People who have had both doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be able to enjoy quarantine-free travel to amber list destinations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed today.
But there are still rules in place for getting tested, even for those who have had two doses of a vaccine.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the Commons: “I can confirm today that from the 19th of July, UK residents who are fully vaccinated through the UK vaccine rollout will no longer have to self-isolate when they return to England.
“They’ll still be required to take a test three days before returning, the pre-departure test, demonstrating they’re negative before they travel, and a PCR test on or before day two, but they will no longer be required to take a day eight test.
“In essence, this means that for fully vaccinated travellers the requirements for green and amber list countries are the same.
“To be clear, a full vaccination means 14 days have passed since your final dose of the vaccine, and it’s also important to note that health matters are devolved, so decision-making and implementation may differ across the UK administrations and we’ll continue to work with the devolved administrations to ensure we achieve our shared objectives of safe, sustainable and robust return to international travel.”
In response to the foreign travel announcement, Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said: “This is a positive move towards the genuine reopening the sector has been looking for.
“Opening up the market for the rest of the summer, this announcement will provide far greater opportunities to travel, do business and see family and friends, and enable many more of our customers to book with certainty.
“The summer season essentially starts here.
“Airlines look forward to working with ministers and Border Force to ensure measures are in place by 19 July to provide a safe and streamlined experience at the UK border.
“We now urge the Government to continue this momentum by adding many more countries to the green list next week and removing onerous testing requirements at its next review on 31 July, thereby opening up more non-quarantine travel to all.”
