‘Go-ahead’ for double-jabbed visitors from amber countries expected soon, says Transport Secretary

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The go-ahead for double-jabbed people from “amber” list countries to visit England without having to quarantine could be announced within weeks, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps signalled on Friday.

Such a move would be a huge boost to London’s battered tourism industry which has seen visitor numbers plummet during lockdown and other travel restrictions.

Government officials are working with counterparts in other countries on how to recognise each others’ system of recording vaccinations.

Double-jabbed travellers from amber list countries in Europe could be among the first to be allowed to come to England without having to self-isolate as the EU has developed a digital vaccine passport.

America does not have a unified system, with some states still using paper records of innoculations.

Mr Shapps told Sky News:  “We are actively working on this issue of how to accept vaccinations from other people.

“Obviously, we will look at whether they are World Health Organisation certified and I would think in terms of timescale in the next couple of weeks I will be able to come forward and say more about other locations in the world.”

The Cabinet minister announced on Thursday that double-jabbed people in England, and children, will be able to return from amber list countries from July 19 without having to quarantine, though, they will still need to take tests to check they are not infected with Covid-19.

Mr Shapps stressed he wanted to move “quickly” to the second phase of relaxing travel restrictions to allow fully-innoculated individuals from abroad to come to England without having to self-isolate.

He explained further: “Part of the issue is elsewhere the level of fully-vaccinated people tends not to be at the levels that we have got in the UK because we got on with our vaccination programme so much faster.

“So there are not as many fully vaccinated people for example from Europe to come here but nonetheless we are working on it, we do want to get this part of it resolved as well.”

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