UK allows fully vaccinated travellers from US, EU to arrive in England without quarantine

The Boris Johnson-led government has said that it would allow fully vaccinated travellers from the United States and the European Union (EU) to travel to England without being subjected to a quarantine period on arrival. UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps said in a series of tweets on July 28 (local time), “We're helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends.” Quarantine waiver for US and EU travellers arriving in England will come into effect from 4:00 AM (0300 GMT) August 2. 

Shapps said, “From 2nd August at 4 am people from these countries will be able to come to England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they're fully vaxxed.”

The travellers applicable for the quarantine waiver in England should be fully jabbed with a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). These tourists would also be able to travel from any country on the British government’s “amber” traffic light list avoiding the 10-day mandatory period for self-isolation. 

"We’ve taken great strides on our journey to reopen international travel and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade – this is progress we can all enjoy," the British transport minister said in a statement. Meanwhile, the UK government has also confirmed the restart of international cruises.

“We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but thanks to our world-leading domestic vaccination programme, we’re able to look to the future and start to rebuild key transatlantic routes with the US while further cementing ties with our European neighbours,” Shapps also said.

COVID-19 in the UK

While the government moves to the gradual reopening of the UK, Britain is presently also dealing with another wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant. However, notably, the coronavirus infections in the country dropped over the past week. Earlier on July 27, Britain had registered 23,511 COVID-19 cases with 131 deaths which is also the highest number of daily deaths recorded in the country since March 17. Furthermore, over 46.5 million people in Britain have received the first dose of the COID-19 vaccine and more than 36.9 million people are fully jabbed. 

IMAGE: AP