Boris Johnson could scrap quarantine for fully-vaccinated holidaymakers heading to ‘amber list’ destinations from as early as 19 July, rather than in August as expected, according to reports.
Ministers confirmed on Monday that travellers from destinations such as France, Greece and Spain will soon be able skip the mandatory isolation, providing that they have had two Covid jabs.
A final decision is expected on Wednesday on exactly when the restrictions will be dropped, with both the Daily Mail and The Times reporting that the rule could be relaxed as early as 19 July.
The prime minister is determined to allow more freedom of travel on the same day as domestic restrictions such as face masks and social distancing are scrapped, the Mail reported, citing Whitehall sources.
“Border Force do have to make some technical changes and they had asked for a bit longer to get the new systems in place. But they can see the writing on the wall on this and they have accepted it will be the 19th,” the newspaper quotes a source as saying,
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It follows the departure of former health secretary Matt Hancock, who is said to have wanted to delay the change in travel restrictions until mid-August at the earliest.
The move could potentially open up a host of popular holiday destinations for double holidaymakers. Most European countries are currently on the amber list, along with Mexico, the United States, Thailand and a number of Caribbean destinations.
Official travel advice tells Britons to avoid holidaying in amber list countries, but those who do must self-isolate at home for ten days on return to the UK. Those who pay extra for a PCR test after day five may leave quarantine early if they test negative.
Under the proposed changes, the government advice would be dropped for the fully-vaccinated and for under-18s who are not currently included in the vaccination programme.
Those who have not received both vaccines would still be required to quarantine when returning to the UK.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps is expected to provide a further update on the traffic-light travel scheme “later this week,” Mr Johnson said on Monday.
