(Recasts with minister)
By Alistair Smout
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Britain is looking at easing
travel restrictions, including allowing those who are double
vaccinated against COVID-19 to enjoy a foreign holiday without
intrusive red tape, a step that indicates vaccine passports are
firmly back on the agenda.
Countries in the European Union last week agreed to an
easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully
vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines and broaden
the list of EU regions from which it is safe to travel.
Britain, whose vaccination programme has seen more than half
of adults receive both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, is now
considering similar plans, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Asked about the report, Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Jesse Norman said that nothing was ruled out in considering how
to re-open travel, but they would be cautious in introducing
plans for so-called "vaccine passports".
"We are trying to move cautiously and progressively in the
right direction so I wouldn't write anything off at this point,"
Norman told Sky News, adding that the virus was not something
that could be controlled,
"(So) it would be imprudent to make any carte blanche or...
firm statement now."
Norman said it would be important to consider issues of
fairness for those who have yet to be offered shots, or are
unable to have them.
Under the plans, people who have had two doses of COVID-19
vaccine will be allowed to avoid quarantine on their return from
amber list countries, although they will still have to be
tested, the newspaper said.
It added that officials are still working on whether any new
regime would be limited to returning Britons or apply to all
arrivals, the newspaper said.
Britain allowed international travel to resume last month,
but nearly all major destinations were left off its list of
countries open for quarantine-free holidays.
Under the current traffic light system, travellers returning
from green list countries take COVID-19 tests but do not need to
quarantine. Amber country arrivals must self-isolate, and red
country arrivals must quarantine in a hotel.
Countries on the amber list include Spain, France, Italy and
the United States.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Akriti Sharma and
Juby Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler, Rosalba O'Brien
and Guy Faulconbridge)