From next week, anyone wishing to enter England will have to have a negative test for coronavirus, the British Minister said on Friday.

Passengers arriving by plane, train or ferry will need to show a negative test for coronavirus no older than 72 hours before entering the country, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said.

Those who will not have an on-site test result upon arrival will pay a £500 fine (around €550).

The exceptions are truck drivers, children under the age of 11 and passengers from Ireland.

This provision applies only to England, but similar measures are expected for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“We have already put in place significant measures to prevent imported cases of Covid-19, but with the new strain of virus spreading across the country we need to take extra precautions,” Shapps said.

Numerous other countries had the condition of a negative Covid-19 test as an entry requirement for some time.

In England, the lockdown, which will last at least until March, is in force again for the third time.