Yahoo News Covid vaccine passports ‘ready for summer’, travel industry told
Any potential vaccine passport would only be used for foreign travel at this stage
(PA Wire)Vaccine passports for British holidaymakers could be brought in as soon as next month, ending the ban on foreign holidays abroad.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants the Covid certificates to provide proof of vaccination for travel abroad ready from May 17, according to the Daily Telegraph.
A government official reportedly told travel bosses on the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group: “We aim to give people the ability to prove their vaccine status by the time international travel restarts where other countries require it.”
It comes as Spain’s tourism minister today said his country is “desperate” to welcome back millions of British holidaymakers.
Fernando Valdés stressed that Spain would be ready to open its doors to large scale tourism this summer.
He told Sky News: “We are desperate to welcome you this summer.
“I think we will be ready here in Spain and we also think that things on the vaccination scheme of the UK are going pretty well.
“So, hopefully we will be seeing this summer the restart of holidays.”
It is understood the plans were discussed on a phone call on Wednesday between government officials and top travel industry figures.
However, the passport scheme would only be used for foreign travel and not domestic use at this stage.
The government acknowledged in November 2020 that some form of vaccination passport would be needed to allow foreign holidays this year.
A Global Travel Taskforce report identified the need for “a global framework for validating test results and vaccination records”.
A Department for Travel spokesperson said: “We are working on a solution to enable residents to prove their Covid-19 status, including vaccination status, to other countries on the outbound leg.
"We are working on this as a priority and intend to have the solution ready as soon as possible.”
It was reported today that vaccinated Britons will be able to holiday in European countries – including Spain, Greece and Portugal - which are preparing to open their borders to tourists from next month.
The European Union plan, said to be codenamed ‘gettogether’, hopes to let vaccinated travellers move between countries avoiding the need for tests or quarantine.
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