Proposals for fully vaccinated Britons to skip amber list quarantine
The government is considering relaxing international travel restrictions for Britons who have had both coronavirus vaccines, according to reports.
The proposal, first reported by The Telegraph, could allow British travellers who have had two Covid vaccines quarantine-free entry into England after visiting countries on the amber list. Those who have not been fully inoculated would still face the same restrictions currently in force for amber list countries.
The move would effectively turn amber countries green for the vaccinated, opening up the possibility of quarantine-free travel to popular summer hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, which are all currently on the UK’s amber list.
The latest government data shows that more than 30 million people in the UK have now had both doses of a Covid jab.
A government spokesperson said: “Recognising the strong strategic rationale and success of the vaccine programme, we have commenced work to consider the role of vaccinations in shaping a different set of health and testing measures for inbound travel.”
According to The Telegraph, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, who wants tougher border restrictions, is “open” to the change.
Under the current traffic light system, travellers returning from green list countries take Covid tests but do not need to quarantine. Amber country arrivals require a period of self-isolation at home or in a hotel as well as the tests, and red country arrivals must quarantine in a managed hotel in addition to the tests.
Just 11 countries around the world are currently on the green list, including Israel, Falkland Islands and Brunei. The next review of the travel lists is expected on 24 June.
Karen Dee, chief executive of The Airport Operators Association (AOA), warned this summer could be “as bad, if not worse, than 2020” for UK airports because there are currently fewer countries on the “overly cautious” green list than on the travel corridors last summer.
The AOA said UK airports lost out on £2.6 billion of revenue between April and September 2020 and expects a similar loss across the whole of 2021.
Dee said: “To ensure there are viable airports to support the economy and Government agendas like global Britain and levelling up, the Government now faces the choice of either meaningfully restarting aviation or setting out a comprehensive package of support to compensate airports for the impact of Government policy.”