 25% lower during the first lockdown (April 2020), and 7% lower in November 2020, coinciding with much of the second lockdown and 8% lower at the height of the third lockdown (January 2021). [footnote 40]

The Government took unprecedented steps to support the economy through the pandemic. The Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support for the economy through the pandemic to date. [footnote 41] This has helped to safeguard jobs and businesses in every region and nation of the UK, and underpinned the faster than expected economic bounce back that occurred when restrictions were lifted. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme succeeded in supporting 11.7 million jobs and 1.3 million employers across the UK and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme supported nearly 3 million self-employed individuals. [footnote 42]

As restrictions were lifted in 2021, supported by the vaccine rollout, consumer activity increased, driving recovery across the economy. As uncertainty declined, business confidence and investment also began to recover. 2021 saw faster than anticipated growth, with the economy regaining its pre-pandemic size in November 2021. [footnote 43] The emergence of the Omicron variant, workforce absences from illness and isolation, and Plan B measures in England impacted economic activity in recent months, with GDP falling 0.2% in December 2021. [footnote 44]

Workforce absences due to illness and self-isolation have weighed on economic growth in periods of particularly high prevalence during the Delta and Omicron waves. Workforce absences disproportionately impacted those less able to work from home, who were more likely to be young, on lower incomes, or from certain ethnic minority groups. [footnote 45] Changes to self-isolation policy helped to mitigate these impacts while accepting a higher risk of transmission.

Government action has supported a strong recovery in the labour market. The number of payrolled employees in January 2022 was 436,000 above February 2020 levels. [footnote 46] Vacancies remained at a record level in the 3 months to January 2022, standing at 1.3 million. [footnote 47]

Following the easing of restrictions in summer 2021, supply pressures due to COVID-19 have acted as a constraint on output in many countries including the UK. This has been a result of: restrictions on people’s ability to work; factory closures globally; and elevated consumer demand for goods. While supply pressures remain acute, there are some initial signs of easing with shipping costs falling from October 2021. However, the possibility of further outbreaks internationally and different approaches to COVID-19 taken by different countries could present further risks to the UK economy.

3. Living with COVID-19

The past 2 years have seen many necessary restrictions imposed on everyday life to manage COVID-19, but these have come with a huge toll on wellbeing and economic output. Scientists (including virologists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and many others) and the Government now understand more about COVID-19, how it behaves and how it can be treated. As the virus continues to evolve, it will be important to continue to add to this understanding.

Living with and managing the virus will mean maintaining the population’s wall of protection and communicating safer behaviours that the public can follow to manage risk. The Government will move away from deploying regulations and requirements in England and replace specific interventions for COVID-19 with public health measures and guidance.

The Government is able to take this step now because of the success of the vaccination programme, and the suite of pharmaceutical tools the NHS can deploy to treat people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and the most severely ill (see chapter 4). The Government can only take these steps because it will retain contingency capabilities and will respond as necessary to further resurgences or worse variants of the virus (see chapter 5).

Removing the last domestic restrictions

The Government will remove remaining domestic restrictions in England, subject to appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.

From 24 February, the Government will:

• a. Remove the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. Adults and children who test positive will continue to be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. After 5 days, they may choose to take a Lateral Flow Device ( LFD ) followed by another the next day - if both are negative, and they do not have a temperature, they can safely return to their normal routine. Those who test positive should avoid contact with anyone in an at risk group, including if they live in the same household. There will be specific guidance for staff in particularly vulnerable services, such as adult social care, healthcare, and prisons and places of detention.
• b. No longer ask fully vaccinated close contacts and those under the age of 18 to test daily for 7 days, and remove the legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate. Guidance will set out the precautions that those who live in the same household as someone who has COVID-19, or who have stayed overnight in the same household, are advised to take to reduce risk to other people. Other contacts of people with COVID-19 will be advised to take extra care in following general guidance for the public on safer behaviours.
• c. End self-isolation support payments and national funding for practical support. The medicine delivery service will no longer be available. People who were instructed to self-isolate before this date will still be able to claim support payments within the next 42 days.
• d. Revoke The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 3) Regulations. Local authorities will continue to manage local outbreaks of COVID-19 in high risk settings as they do with other infectious diseases.

From 24 March, the COVID-19 provisions within Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance regulations will end. People with COVID-19 may still be eligible, subject to the normal conditions of entitlement.

From 1 April, the Government will update guidance setting out the ongoing steps that people with COVID-19 should take to minimise contact with other people. This will align with the changes to testing set out later in this chapter.

Testing, tracing and certification

Testing and tracing have been important throughout the response to COVID-19. The Government’s provision of LFDs enabled people to take a test before meeting family, friends and colleagues, allowing them to protect themselves and others, and breaking chains of transmission. This was particularly important during the period of exceptionally high prevalence driven by the Omicron variant towards the end of 2021. Access to LFDs also enabled contacts of positive cases to test daily in lieu of isolation, reducing the workforce impacts of isolation while identifying positive cases.

However, the Government’s free provision of testing at scale has come at a very significant cost to the taxpayer during the pandemic response. The Testing, Tracing and Isolation ( TTI ) budget in the financial year 2020-21 exceeded that of the Home Office, and the programme cost £15.7 billion in the financial year 2021-22. This level of spending was necessary due to the severe risk posed by COVID-19 when the population did not have a high level of protection.

The population now has much stronger protection against COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic, due to the vaccination programme, natural immunity, access to antivirals, and increased scientific and public understanding about how to manage risk. For this reason, the Government now assesses that it is time to transition to focus its COVID-19 response towards guidance, while targeting protection on individuals who are most at risk from the virus. Government spending on COVID-19 will reduce significantly in line with this change.

As immunity levels are high, testing and isolation will play a less important role in preventing serious illness. Some changes to testing have already begun. In January, the recommendation for a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) test following a positive LFD was changed, and the testing regime in adult social care was also changed to a LFD regime.

The Government will implement further changes to the availability of testing in the coming months.

From 21 February, the Government is removing the guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing.

From 1 April, the Government will no longer provide free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the general public in England.

Over 2 billion lateral flow tests have been provided across the UK since 2020. UKHSA continues to have good stock levels and will manage these to provide flexibility in future. Ahead of the end of free universal testing in England, it will be necessary for UKHSA to cap the number of tests distributed each day to manage demand. Given that advice to test has and continues to reduce, the Government urges people only to order what they need.

The Government will help enable COVID-19 tests to be made available for those who wish to purchase them through the private market. Private markets are established in many European countries - including France, Germany, Italy and Spain - and the United States of America. The Government is working with retailers and pharmacies to help establish the private market in testing.

From 1 April, there will be some limited ongoing free testing:

• a. Limited symptomatic testing available for a small number of at-risk groups - the Government will set out further details on which groups will be eligible.
• b. Free symptomatic testing will remain available to social care staff

Contact tracing

From 24 February, routine contact tracing will end. Contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests. Instead, guidance will set out precautions that contacts can take to reduce risk to themselves and other people - and those testing positive for COVID-19 will be encouraged to inform their close contacts so that they can follow that guidance.

Local health teams continue to use contact tracing and provide context-specific advice where they assess this to be necessary as part of their role in managing infectious diseases.

COVID-status certification

From 1 April, the Government will remove the current guidance on domestic voluntary COVID-status certification and will no longer recommend that certain venues use the NHS COVID Pass. The NHS COVID Pass will remain available within the NHS App for a limited period, to support the use of certification in other parts of the UK. The NHS App will continue to allow individuals access to their vaccination status for international travel, as well as their recovery status for travel to those overseas destinations that recognise it.

Safer behaviours

Throughout the pandemic, Government advice and information has been informed by the best scientific evidence available from health agencies, academics, and experts. [footnote 48]

People will continue to be advised that there are safer behaviours they can adopt to reduce the risk of infection. Precautions remain particularly important to those who are at higher risk if they catch COVID-19, although due to advances in vaccination and therapeutics, this group is now better protected. The majority of people previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are now advised to follow the same general guidance as everyone else as a result of the protection they have received from vaccination.

Individuals can still reduce the risk of catching and passing on COVID-19 by:

• a. Getting vaccinated;
• b. Letting fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meeting outside;
• c. Wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you come into contact with people you do not usually meet, when rates of transmission are high;
• d. Trying to stay at home if you are unwell;
• e. Taking a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms, and staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if you test positive; and
• f. Washing your hands and following advice to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’.

From 1 April, guidance to the public and to businesses will be consolidated in line with public health advice. There will continue to be specific guidance for those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 despite vaccination.

Businesses and other organisations

Employers and businesses have also taken significant steps over the pandemic to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 within their settings. The Government has lifted the majority of legal requirements on businesses, and continues to provide ‘Working Safely’ guidance setting out the steps that employers can take to reduce risk in their workplaces.

From 24 February, workers will not be legally obliged to tell their employers when they are required to self-isolate. Employers and workers should follow Government guidance for those with COVID-19.

From 1 April, the Government will remove the health and safety requirement for every employer to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments. The intention is to empower businesses to take responsibility for implementing mitigations that are appropriate for their circumstances. Employers that specifically work with COVID-19, such as laboratories, must continue to undertake a risk assessment that considers COVID-19.

From 1 April, the Government will replace the existing set of ‘Working Safely’ guidance with new public health guidance. Employers should continue to consider the needs of employees at greater risk from COVID-19, including those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. The Government will consult with employers and businesses to ensure guidance continues to support them to manage the risk of COVID-19 in workplaces.

Ventilation

The Government will continue to promote and support good ventilation. Employers and businesses should continue identifying poorly ventilated spaces and take steps to improve fresh air flow.

There is increasing evidence of the importance of circulating fresh air in reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Ventilation also helps with reducing transmission of other respiratory infections such as influenza, with some research showing that being in a room with fresh air can in some cases reduce the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19 by over 70%. [footnote 49] There are also potential wider benefits of good ventilation, for health, concentration, and lower absence rates. [footnote 50] The Government has responded to this evidence through:

• a. Public communications campaigns and comprehensive business guidance on ventilation and fresh air;
• b. Providing over 350,000 CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings backed by £25 million of funding, [footnote 51] and up to 9,000 high efficiency particulate air ( HEPA ) cleaning units for the small number of education settings where poor ventilation could not be quickly rectified; [footnote 52]
• c. Enabling local authorities to use their allocations from the £60 million Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund, at their discretion, to audit and improve fresh air in adult social care; [footnote 53] and
• d. Completing a ventilation audit of the central government estate.

The Government is also carrying out further ventilation research and the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser has commissioned a report from the Royal Academy of Engineering on how our built environment could be made more infection resilient, to be published this May. The Government will carefully consider its recommendations, alongside the ongoing research.

Changes at a glance

Today, 21 February the Government is:

• Removing the guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing.

From 24 February the Government will:

• Remove the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. Adults and children who test positive will continue to be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days and then continue to follow the guidance until they have received 2 negative test results on consecutive days.
• No longer ask fully vaccinated close contacts and those aged under 18 to test daily for 7 days, and remove the legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate.
• End self-isolation support payments, national funding for practical support and the medicine delivery service will no longer be available.
• End routine contact tracing. Contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests.
• End the legal obligation for individuals to tell their employers when they are required to self-isolate.
• Revoke The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 3) Regulations.

From 24 March, the Government will:

• Remove the COVID-19 provisions within the Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance regulations.

From 1 April, the Government will:

• Remove the current guidance on voluntary COVID-status certification in domestic settings and no longer recommend that certain venues use the NHS COVID Pass.
• Update guidance setting out the ongoing steps that people with COVID-19 should take to minimise contact with other people. This will align with the changes to testing.
• No longer provide free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the general public in England.
• Consolidate guidance to the public and businesses, in line with public health advice.
• Remove the health and safety requirement for every employer to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments.
• Replace the existing set of ‘Working Safely’ guidance with new public health guidance.

4. Protecting people most vulnerable to COVID-19

Since March 2020, the medical and scientific community has learned a lot more about COVID-19, what makes someone more or less vulnerable to it, and how to manage the virus in higher risk settings.

At the start of the pandemic very little was known about risk factors from COVID-19 and vaccines were unavailable, so the Government took a precautionary approach and advised ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ groups to follow shielding advice. These measures were extremely restrictive and often had a significant impact on individuals’ lives and their mental and physical wellbeing, meaning people and their families made considerable sacrifices to stay safe.

Data on COVID-19 related deaths and admissions between December 2020 and June 2021 showed that COVID-19 mortality increased with age (when controlled for vaccination status and other key factors). This same analysis showed that the risk was higher for people with specific clinical conditions such as Down’s syndrome, solid organ transplantation, Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and neurological conditions. Those living in more deprived areas and from certain ethnic minority groups were also at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality. [footnote 54]

As a result of the success of the Government’s strategy to invest in scientific and medical innovation, the Government has been able to rely more on vaccines and medical treatments, and gradually remove restrictive guidance for those at an increased risk of COVID-19. The shielding programme ended on 15 September 2021.

The Government prioritised those at highest risk from COVID-19 for vaccination by following JCVI advice, and using the COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment. Vaccination has proved to be the most effective way to protect those at increased risk from COVID-19 and everybody should be encouraged to get all doses of the vaccination and boosters for which they are eligible. The Government and UKHSA will continue to communicate to people most vulnerable to COVID-19 about available clinical interventions, including vaccination and treatments, and also testing and public health advice (see previous chapter).

COVID-19 vaccines remain the most important and effective way the public can protect themselves and others from becoming seriously ill or dying from the virus. Vaccines have built a wall of defence around communities across the country, saving countless lives and allowing a phased return to normality. A recent review by UKHSA also showed that people who have had one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are less likely to develop long COVID symptoms than those who remain unvaccinated. [footnote 55]

The UK’s vaccination programme, which prioritised the most vulnerable to COVID-19 for early receipt of vaccines, has now protected tens of millions of people and prevented many hospitalisations and deaths. [footnote 56] The programme continues to be extended. The NHS has already given a first dose to 60% of 12 to 15 year olds in England and is now offering second doses. [footnote 57] Vaccinations have also started to be offered to at-risk 5 to 11 year olds since week commencing 31 January (2 doses, 8 weeks apart). From April, all 5 to 11 year olds will be able to come forward for a course of COVID-19 vaccine (2 doses, 12 weeks apart). Every parent will have the opportunity to make an informed choice.

The Government will continue to be guided by JCVI advice on the deployment of the vaccination programme. Subject to JCVI advice, further vaccinations (boosters) may be recommended for people who are most vulnerable to serious outcomes from COVID-19 this autumn ​​and, ahead of that, a spring booster for groups JCVI consider to be at particularly high risk.

For people who have yet to take up their initial vaccine offer, the NHS continues to make vaccines available across the UK to ensure that every eligible person who wants a vaccine can get one. The Government will continue to provide flexible delivery models to ensure vaccines remain accessible.

The Government will continue to support communities with lower rates of COVID-19 vaccine uptake, particularly in areas of deprivation and for ethnic minority groups. In December 2021, the Government announced a further £22.5 million in funding for the Community Vaccine Champions Scheme to support 60 local authorities with the lowest COVID-19 vaccine uptake. [footnote 58] Community Champions work with local councils to address barriers to accurate vaccine information and encourage individuals to get vaccinated.

Deploying treatments

The Government has moved quickly since the onset of the pandemic to ensure that those at risk of and suffering from COVID-19 have early access to safe and effective treatments.

In April 2021, the Prime Minister launched the Antivirals Taskforce ( ATF ), in order to identify, procure and deploy novel antiviral treatments for UK patients with COVID-19. Antivirals can be used at the earliest stage of infection to help reduce the development of severe COVID-19 by blocking virus replication.

The ATF has secured a supply of almost 5 million courses of antivirals - more per head than any other country in Europe. [footnote 59] These antivirals are the first medicines which can be given at home to treat people whose immune systems mean they are at higher risk from COVID-19.

In company trials, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir) reduced the relative risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalisation or death by 88% in unvaccinated patients who received treatment within 5 days of symptoms appearing. [footnote 60] Results from Lagevrio (molnupiravir) company trials show around 30% relative reduction in the rate of hospitalisation in unvaccinated patients. [footnote 61] Both antivirals have now received conditional marketing authorisation from MHRA , making the UK the first country in the world to approve an oral antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19. [footnote 62]

People at highest risk of developing severe COVID-19 can now access antivirals should they test positive for COVID-19. UKHSA has sent priority PCR tests to around 1.3 million people to support rapid turnaround of results so they can access the treatments as soon as possible after symptoms begin. [footnote 63] In England, around 14,000 people with weakened immune systems have already been treated with the new antivirals, Lagevrio (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir), and the new monoclonal antibody treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab).

Therapeutics

The Therapeutics Taskforce was quickly established in April 2020 to ensure that COVID-19 patients in the UK had access to safe and effective treatments as soon as possible. Effective therapeutics have played a vital role in lessening the severity and impact of COVID-19.

The UK has led the way in the testing and deployment of life-saving treatments, which have been made available to patients in the UK and across the world. World-leading clinical trials such as RECOVERY - the world’s largest randomised controlled clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments have helped to discover new effective treatments for COVID-19.

In June 2020, the UK was the first in the world to discover that dexamethasone - a low-cost corticosteroid - reduced the risk of mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen or ventilation by up to 35%. [footnote 64] UK Government-funded trials demonstrated tocilizumab and sarilumab - monoclonal immunomodulatory antibody treatments - reduced the relative risk of mortality by up to 24% when administered to patients within 24 hours of entering intensive care. [footnote 65]

New therapeutics like Xevudy (sotrovimab), a monoclonal antibody, have been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 infection and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. [footnote 66]

Supporting the NHS and social care

Throughout the pandemic the Government has provided health and social care services with resources and support to respond to the unique challenges they have faced.

The approach to managing COVID-19 in NHS and adult social care services will continue to evolve in the coming months, but will continue to focus on providing care for those that need it and supporting people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, including people receiving social care and people receiving treatment in hospitals.

A key objective for the NHS over the last two years has been to keep patients and staff safe and limit the spread of COVID-19 within hospitals. Enhanced Infection Prevention Control ( IPC ) measures have been required in NHS settings, including:

• a. Asymptomatic testing for patients and for staff;
• b. Enhanced personal protective equipment ( PPE ) to protect healthcare workers and the patients they come into contact with;
• c. COVID-19 specific bed management and clinical pathways; and
• d. Evaluation of ventilation in line with the latest guidance. [footnote 67]

In the next phase of managing COVID-19, the NHS will continue to:

• a. Deliver and support specific programmes to manage the risk of COVID-19, including the deployment of vaccines (see chapter 4).
• b. Support patients with Long COVID, where the UK is leading the way in research, treatment and care. Specialist services have been established throughout England for adults, children and young people experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19 infection, underpinned by a £100 million plan for 2021-22, and further investment for 2022-23.
• c. Work to better understand COVID-19 and the long-term health impacts it may have, supported by £50 million in research funding.
• d. Use and develop measures to restore and recover elective services and reduce backlogs for treatments.
• e. Providing access to free PPE to the end of March 2023, or until the IPC guidance on PPE usage for COVID-19 is amended or superseded (whichever is sooner).

Adult social care

Care home residents, and those in receipt of adult social care at home and other care settings, are often among the most vulnerable in society to COVID-19. To protect these people, the Government introduced additional protective measures, including:

• a. Free PPE for adult social care workers;
• b. Prioritisation of staff and residents for vaccinations;
• c. Designated settings to ensure that those who need residential care but are still likely to be infectious with COVID-19 at the point of discharge from hospital can complete a period of isolation before moving to their care home;
• d. Introducing visitor restrictions at times of particularly high risk; and
• e. In recognition of the challenges facing the sector, the Government published its first ever set of winter plans for adult social care.

The Government will continue to support the adult social care sector with the following protections:

• a. Supporting and encouraging the take-up of vaccines amongst care recipients and staff, including any further doses that may be recommended by JCVI for COVID-19 and other infections;
• b. Guidance on precautions for visitors and workers in adult social care; and
• c. Providing access to free PPE to the end of March 2023 or until the UK IPC guidance on PPE usage for COVID-19 is amended or superseded (whichever is sooner).

The role of the Government in managing the COVID-19 response in adult social care has been unprecedented. As a part of living sustainably with COVID-19, by 1 April the Government will publish updated IPC guidance. This will replace current COVID-19 IPC guidance for care homes, home care and other adult social care services. The Government will continue to work with local authorities and care providers to respond to outbreaks in care settings and manage local workforce pressures.

Tackling health inequalities

COVID-19 has also exacerbated pre-existing socio-economic and health inequalities, driving poorer outcomes amongst those who were already disadvantaged. Since the start of the pandemic, the NHS has accelerated its preventative health programmes which proactively engage those at greatest risk of poorer health outcomes to address health inequalities.

The Government will continue to support communities with lower rates of COVID-19 vaccine uptake, particularly in areas of deprivation and for ethnic minority groups as part of its approach to both reducing health disparities as and living with COVID-19, but also to support the wider health and social care system.

The recent ‘Levelling Up the United Kingdom’ white paper also aims to reduce geographical inequalities by investing in health, local infrastructure and leadership, and improving education and skills. [footnote 68] The Government will set out a strategy to tackle the core drivers of inequalities in health outcomes in a new white paper on health disparities in 2022.

The Government has provided significant additional funding to respond to the pandemic on an emergency basis through additional borrowing. As the country moves to living with COVID, the Government must ensure that the cost of resilience and contingency measures are met in a responsible and sustainable manner. The Government is already asking taxpayers to make an additional contribution through the Health and Care levy. The Government will meet the cost of living with COVID-19 within this and other existing funding streams.

5. Maintaining resilience

As set out in the introduction, the future path and severity of the virus is uncertain and it may take several years before the virus becomes more predictable. During this period further resurgences will occur, it is possible more severe variants will emerge and there will sadly be more hospitalisations and deaths. As a result, the Government is taking steps to ensure there are plans in place to maintain resilience against significant resurgences or future variants and remains ready to act if a dangerous variant risks placing unsustainable pressure on the NHS .

The Government’s aim is to manage and respond to these risks through more routine public health interventions. As such, the NHS has developed a range of interventions to respond to COVID-19 demand while protecting NHS activity to the fullest possible extent. In future, pharmaceutical capabilities will be the first line of defence in responding to COVID-19 if risk threatens to place unsustainable pressure on the NHS .

The Government will retain surveillance to monitor the virus, understand its evolution and identify changes in characteristics, enabling the Government to make informed decisions. The Government will prepare and maintain the capabilities to ramp up testing and other tools such as laboratory infrastructure to be used as a line of defence against a new variant.

Monitoring and mitigating risks

The UK has been a global leader in sequencing and monitoring, at times uploading the highest number of sequences of any country on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data ( GISAID ) platform. [footnote 69] UKHSA will continue to sequence some infections and monitor a range of data.

Domestic surveillance

The Government will continue to monitor cases, in hospital settings in particular, including using genomic sequencing, which will allow some insights into the evolution of the virus. UKHSA will maintain scaled down critical surveillance capabilities including the COVID-19 Infection Survey ( CIS ) population level survey, genomic sequencing and additional data. This will be augmented by continuing the SARS-CoV-2 Immunity & Reinfection Evaluation ( SIREN ) and Vivaldi studies.

UK monitoring mechanisms during the pandemic

The Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) has continued to keep pace with the changing evidence needs of the Government and the public in tracking the spread of COVID-19 and understanding its impact. This includes official statistics on health, society, the labour market and the economy.

The COVID-19 Infection Survey was established in April 2020 to measure:

• How many people across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland test positive for a COVID-19 infection at a given point in time, regardless of whether they report experiencing symptoms;
• The average number of new positive test cases per week over the course of the study; and
• The number of people who test positive for antibodies.

The results of the survey contribute to UKHSA ’s estimates of the rate of transmission of the infection, often referred to as “R”. The survey provides important information about the socio-demographic characteristics of the people and households who have contracted COVID-19.

The SIREN study was established in June 2020. The purpose of this study is to understand whether prior infection with SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) protects against future infection with the same virus.

The Vivaldi Study was also established in June 2020. The purpose of this study is to investigate COVID-19 infections in care homes, to find out how many care home staff and residents have been infected with COVID-19, and inform decisions around the best approach to COVID-19 testing in the future.

Preparing to respond

In order to be prepared for further resurgences and new variants, the Government will maintain resilience and infrastructure required to scale up a proportionate response.

NHS and social care resilience

The NHS has developed a range of interventions to respond to COVID-19 demand while protecting urgent and elective care activity to the fullest possible extent, including during the peaks of demand seen in April 2020, January 2021, and at the present time. These interventions include:

• a. Tried and tested plans to expand general and acute and critical care bed capacity as needed, learning the lessons from previous waves of COVID-19. This includes surging capacity within hospital trusts’ existing footprints, across Integrated Care System footprints and clinical networks, and patient transfers between regions if required.
• b. Maximising patient discharge, working with local authorities and partners to ensure that all medically fit patients can be safely discharged as soon as possible, supporting improved patient outcomes and freeing up beds for elective surgery.
• c. Making full use of non-acute beds in the local health and care system as necessary, including in hospices, hotels, community beds and the independent sector. At points throughout the pandemic NHS England has contracted with independent providers to secure additional surge capacity and prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed due to COVID-19 infections. The Increasing Capacity Framework streamlines central procurement processes and allows the NHS to effectively secure the capacity it needs to meet patient needs on a local level.
• d. The use of ‘virtual wards’ and ‘hospital at home’ models of care have ensured that patients can be safely cared for in their own homes and that additional bed capacity can be freed up in hospitals. The NHS operational planning guidance sets out that, by December 2023, systems should complete the comprehensive development of virtual wards towards a national ambition of 40 to 50 virtual beds per 100,000 population.
• e. Implementing a range of workforce interventions, including increasing staffing numbers, temporary local adjustments to staffing ratios, with flexible redeployment of staff including training for roles in critical or enhanced care.
• f. Ensuring continued improvements to the urgent and emergency care pathway to avoid emergency department crowding. Interventions include using NHS 111 as the first point of triage for urgent care services, which increases the ability to book patients into the full range of local urgent care services, including urgent treatment centres; same day emergency care; speciality clinics; and urgent community and mental health services.

While significant uncertainty remains, the NHS will continue to closely monitor COVID-19 demand and keep the use of these interventions under review, deploying them as necessary to protect the delivery of health services to the fullest extent possible.

Local authorities will have their own contingency plans for maintaining care services in the event of acute workforce supply challenges. In the event that a local authority – having deployed all its contingency measures – is unable to cope, a request for further support could be made via the Local Resilience Forums ( LRFs ).

The Government will continue to work closely with the health and care sectors to identify and understand capacity risks, in the event of another challenging winter and/or new variant of concern.

Pharmaceutical interventions and medical countermeasures

The Government already has experience in successfully deploying a contingency response based on medical countermeasures. During the response to the Omicron variant, the NHS administered a booster programme to all adults and met the surge in demand for vaccines at short notice. The Government will ensure that there are sufficient procurement plans in place to make certain that the UK has access to the most effective vaccines on the market, and that these are available to the health care system and the public when needed.

Testing: Contingency capabilities

The Government will retain core infrastructure and capabilities in England to scale up testing in the case of a new dangerous variant.

Local outbreak management

Local partners have significantly stepped up to support local outbreak management. In future the Government expects COVID-19 to be managed regionally and locally as part of a wider all hazards approach, using existing health protection frameworks.

The Government will revise current COVID-19 outbreak management advice and frameworks, to set out the support that local authorities and other system partners (such as LRFs , regional health protection teams, the NHS and others) can expect from regional and national stakeholders and the core policy and tools for contingency response. The Government will continue to provide guidance via UKHSA engagement with local partners.

Approach at the borders

Last month the Government announced its new system for international travel, underpinned by a commitment to see a return to unrestricted travel and to support recovery across all sectors. There are now no requirements on eligible vaccinated travellers apart from the need to complete a simplified Passenger Locator Form. Travellers who do not qualify as eligible vaccinated also need to take a pre-departure test and an arrival test on or before day 2, but no longer need to isolate or take a day 8 test.

The Government also committed to developing a contingency toolbox of options. The Government recognises that border measures have carried very high personal, economic, and international costs. The Government will only consider implementing new public health measures at the border in extreme circumstances where it is necessary to protect public health.

Contingency measures would only be used where they are proportionate to the threat faced by a COVID-19 variant and effective in slowing ingress to avert pressure on public services such as the NHS . There may be scenarios where border measures are not appropriate and will not form part of a contingency response. The approach will be underpinned by three important principles:

• a. The bar for implementation of any measures is very high;
• b. Any measure will be tailored and proportionate to the threat posed and will seek to minimise economic and social impacts; and
• c. In the event any measures were deemed necessary they would be time limited and not be in place any longer than needed.

Given the current state of the pandemic and a move towards global travel volumes returning to normal, the infrastructure for hotel quarantine will be fully stood down from the end of March and the Government is developing options to increase compliance with home isolation in its place should quarantine measures need to be reintroduced. Previous global responses to variants of COVID-19 that targeted travel from specific countries may not always be appropriate given how quickly the virus can spread, and tailoring measures to the nature of the threat can improve their effectiveness and proportionality. As such, the Government will have in reserve a more agile toolbox tailored depending on the nature and source of the threat, and deployed only where that high bar is crossed. The default will be to first consider whether less stringent measures are appropriate so as to minimise the impact on general travel where possible.

The Government will set out the contingency approach and toolbox of measures in more detail ahead of Easter when reviewing The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021. The Government will continue to work with industry on contingency planning.

6. Securing innovations and opportunities from the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a unique challenge for governments, communities and businesses across the world. These challenges have brought with them opportunities for innovation, as new approaches were developed and deployed at scale and pace. The Government is committed to securing the innovations and opportunities which have emerged during the pandemic, where there is long term benefit to wider Government priorities.

In addition, the COVID-19 public inquiry chaired by Baroness Hallett starts this spring and is intended to enable the Government to learn lessons about its response.

The Government will also remember those that have lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and commemorate the enormous efforts and sacrifices of all those who have supported the country throughout. On 12 May 2021, the Prime Minister announced that a UK Commission on COVID Commemoration would be established to consider how the country should remember those who have lost their lives and recognise those involved in the response. The Government will set out the Commission’s membership and terms of reference in due course.

Innovation, opportunities and learning

Life sciences.

Over the course of the pandemic the scientific community has made extraordinary scientific advances. The Government directly supported several vaccine manufacturers in their research and development. The first COVID-19 vaccines were ready for clinical trials in under a month, which then led to the deployment of the first safe and effective wide-scale COVID-19 vaccination programme. These vaccines have now been used more widely around the world than many medicines, with extraordinarily successful results.

Innovations in vaccines, antivirals and therapeutics will likely play a vital role in the Government’s response against COVID-19 in the future. A number of vaccine suppliers are already trialling new bi-valent vaccines, which would provide protection against COVID-19 variants. The Vaccine Taskforce ( VTF ) will continue to ensure that the UK has access to effective vaccines on the market. The Therapeutics Taskforce will continue to support the eight national priority clinical trial platforms run by the National Institute for Health Research, focused on prevention, novel treatments, and treatments for Long COVID.

The UK remains an attractive prospect for companies to invest in the UK’s life sciences sector, whether it be as part of an established research and innovation network or in the growing biologics manufacturing industry. At the recent Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a further £354 million for UK life sciences manufacturing as part of the Global Britain Investment Fund to support investment into the UK economy. The Vaccine Taskforce’s investment into facilities at UKHSA Porton Down has increased the UK’s capacity to test the efficacy of vaccines against emerging variants.

Vaccine Taskforce ( VTF )

The Vaccine Taskforce was set up in April 2020 to drive forward the development, procurement, and production of a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, bringing together the Government, academia, industry and international cooperation in science and research. Since then, the VTF has had unprecedented success. Using experience and expertise from the private sector has enabled the UK to build a diverse portfolio of vaccines and secure assured supply through to 2023. This has allowed the NHS to run the largest vaccination campaign in its history.

The Government’s longer-term approach to vaccine procurement will seek to build upon the legacy of innovation from the success of the VTF and look to apply the wider lessons from the past two years to other vaccination programmes.

NHS and social care

The Government will implement lessons learnt from the pandemic in the Health and Social Care sector, drawing on what worked well, and on future clinical advice. In particular, the Health and Social Care Integration white paper sets out the Government’s plans to make integrated health and social care a reality for everyone across England and to level up access, experience, and outcomes across the country. [footnote 70]

Improving NHS data

In March 2020, the NHS COVID-19 Data Cell (a partnership between NHS England and NHS Improvement ( NHSEI ) and NHSX) worked with partners to provide a data analysis and modelling platform that brought together multiple complex data sources from across the health and care system into a single, secure location.

The platform proved invaluable in providing a single version of the truth to support data driven decisions. In a matter of months, this system achieved what would have taken years to develop under non-crisis circumstances.

Virtual Wards

To enable patients to be safely discharged as quickly as possible the NHS established “virtual wards”. This allowed clinicians to use technology to remotely monitor COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients while communicating with them at home.

Oximetry@Home

This NHS service provides pulse oximeters to patients with COVID-19 who are at a higher risk, along with supporting information to monitor their oxygen saturation levels at home, with 24/7 access to advice and support. It is usually led by general practice working alongside community teams. The service can help ensure more timely hospital treatment if required.

Emergency registers for health professionals

Section 2 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 has enabled thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals who no longer work for the NHS to be placed on temporary registers, allowing them to work in NHS services to alleviate workforce pressures during times of emergency.

Following the success of these registers, the Department for Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) will amend legislation to enable the Nursing and Midwifery Council ( NMC ) and the Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC ) to establish temporary registers to support emergency response arrangements in future.

Strengthening health security at home and abroad

The Government is committed to supporting future health security and resilience.

UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA )

UKHSA was set up in April 2021 to prepare for, prevent and respond to all hazards to public health. UKHSA has been instrumental in delivering the UK’s response to COVID-19:

• Testing capacity and diagnostics including the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history. The UK has now registered over 467 million COVID-19 tests. [footnote 71]
• Genomic sequencing capabilities where the UK has uploaded over 2 million genome sequences to the international GISAID database, accounting for a quarter of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes shared globally to date. [footnote 72]
• Innovation and technology: the development of the Rosalind Franklin laboratory, and use of innovative new techniques - such as reflex assay technology - strengthened our ability to rapidly detect COVID-19 mutations and support the assessment of variants of concern. At its peak, in December 2021, the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory was processing over 400,000 PCR tests a week. [footnote 73]

UKHSA will continue to lead the wider health protection emergency planning and response system, championing health security across the UK.

International learning and innovation

Epidemics and pandemics are not new, but the rate at which they have occurred has increased during the last 20 years. This increase is thought to be driven by a combination of changes to land use and human behaviours that bring people into closer contact with wild animals, coupled with unprecedented levels of global movement of people and trade.

Supporting global COVID-19 recovery

The UK remains committed to equitable global access to COVID-19 tools to help reduce the risk and frequency of variants of concern, and to contribute to global COVID-19 recovery. The UK has played a leading role in global vaccine access and has committed up to £1.4 billion of UK aid to address the impacts of COVID-19 and to help end the pandemic as quickly as possible. The UK’s commitment included £548 million to support the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment ( AMC ) to deliver COVID-19 vaccines for up to 92 low- and middle-income countries.

The UK’s G7 Presidency delivered a shared commitment to provide one billion doses to vaccinate the world over the next year. As part of this commitment, the Government committed to donate 100 million surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses by June 2022, at least 80% of which will go to COVAX to enable it to further support those in need. The Government exceeded its target of 30 million doses donated by the end of 2021.

Building resilience to global health threats

The Government continues to invest in and develop resilience to global health threats via improved health and biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, examples include:

• a. Biological Security Strategy: Later this year, the Government will publish a refreshed biological security strategy. COVID-19 has reinforced the need for effective preparation for future biological threats to protect the UK against naturally occurring infections, accidental release and potential deliberate misuse by state and non-state actors, in particular through surveillance, risk monitoring and response planning.
• b. The 100 Days Mission and Early Warning Systems: The 100 Days Mission is a global public-private ambition to harness scientific innovation to reduce the impact of future pandemics by making available safe and effective diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines within the first 100 days of a future pandemic threat being identified. The Mission was launched as part of the UK’s G7 Presidency in 2021 and the UK is working domestically, with the G7, G20, and international partners to ensure sustainable implementation of the 25 recommendations to ensure the Mission is achieved by 2026.
• c. Pandemic preparedness: The UK is hosting a global pandemic preparedness summit in March 2022, (the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations ( CEPI ) Summit) which will explore how the world can better prepare for pandemics by harnessing the power of science to revolutionise how new vaccines can be developed, manufactured, and equitably distributed to end pandemics.
• d. Engagement and reform of the WHO : The UK is supporting work underway to harness the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. A stronger architecture for pandemic preparedness and response includes: sustainably financing the WHO ; supporting improvements to the way outbreaks are investigated and the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens; and considering amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) to improve management of public health emergencies.

Improved international consistency on global travel health policies

International travel has been severely disrupted throughout the pandemic, causing difficulties for businesses and passengers. The Government will work further with international partners to discuss how cooperation and alignment of border and travel health policies can be improved. This approach will identify opportunities for standardisation to support global efforts to detect, manage, and respond to new health threats as well as seek to deliver as smooth an experience as possible for passengers, helping to support the recovery of the international travel sector.

7. Legislation

During the pandemic, the Government has had to introduce regulations and legislation involving unprecedented government intervention in order to protect public health, and support individuals, businesses and public services. As part of the implementation of the living with COVID-19 strategy, the Government will make the following legislative changes, subject to appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.

Domestic Restrictions under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

The Government has always said that restrictions would not stay in place a day longer than necessary, and is now able to proceed with removing the last domestic restrictions:

• a. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (“No.3 Regulations”) have been in place since 18 July 2020. These powers will be revoked on 24 February. Local authorities will now be required to manage outbreaks through local planning, and pre-existing public health powers, as they would with other infectious diseases.
• b. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 have been in place since 28 September 2020, and impose a legal duty on individuals who test positive and certain close contacts to self-isolate. As set out in chapter 3, the legal duty to self-isolate will be lifted on 24 February and be replaced by guidance.

Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance

In light of the Government’s decision to end the legal duty to self-isolate from 24 February, on 24 March:

• a. The Statutory Sick Pay (General) Regulations 1982 and the Statutory Sick Pay (Coronavirus) (Suspension of Waiting Days and General Amendment) Regulations 2020 will be amended to remove COVID-19 provisions. From this date, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will no longer be payable from day 1 if people are unable to work because they are sick or self-isolating due to COVID-19. Pre-pandemic SSP rules will apply.
• b. The COVID-19 Employment and Support Allowance provisions within The Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit (Coronavirus Disease) Regulations 2020 will automatically expire. From this date, people will no longer be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance because they are self-isolating due to COVID-19. Anyone infected with COVID-19 may, subject to satisfying the conditions of entitlement, still be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance on the basis that they have a health condition or disability that affects their ability to work under the general Employment and Support Allowance regulations.

Vaccines as a Condition of Deployment Regulations

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 making vaccination a condition of deployment were introduced in Care Quality Commission ( CQC ) registered care homes from 11 November 2021. These regulations require that individuals entering the premises are fully vaccinated, unless otherwise exempt. Regulations to extend vaccination as a condition of deployment to health and wider social care settings were approved by Parliament in December 2021, and its main provisions were set to come into force on 1 April 2022. These regulations would require that anyone providing a CQC regulated activity would also be required to be fully vaccinated, unless otherwise exempt.

After reviewing the latest clinical and scientific evidence, the Government announced its intention to revoke both of the above regulations, subject to consultation and appropriate parliamentary procedure. Whilst vaccination remains the country’s best line of defence against COVID-19, the balance of opportunities and risks of the policy have now changed with the dominance of the Omicron variant. The Government therefore assesses that it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment through statute. Professional bodies, the Royal Colleges, the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer and others consider it is a professional responsibility for health and care staff to be vaccinated. The Government has asked the professional regulators to review how this responsibility could be strengthened through their guidance, and will also be consulting on doing so through the Government’s guidance for CQC regulated providers.

A public consultation on revocation concluded on 16 February 2022, and the Government will publish its response shortly. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the regulations will be revoked ahead of 1 April 2022.

International travel regulations

With the intention to continue to facilitate safe travel and sector recovery, and in the context of having significantly reduced travel restrictions, the Government will review The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 before Easter and ahead of their expiry date of 16 May.

The Coronavirus Act 2020

The Coronavirus Act 2020 was first introduced in March 2020 and has enabled the Government to support individuals, businesses, and public services during the pandemic.

Temporary provisions

The Government will expire all remaining non-devolved temporary provisions within the Coronavirus Act 2020. Half of the original 40 temporary non-devolved provisions have already expired, as the Government has removed powers throughout the pandemic which were no longer needed. Of the 20 remaining non-devolved temporary provisions, 16 will expire at midnight on 24 March 2022. These are:

• a. Section 2: Emergency registration of nurses and other health and care professionals.
• b. Section 6: Emergency registration of social workers: England and Wales.
• c. Section 14: NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessments: England.
• d. Section 18: Registrations of deaths and still-births.
• e. Section 19: Confirmatory medical certificate not required for cremations: England and Wales.
• f. Section 22: Appointment of temporary Judicial Commissioners.
• g. Section 38: Temporary continuity: education, training and childcare.
• h. Section 39-41: Statutory Sick Pay: funding of employers’ liabilities; power to disapply waiting period limitation; modification of regulation making powers.
• i. Section 45: NHS pension schemes: suspension of restrictions on return to work: England and Wales.
• j. Section 50: Power to suspend port operations.
• k. Section 58: Powers in relation to transportation, storage and disposal of dead bodies.
• l. Section 75 (2) and (3): Disapplication of limit under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982.
• m. Section 81: Residential tenancies in England and Wales: protection from eviction.
• n. Section 82: Business tenancies in England and Wales: protection from forfeiture

The remaining four provisions will be expired within six months. These provisions have enabled innovations in the delivery of public services and the Government is seeking approval to make them permanent through other primary legislation currently before Parliament and due to come into force over the spring and summer. In each case, a final six-month extension is necessary in order to ensure there is no gap in the legislation that enables public service delivery. The relevant provisions are:

• a. Section 30: has supported coronial services throughout the pandemic in England and Wales by enabling inquests, where COVID-19 is suspected as the cause of death, to take place without a jury, helping reduce pressures and backlogs. This provision will be made permanent via the Judicial Review and Courts Bill.
• b. Sections 53 to 55: have allowed thousands of court hearings to take place using audio and video links. Over 12,000 hearings per week have taken place using remote technology across 3,200 virtual courtrooms, helping courts reduce the backlog in cases and bring more people to justice. The provision for remote hearings will be made permanent via the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Permanent provisions and devolved governments

There are a number of permanent provisions within the Coronavirus Act 2020 which would require new primary legislation in order to repeal. Some of these provisions are still necessary to support the recovery from the pandemic, including:

• a. Section 11: Indemnity for health service activity: England and Wales. This provision ensures that any gaps in indemnity cover for NHS clinical negligence do not delay or prevent ongoing care. Without this, NHS Resolution would be unable to pay legitimate clinical negligence claims, leaving clinicians exposed to the full cost and patients without compensation.
• b. Section 75(1): Disapplication of limit under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 ( IDA ). This provision ensures that the financial limits set out in section 8 of the IDA do not hinder the allocation of vital Government schemes for businesses such as the Help to Grow scheme, the Automotive Transformation Fund, and the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme ( OWMIS ).

The Government is committed to removing unnecessary provisions from the statute book as soon as possible and will look for opportunities to do so as the Government’s legislative programme proceeds.

Once the Government has received the conclusions of the COVID-19 public inquiry, it will consider whether further changes to public health legislation are needed. The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and any outstanding provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 would be in scope for this work.

The Government will also work with the Devolved Administrations, who have used their specific powers within the Coronavirus Act during the pandemic, to help transition provisions into devolved legislation where necessary.

Annex: International comparators

Figure 4: proportion of total population of european countries who have received one dose of covid-19 vaccine [footnote 74].

European countries filtered to the top 30 largest by population

Bar chart showing the percentage coverage of first doses of the vaccine in the top 30 most populous European countries. The UK and Sweden are 11th with 77% of their total populations having received a first dose. Portugal has the highest first dose coverage at 95%.

Figure 5: Date at which 50% of the total population of European countries received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine [footnote 75]

Chart showing the date when the top 20 most populous European countries, reached 50% first dose vaccination coverage of the total population. The UK is first, achieving this vaccine coverage on 29 April 2021.

The speed of the UK’s initial vaccine rollout in early 2021 had a direct impact on the ability to open up the economy, and ease social restrictions sooner than other comparator countries last summer. The success of the rollout also meant that the UK maintained a lower level of restrictions than most other European comparator countries this winter.

Figure 6: Proportion of total population of European countries that are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine [footnote 76]

Bar chart showing the percentage of the total population who are fully vaccinated in the top 30 most populous European countries.The UK is 12th, along with Greece, Netherlands, and Austria, with 72% of their total population having received a full vaccine protocol. Portugal has the highest proportion of their population fully vaccinated at 91%.

Data extracted on 20 January 2022, however, differences in reporting mean dates of underlying data vary by a few days.

Figure 7: Date at which 50% of the total population of European countries were fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine [footnote 77]

European countries filtered to the top 20 largest by population

Chart showing dates at which the top 30 most populous European countries reached 50% coverage of full vaccinations. The UK is second achieving this on 7 Jul 2021, behind Hungary who reached 50% coverage on 27 Jun 2021. Several countries are yet to meet this milestone.

Vaccine protocols vary by country due to use of different manufacturers. Although the initial protocol (full vaccination) is 2 doses for most vaccines, for a few manufacturers this can be 1 or 3 doses. [footnote 78]

Figure 8: Proportion of total population of European countries who have received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine [footnote 79]

Bar chart showing the coverage of booster doses in the top 30 most populous European countries The UK is joint 5th with Germany and Ireland at 56% booster coverage. Denmark has the highest coverage with 62% of their total population having received a booster dose.

Figure 9: Date at which 50% of the total population of European countries received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine [footnote 80]

Chart showing dates at which the top 30 most populous European countries reached 50% booster dose coverage. The UK is first achieving this on 1 January 2022, followed by Denmark who achieved this on 4 January 2022. Several countries are yet to meet this milestone.

Figure 10: COVID-19 tests administered per 1,000 people: G20 countries [footnote 81]

The UK has administered more tests per 1,000 people than any other G20 country since 13 February 2020 (noting that there is no publicly available testing data for China).

Bar chart of tests conducted per 1000 people in the G20. The UK is first, conducting 6,607 tests per 1000 people since 13 February 2020. France is second with 3584 and the US is 4th with 2397.

The methodology for recording daily testing figures varies from country to country. The UK testing figures display the number of PCR and antigen tests conducted across pillars 1 and 2. [footnote 82]

Figure 11: Excess deaths per million in European countries [footnote 83]

Excess deaths are defined as the difference between total deaths during a crisis and the expected number of deaths in ‘normal’ conditions. [footnote 84]

Bar chart showing the number of excess deaths per million in the 30 most populous European countries. The UK is 12th with 1,983 excess deaths per million. Bulgaria has the most excess deaths with 8,627 per million.

Figure 12: Recorded COVID-19 deaths per million in European countries [footnote 85]

Bar chart showing the number of recorded COVID-19 deaths per million for the top 30 most populous European countries. The UK is 14th with 2,355 recorded COVID-19 deaths per million. Bulgaria has the most recorded COVID-19 deaths with 5,075 per million.

This chart shows the number of deaths recorded with COVID-19 on the death certificate. The guidance for including COVID-19 on death certificates varies between countries. It is anticipated that the true number of COVID deaths is higher than the number recorded so excess deaths can provide a more well rounded picture of the impact of the pandemic [footnote 86]

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