The prime minister says more information about the government’s plans to allow fully vaccinated travellers to avoid quarantine when returning from amber destinations will be unveiled “in the next few days”.
Describing second jabs as “a liberator” for people wishing to travel abroad, Boris Johnson added: “”We’ll be setting out a lot more about the detail of that in the course of July and in the course of the next few days about how we see it working.”
Speaking during a visit to a car factory in Sunderland on Thursday, the PM reiterated previous comments that overseas travel would not be as it was before the pandemic and said he could not promise that summer holidays would be hassle-free.
But he added: “I am very confident that the double jabs will be a liberator and they will enable people to travel. There is no doubt at all that once you have got the two jabs you are in a much better position.”
The industry was highly critical of the government’s announcement over the possible easing of restrictions last week, calling the nature of the statement via the transport secretary’s Twitter account “disrespectful” and calling for a clear timeline for implementation.
Reports on Thursday morning suggested the new approach could be in place in time for the first full week of the school holidays at the end of July.
Speaking to MPs on Tuesday, Grant Shapps confirmed the new rules will be introduced in stages and would involve “a complicated policy that requires time to work through”.
He echoed the Department for Transport announcement issued last Thursday (June 24) by saying three issues need to be worked out – how children will be considered; what happens to people who can’t be vaccinated; and how to recognise people’s vaccine status at ports and airports.