Some great news for holidaymakers and the travel industry at last.
If you are fully vaccinated you will no longer have to self-isolate on return to England from amber list countries from 19th July, the transport secretary has confirmed today.
A ‘full vaccination’ means that 14 days have passed since you received the second dose of your vaccine.
You will still be required to take a pre-departure test three days before you travel and a PCR test on day two of your return to England, but you will no longer have to take a test after day eight.
The government guidance that warns against travel to countries on the amber list will also be removed on 19th July.
There will be no changes to requirements applying to arrivals from red list countries, even if travellers are fully-vaccinated.
Great news for families
There is also great news for families as children under the age of 18 will not have to self-isolate on return from amber list countries, or take a day eight test. Children between the ages of five and ten will no longer need to take a day two test and children aged four and under will be exempt from all testing.
How to prove your vaccination status
The main NHS app (not the specific NHS Covid app) will be accepted as proof of vaccination status.
On returning to England, you must include your vaccination status on your Passenger Locator Forms to avoid quarantine. Transport operators and carriers will be responsible for checking this proof before you board, so don’t forget this important step.
More than 30 countries and territories are now recognising vaccine certification as part of entry requirements and accepting a proof of vaccination letter, or the NHS app. The government is aiming to “continue to increase that number so that the NHS app becomes the natural default”.
“In essence this change means that, for fully-vaccinated travellers, the requirements for green an amber list countries are the same,” Grant Shapps said during his statement.
Just one word of warning, you do need to be aware of current Foreign Office (FCDO) advice before travelling to a destination in case it differs from the traffic lights guidance. This is really important, as it could impact on your travel insurance cover.
Lastly, it appears that the guidance on mask wearing on planes is being left to the airlines and they have, so far, almost all said that they will be retaining mask wearing in the flight cabins for the immediate future.
Is holiday travel back to normal?
Holiday travel is not ‘back to normal’ yet, but this is a great step forward and opens up the opportunity to grab a last-minute summer holiday to far more destinations than we have been allowed to enjoy for far too long.
So what next?
Time to find those sunglasses, pack the holiday suitcases and also, contact me so that I can help you navigate the new traffic lights system, find the best covid testing options, get great comprehensive covid insurance cover and importantly the best holiday deals in the industry.
See you on the beach!
As a Personal Travel Consultant, I am able to organise fantastic holidays all over the world that are completely ABTA and ATOL protected. Also being part of the Hays Travel Group, I have the backing and resource of the largest independent travel group in the UK – meaning great service and prices!