The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK government will ※work with the travel industry to remove the need for fully vaccinated arrivals to isolate on return from an amber country§.
Johnson made the statement regarding travel as he announced plans on Monday evening for easing lockdown that would come into effect when the country moves to step four, the last step in reopening England after lockdown. This looks set to happen on 19 July but the final decision will be made on 12 July using the latest data at that point. The move will see most legal restrictions including mask use, social distancing, government guidance to work from home and limits on event attendance swept away.
He said that the transport secretary Grant Shapps would make a further statement on the changes to travel later this week.
The prime minister said he recognised that some people were calling for a further delay in reopning in the light of recent increases in Covid cases but added, ※If we can＊t reopen our society in the next few weeks when we will be helped by the arrival of summer and the school holidays then when will we be able to return to normal?§
The announcement came on the same day that the Business Travel Association, the Advantage Travel Partnership and 12 other organisations called on the government to adopt a risk-based return of international travel.?
The Speak Up for Travel coalition have written an open letter to incoming UK health secretary Sajid Javid calling for an expansion of ※the green list in line with the scientific evidence and making restrictions more proportionate, whilst keeping a strong red list to guard against variants§.
It continued, ※We implore you and your Cabinet colleagues to act decisively to save jobs and businesses, and to set the industry on the road to recovery in a risk-based manner. For example, today we are seeing other countries, many with lower rates of vaccination than the UK, begin to reopen their borders and enable their citizens to travel again particularly through recognition of vaccination status.?
※We are encouraged that the Government has confirmed an intention to relax rules for fully vaccinated people travelling from amber destinations, and to remove statements discouraging travelling to these places. However, these changes must be implemented quickly 每 at the latest alongside the lifting of domestic restrictions in July 每 if they are to make a meaningful difference to the UK travel industry.§