Green for go abroad
Government looks at a traffic light system that could let Britons go overseas on hols
THE UK Government is looking at a “traffic light” system for foreign travel, making it easier for British people to holiday in lower-risk “green” areas.
Popular holiday destinations with lower Covid rates and higher vaccination roll-out could be reopened sooner this summer.
But it is not clear if the Scottish Government will follow the same approach or develop its own.
Under the tiered system being drawn up in London, passengers could be exempt from both pre-departure tests and quarantine on their return home.
But those flying to higher-risk “red” countries could face a 10-day self-isolation period and extra Covid tests after their break.
Government sources confirmed officials were considering the traffic light scheme, which would be subject to change.
However, they warned it was “quite early days” and suggested the priority would be to reopen the economy at home.
The proposal comes amid fears millions of Britons will be forced to stay at home as a third wave of the virus spreads across Europe.
Ministers warned it would be premature to book summer breaks as soaring rates in countries including France and Poland raise the likelihood of vaccine-resistant strains.
Cabinet minister Ben Wallace said of booking breaks: “It’d be potentially risky, we are seeing growing variants.
“We are not going to do anything that puts at risk this national effort on the pandemic. Let’s take it step by step.”
The Defence Secretary also warned the EU not to “build walls” around the distribution of vaccines amid an escalating war of words.
There are concerns the UK’s vaccines roll-out could be delayed for weeks if the EU presses ahead with a threat to ban exports.
The Department of Health is today launching trials of new Covid tests which can spot new mutations quickly.
The technology, called genotype assay testing, halves the time it currently takes to identify if a positive Covid sample contains a variant of concern.
Those affected could be notified within two days rather than four or five, helping to break the chains of transmission.
A leading member of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine team has warned that the biggest
risk to the UK is the South African strain picking up pace across Europe.
The mutation, which could impact the effectiveness of jabs, is thought to make up between five and 10 per cent of cases in France.
Oxford University’s Sir John Bell said Europe’s “hopeless” response to Covid-19 risks the South African strain “flooding in the back door” when travel restarts.
A Government task force is due to report on April 12 on how and when international travel could resume.
In its road map, the Scottish Government said foreign travel will almost certainly not be allowed before mid-May, and it may not resume for some time after that.
Last night, a spokesperson said: “The current restrictions won’t remain in place a day longer than necessary to protect public health – but at this stage it is still too soon to say when we will be able to restart international tourism.
“It is vital that we do everything possible to prevent the importation of coronavirus, and we cannot risk variants from international travel undermining vaccine deployment.”
The number of daily Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the UK hit a record high for a third consecutive day.
A total of 844,285 combined first and second doses were given on Saturday, up from 711,157 on Friday.
More than 27.6million people in the UK – more than half the adult population – have now received at least one dose of a vaccine.
In Scotland, 532 Covid cases were confirmed yesterday, with no new deaths registered in 24 hours, although the Scottish Government noted that registry offices are generally closed at weekends.