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Vaccine certification will remain a “permanent” fixture for international travel for the “foreseeable future”, according to Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary.
British holidaymakers over 18 require full vaccination to avoid self-isolation on return to the UK from amber-listed destinations and many countries also require foreign visitors to have received both jabs to enter quarantine-free.
“I do see this becoming a permanent, for the foreseeable future, fixture of international travel,” Mr Shapps told ITV News.
“I’ve chaired meetings with my transport equivalents [in other countries], when I speak to them it’s quite clear that double vaccination will be a requirement, we’re already seeing it in virtually every country in the world […] If you haven’t got your vaccination yet, please get it, unless you’re medically exempt, you will need it in order to be able to travel in the future,” he added.
Even fully vaccinated Britons are required to take two Covid-19 tests (one pre-departure test and one PCR test on or before day two of their arrival) for return to the UK, however. The Government has received fresh criticism for these “rip off” PCR tests, which it claims is to track the potential import of variants from abroad. Huw Merriman, chairman of the transport committee, said that only five per cent of tests were sequenced to check for these variants.
Scroll down for the latest travel updates.
Holidaymakers face 10-week wait for passports as applications surge
Holidaymakers have been warned they may have to wait 10 weeks for a new passport as civil servants continue to work from home.
HM Passport Office has told travellers to expect delays as staff struggle with a surge in applications.
On Thursday, families were told that a renewed passport would take up to 10 weeks to arrive rather than the usual three. Urgent face-to-face appointments that could usually be arranged within two days are taking weeks in some cases.
Officials apologised on social media after people said they had been forced to cancel holidays because they were waiting for their documents.
Climate tsar avoided quarantine on return from red and amber countries
The Government’s climate tsar has been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged he has flown to at least 30 countries in the past seven months to prepare for the COP26 environmental summit.
Despite visiting at least six countries on the red list, Alok Sharma has avoided mandatory hotel quarantine after each trip because of a ministerial exemption, according to the Daily Mail.
He has also been allowed to skip self-isolation after returning from amber list destinations.
The president of the COP26 is currently in South America where he has visited Bolivia and Brazil, both of which are on the red list.
What happened yesterday?
Here’s a recap of Thursday’s headlines:
- France returns to amber list
- Seven countries go green and four removed from red list
- US signals plan to reopen to fully vaccinated travellers
- Ancient Greek site of Olympia under threat from raging wildfires
- Holiday certainty for the rest of August, says Grant Shapps
- Ryanair to add 12 routes from Newcastle next summer
Now onto today’s travel news.