All international arrivals to the UK will again be required to take pre-departure COVID-19 tests to tackle the spread of the new Omicron variant, the health secretary has announced.

The rule applies to all travellers visiting the UK or returning from a holiday, regardless of vaccination status, and will come into force from 4am on Tuesday 7 December.

Tests must be taken a maximum of 48 hours before the departure time.

Sajid Javid said it was because of an “increasing number of cases linked to travel”.

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In addition, Nigeria is being added to the travel red list – joining several southern African nations which were put on it after the Omicron variant was first detected late last month.

It means that only UK citizens and residents will be able to enter the country from Nigeria, and they will have to pay to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 days.

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That change comes in from 4am on Monday, with Mr Javid saying Nigeria is “second only to South Africa for cases linked to Omicron”.

He added that there are “27 cases already in England and that’s growing”.

Mr Javid acknowledged that the measures are “hugely unfortunate” for people who already had travel plans, but insisted they would be “temporary”.

“We want to remove them as soon as we possibly can,” he added, saying that “vaccines remain our first line of defence”.

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Regarding the pre-departure test, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: “Finally! But why on earth is this still only being brought in nearly TWO WEEKS AFTER Omicron was identified?”

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting questioned why pre-departure tests are being allowed “up to 48 hours before flight?”

The NHS has said more than one million people have booked an appointment for a booster jab this week after the public were urged to have the shot following the emergence of the new variant.

The speeding up of third jabs in England will happen no later than 13 December, bosses have said.

From that date, or earlier, the online booking system will be updated in order to allow people to book their booster jab three months after their second dose rather than six.

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