The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
WHAT IS THE UK GOVERNMENT’S APPROACH TO VACCINATING CHILDREN?
The NHS is offering the first dose of a Covid vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds, but the majority are not being offered a second jab. From November 22, all 16to 17-year-olds will be able to book a second dose.
There isn’t currently a set date for offering a second jab for children aged between 12 and 15. No vaccination has been approved for under-12s in the UK.
I’M GOING ON HOLIDAY WITH A TWO-YEAR-OLD AND A FIVE-YEAROLD. WHAT RULES WILL THEY FACE ON RETURN TO THE UK?
If the children live at the same address as you, both can be included on your passenger locator form, which you will need to complete in the 48 hours before your return. You must book and pay for a day two Covid test for the five-yearold; this must be taken on or before day two of your return to the UK (with the arrival day being day zero). The twoyear-old is exempt from the testing requirement (children aged four and under do not need to take a test on return).
I’M TRAVELLING WITH
TEENAGERS WHO HAVE HAD
ONE COVID JAB. WILL THEY STILL NEED A TEST TO GO ON HOLIDAY? Rules vary significantly between destinations, but for the most part, yes. Many EU countries, for example, require proof of full vaccination, recovery from the virus or a negative test for entry. Meanwhile, a number of countries require a Covid pass in some form to enter certain venues (see the information on country-specific rules and ski holidays).
CAN UNDER-18S USE THE
NHS COVID PASS APP?
Children over 16 are eligible to download the Covid pass, but children under 16 are not. The NHS Covid Pass for international travel can be used when you have received both doses of a vaccine; usually 14 days will need to have passed since your second dose for a country to consider you fully vaccinated.
Since 12- to 15-year-olds are not yet eligible for a second dose, the app would not be effective as a vaccine pass in most countries. That said, the app can prove natural immunity with evidence of a previous positive PCR test result. This evidence of immunity lasts for 180 days after the date of the positive test and following the date of the self-isolation period.
The NHS does not provide separate certificates of recovery from the virus.
COULD A PREVIOUS COVID INFECTION AFFECT OUR TRIP?
Yes: if your child has had the virus in the past few months, they could fail a PCR test despite no longer being infectious. Fragments of viral genetic material can remain in the nose and throat after the infectious period is over, leading to a positive PCR result. “Estimates suggest that 10 to 30 per cent of individuals may test positive for up to a month after initial infection,” Dr Alasdair Scott, clinical director of test provider C19 Testing, recently told Telegraph Travel. Indeed, NHS Track and Trace advises those who have tested positive for the virus not to take a PCR test for 90 days.
WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR
SKI HOLIDAYS?
It will depend which country you are
visiting, but you are likely to face additional hurdles for your children to enter certain places, such as restaurants. Switzerland and France are among the countries that require children over a certain age to have proof of a recent negative test for access to some venues and to use some forms of transport (including cable cars). The US, meanwhile, requires children over 12 to be fully vaccinated for certain activities, such as eating at onmountain service restaurants.
HOW ABOUT CRUISES?
A number of lines have mandatory vaccination policies in place for passengers, including for children over 12. Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line are among the operators with vaccination rules for children. Other lines will require under-18s to have a recent negative test result.
COULD RULES AROUND BOOSTER JABS HAVE AN IMPACT ON A MULTIGENERATIONAL HOLIDAY? Yes, this is possible. France will require people aged over 65 to have received a third booster dose to be eligible for a “pass sanitaire” (for which the NHS Covid Pass can be used) from December 15. If you are a grandparent over this age travelling with children or grandchildren, your vaccine status could affect whether you can take a holiday in France.
For now, booster doses do not appear on the NHS app. However, Boris Johnson said this week: “I think that we will be making plans to add the booster dose to the NHS Covid travel pass.”
He added: “You can see that getting fully vaccinated with a booster is going to be something that will, on the whole, make your life easier in all kinds of ways, including foreign travel.”
While the booster vaccine rollout has been extended to people aged between 40 and 49, most under-40s are not yet eligible.
WHAT ABOUT WELCOMING
FAMILY FROM ABROAD OVER
THE COMING MONTHS?
If you are planning a reunion in Britain that includes under-18s, the Government’s quarantine rules could affect your get-together, even if all adults are immunised. However, there is good news on this front. As it stands, the rules for children arriving in England depend on whether they are resident in the UK or a country with an approved proof of vaccination. Those who are not from one of these countries face quarantine and test rules (those aged four and under are exempt from travel tests). However, from 4am on November 22, the entry rules for children will no longer be determined by where they live. All under-18s coming to England will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border, exempting them from quarantine or extra travel tests. Be aware, though, that rules can differ for the over-18s, depending on where you have arrived from. See gov.uk/coronavirus for more information.