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Boris Johnson set to ‘reopen UK for double-jabbed American and European travellers from next month’
BORIS Johnson is set to open up travel again by allowing double-jabbed travellers from the US and Europe into the UK without having to quarantine.
Ministers will sign off plans at a Covid-O meeting today, paving the way for hundreds of thousands of expats to come home without having to isolate for ten days.
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The move will allow millions of Brits living abroad to be reunited with loved ones and may also open up the country to foreign tourists from next month.
The rule change will apply to Brits or people with British residency, but ministers will today discuss whether to open it up to tourists too.
Jabs administered in the EU and USA will be recognised - as long as they are by the same doses handed the green-light in the UK.
Currently only those who have been jabbed by the NHS in the UK are eligible for a “Covid pass”, allowing them the 10 day self-isolation period, when coming from an amber-list country.
It’s understood that expats will have to contact their GP to get their jab’s batch number processed and recognised before it is added to their NHS file.
Last week the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “By the end of this month, UK nationals who have been vaccinated overseas will be able to talk to their GP, go through what vaccine they have had, and have it registered with the NHS that they have been vaccinated.”
SKIP QUARANTINE
It comes as Covid cases have now been falling for a seventh day in a row.
Boris Johnson is said to have become increasingly concerned the EU is now further ahead than the UK on enabling international travel and believes the UK risks “squandering its vaccine bonus”.
The UK economy is losing £639 million a day because of the squeeze on foreign tourists, research has shown.
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Today's decision follows a trial by Heathrow airport, BA and Virgin to address concerns over the complexities of different US states' paper and digital certificates.
In a bid to avoid long queues at passport control, airlines will be responsible for checking each traveller's vaccine status.
It was found the practical difficulties of verifying the vaccination status of travellers was overcome in 99 per cent of cases.
The new measures for EU and US travellers will initially only apply to England though the devolved regions are set to follow suit.
GREEN LIST EXTENDED
Meanwhile, ten countries including Italy, Germany and Canada are poised to be added to the green list next week, allowing quarantine-free travel regardless of vaccination status.
France is likely to be moved from the “amber plus” list, which requires all holidaymakers to quarantine on their return to the UK, to the amber list.
Due to concerns over the beta variant, France was placed in this new category which means quarantine remains mandatory when returning from the country, even if fully vaccinated.
Spain and Greece are likely to stay off the amber plus list next month, despite fears they could be slapped with new measures.
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Ministers also are set to sign off plans that would see Brits who have been fully vaccinated in the US and EU given the same status as UK residents.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It follows criticism from ex-pats of an announcement by vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi that allows Brits jabbed abroad, but with a UK GP, to have double doses recognised.
The move benefits only a limited number of people as only a small number of ex-pats are allowed to maintain a UK GP.
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