U.K. eyes COVID passports for June 28

Holders would sidestep tests, quarantine

• COVID passports could be in place to allow Britons to travel to the United States, France, Italy and Germany by June 28.

Grant Shapps, Britain’s transport secretary, has called a meeting of his G7 counterparts at the summit in Cornwall on June 11-13 to create a system of COVID passports that could allow vaccinated travellers free entry into countries around the world.

He wants to establish agreed international standards whereby a “green” list country could accept digital proof of vaccination, a negative test or immunity as a condition of entry.

The aim is to have pilot bilateral “travel corridors” where holidaymakers and business travellers could use the passports as early as June 28 to sidestep tests and quarantine if they are vaccinated. One prime candidate for such a bilateral route would be the U.S., which accounts for a tenth of the U.K.’S entire passenger air traffic.

Both the U.S. and the U.K. have vaccinated more than two thirds of their adult populations.

Joe Biden, the U.S. president, has introduced a “short, sharp” near-total shutdown of its borders to international travellers as it completes its vaccination program before reopening in time for Independence Day on July 4.

The White House has, however, lifted restrictions on U.S. citizens allowing them to travel freely two weeks after their final jab.

“G7 ministers will be looking at digital solutions to simplify and facilitate international travel and that would include vaccination passports,” said a U.K. government source. As well as the U.S., the G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Malta and Iceland are among countries that have already indicated they will accept fully vaccinated Britons when the government is due to reopen foreign travel from May 17.

The Department for Transport aims to have the first paper or digital certificates ready for travellers to show they are vaccinated by May 17 if required for entry.

The list of red, amber and green countries is expected to be published the week before. There will then be a ministerial review of the countries and restrictions on June 28, which is the first point at which the requirement for PCR tests on green routes and quarantine on amber routes could be lifted for vaccinated holidaymakers.

A senior travel industry source said: “We see no reason why the requirement for a PCR test on arrival from a green country should not be lifted at that point. You would take a free lateral flow test and only if negative have a PCR. The DFT is keen on that but it will hinge on health and No 10 backing it.”