Boost for airlines as UK likely to allow cross border travel for fully vaccinated citizens

In what is considered to be a boost for the British airline industry, UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps has reportedly prepared to exempt quarantine on arrival policy for fully-vaccinated British travellers from medium-risk countries. The official statement from the House of Commons is expected to be released at 1030GMT.

Previously, British citizens arriving from Spain, France, United States, and Italy had to quarantine for 10 days which had impacted travel to England.

Revised regulations

As per reports, UK Transport Minister Shapps is expected to scrap the isolation rule for travellers who have received both their doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Commuters below 18 can be expected to accompany their parents and enter the country without being quarantined, as per reports.

However, fully vaccinated non-Britishers will still have to quarantine until the situation improves. All travelers will be mandated to take COVID-19 test on returning from so-called amber countries. Furthermore, no more countries will be added to the travel ban list, as per international media reports.

British Travel Industry

The revised rules and regulations are expected to straighten the travel industry, which had reportedly ran into a financial loss as a result of COVID-19 restrictions imposed over the last 15 months. The shares of IAG, AND, easyJet immediately shot up by 2% after the news of relaxations on travel bans broke.

Expressing happiness on the announcement, EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said that families will now be able to reunite with their loved ones abroad and/or be able to take that long-due summer trip. Several airline companies have earlier demanded the end of quarantine on travel.

COVID-19 cases surge in the UK

England is witnessing a fresh spike of COVID-19 cases for the first time since January. Just as the British government is about to remove the remaining protocols, there were about 30,000 new cases reported on Wednesday. Infections caused due to the newly discovered Delta variant could go up to 1lakh in summer, feared Health Secretary Sajid Javid. However, British Prime Minister Borris Johnson hoped that the country to tackle the new cases with a rapid rollout of vaccines in the country. Approximately, 3.4cr. have been fully vaccinated in the United Kingdom so far. 

(Input from several agencies)