ANYONE travelling into Wales from overseas will need to show they tested negative for coronavirus before starting their journey.

The new rule comes into force at 4am on Monday, January 18 and will cover all international arrivals coming to Wales by plane, boat, or train.

People travelling to Wales from the rest of the UK or from the Republic of Ireland will not have to take a test before starting their journey.

But all other travellers must take a Covid-19 test in the 72 hours before their departure, and present proof of a negative result to their carrier.

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The Welsh Government said the pre-departure testing policy will provide "an additional layer of safety from imported cases of coronavirus, on top of the mandatory 10-day quarantine for arrivals".

“We are doing everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus," health minister Vaughan Gething said on Friday. “These new measures will help ensure we prevent new strains of the virus developing internationally from being imported into Wales."

The 10-day self-isolation rule for people arriving in Wales from non-exempt countries remains in force, and must be followed by travellers even if they tested negative before starting their journey.

The Welsh Government has also announced a ban on direct flights from South America, amid concerns over a new strain of Covid-19, first identified in Brazil last month, that is spreading across the continent.