A RAY OF SUNLIGHT
Vaccine passports could let us go on summer hols abroad Oxford jab is just as effective in fighting new mutant strains
LOCKDOWN-WEARY Brits could jet to the sun this summer using vaccine passports, it has emerged.
And in further good news, it was revealed that the Oxford jab is just as effective against new Covid variants.
As travel firms welcomed the vaccine passport plan, easyJet said: “It could play a part in enabling more people to travel.”
TOURISM bosses in Greece hope to welcome Brits back to their resorts in May thanks to the success of our vaccine rollout.
And ministers here admit “a certification system” is now being worked on to let those who have been inoculated travel abroad.
Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly said it would be up to countries where holidaymakers were arriving to decide on vaccine passports.
But he told the BBC: “We will work with international partners to help facilitate their border arrangements.”
The Government aims to vaccinate everyone aged 50 and over by May.
Greek Hoteliers’ Federation President Grigoris Tasios told the Times: “With the rate of inoculations in the UK largely outpacing all others across Europe and beyond, British travellers will be among the safest to travel here by as early as May.” Vaccines are not licensed here for children, but foreign tourism bosses could require only adults to have been inoculated, as children are deemed to be at less risk.
Some 10,971,047 people have now received a first vaccine dose.
The announcement of the May target for over-50s triggered confusion in Downing Street, which previously would only say the age group should get a first dose by “the spring”.
A Cabinet Office notice said: “The UK’s vaccination programme is planned to have reached all nine priority cohorts by May.”
A No10 spokesman said the notice had been issued “in error” and had been “withdrawn”. Moments later, he said: “The Cabinet Office MOVES document is correct.” Travel chiefs welcome the vaccine visa possibility. An Association of British Travel Agents spokeswoman said: “It is sensible. Waiting for the full rollout of the vaccination programme to be completed before people travel would mean another summer season lost to the pandemic.” A TUI spokeswoman said: “We welcome any effort to simplify the process of travel.” An easyJet spokeswoman said: “We know people want to travel this summer, when it is safe to do so. Vaccine passports could play a part.” No10 said vaccine passports would be kept “under review”.
Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon said Labour would “look at proposals around helping to allow people to travel safely”.
But as hopes were raised that people will be able to go abroad in the summer, Whitehall officials were racing to book thousands of hotel rooms to quarantine UK arrivals. The Government needs to secure 28,000 rooms so arrivals from 33 “red list” nations can quarantine for 10 nights when they land, from February 15.
The Government will pay the estimated £55million cost up front, but claw back cash from travellers, who face having to pay up to £800 each.
London Hotel Group chief executive Meher Nawabof said the 10-day notice to create the system was too little, adding: “There’s a lot of training to go into this.” But epidemiologist Dr
Mike Tildesley said quarantine should start now. He told Times Radio: “Any delay leads to the possibility of the virus getting in and circulating.”
SAGE warned last month that a “complete, pre-emptive closure of borders” was needed to stop new strains being imported into the UK.
Minutes from SAGE’s January 21 meeting reveal experts said the only other option was for travellers to be quarantined in designated facilities.
The PM announced six days later that only people arriving from countries on a “red list” from February 15 would be quarantined.
There were a further 19,114 coronavirus cases yesterday, and the death toll rose by 1,014 to 111,264.
The R rate is now from 0.7 to 1, down from 0.7 to 1.1 the previous week. About one in 65 people in England are estimated to have had the virus in the last week of January, down from one in 55 the previous week.
Any delays lead to the possibility of the virus getting in and circulating
MIKE TILDESLEY UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK EPIDEMIOLOGIST