The health secretary has said the government is “working on” a document for under 16 to use as proof of antibodies that show Covid recovery when travelling abroad.
At a Downing Street media briefing, Sajid Javid was asked by a member of the public what the government would do to provide youngsters with the tools to proof their recovery ahead of potential travel plans this half-term.
Javid said: “In many countries, not all, where they have a vaccination rule for entry, or prior to boarding, they would treat anyone under 16 as being fully vaccinated, as the UK does.
“That doesn’t apply to every single country, so we are working on a plan that would give some proof of antibodies, but it will ultimately be up to the country the child is travelling to decide to accept that.
“As we have done with vaccinations, we will work with our partners to come to a common understanding.”
However, the health secretary did not specify when the government hoped to roll out the proof.
He was speaking to media after the UK announced deals for two antiviral drugs to help combat Covid this winter. The UK recorded 49,000 new Covid cases today, the eight day in a row the number of cases is above 40,000. There were 179 deaths in the last 24 hours, lower than at the peak of the pandemic.