UK To End Quarantine For Vaccinated Travellers In Boost For Airlines

Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain.

British transport minister Grant Shapps is expected to set out the details of a plan to scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers who return from medium-risk countries later on Thursday, in what will be a huge boost for airlines.

Shapps is due to make a statement on travel changes which will apply to England in the House of Commons at 1030 GMT.

Current rules state that those returning to Britain from what before the pandemic were its top destinations, Spain, France, the United States and Italy, have to self-isolate for 10 days, severely dampening demand for travel.

But Shapps is expected to say that those who have had both doses of the vaccine who return from so-called amber countries will no longer have to self-isolate from later in July. In Britain, about 65% of adults are fully vaccinated.

He is likely to say they still have to take COVID-19 tests on their return, and will provide details of how under 18s who are not being vaccinated in Britain can travel with their parents without quarantining.

After 15 months of restrictions, Britain’s battered travel industry has struggled to recover from the pandemic due to the government’s strict rules and has repeatedly called for an end to quarantine.

Bookings for the crucial peak late July and August holiday season are expected to soar once there is clarity on an end to quarantine, a welcome shot in the arm for airlines like British Airways and easyJet and tour operators like TUI.

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