The United Kingdom intends to remove restrictions on vaccinated travelers from countries on the yellow list
The United Kingdom intends to remove restrictions on vaccinated travelers from countries on the yellow list. British ministers have made a number of proposals to allow quarantine-free travel to yellowlisted countries for people who have been completely vaccinated. Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that ministers are considering removing the self-isolation requirement for those who have traveled to a yellowlisted country and are vaccinated.
The London government is preparing to allow Britons who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus to travel to more than 150 countries without having to self-isolate on their return to England. Officials expect the new policy to be signed by the government in the next few days, officially launching the reopening of international travel to popular destinations in Europe and the US.
However, the change is unlikely to take effect before August, and ministers are expected to keep a small number of destinations on the so-called quarantine-free travel list when they provide an update this week. Final decisions on quarantine policy and the green list have not yet been taken by the government and both will be subject to scientific advice on the state of the pandemic.
The United Kingdom intends to remove restrictions on vaccinated travelers from yellow-list countries.
"The purpose of the whole vaccine program is to be able to remove the restrictions", said Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday. "We are working on a plan for vaccinated people, using a testing regime instead of quarantine, in certain circumstances."
The aviation and tourism industry has been hit since the beginning of the pandemic, after governments were forced to impose restrictions on international travel in an attempt to stop the spread and import of the virus. A campaign in the tourism industry is expected to start at the end of the month, amid warnings that up to 218.000 jobs are at risk due to ongoing restrictions.
The UK Government currently classifies destinations using a so-called "Traffic light system", which was created based on pandemic risk assessments, including vaccination and infection rates. The safest countries are on "Green list", and passengers arriving in England must not be quarantined.
People arriving from 167 countries on "Yellow list" he must self-isolate for a period of 10 days and take two tests on arrival, on the second and eighth days of isolation. Only after all the tests are negative can they leave the self-isolation. Those arriving from one of the countries on "Red list" - qualified as the most affected by the virus - must quarantine in a specially designated hotel, on their own money.
The change is unlikely to take effect before August.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to publish an update on the lists on June 24, although officials do not expect a major extension of the green list. The government is also expected to provide an update on changes to the rules, including exemptions for people who have been fully vaccinated, and that could come on June 24 or 24, according to official sources.
Boris Johnson said ministers will consider how best to give more freedom to vaccinated travelers, but warned that "this will be, whatever happens, a difficult year for travelers," with disruptions and delays that will keep going. "The priority must be to keep the country safe and stop the virus from returning", he said.