Children aged between 12 and 15 years old will be able to book a second Covid-19 vaccination from Monday, the government has confirmed.
Prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed the move at a press conference on Wednesday evening, two days after health secretary Sajid Javid said the NHS Covid Pass would be extended for international travel for the same age group.
The progress on second jabs for 12-15-year-olds will be welcomed by many in the travel industry, who have seen family bookings for core destinations such as Spain hit by a requirement for all arrivals aged 12 or over to be double-jabbed.
While the timeframes will not make a difference for Christmas or the New Year as rules require a second jab at least 14 days before travel, it will allow families with children in the age group to plan for future holidays should the same restrictions remain in place.
Agents this week said bookings had largely dried up following the introduction of tighter travel restrictions in recent weeks, but said they remained hopeful of a meaningful peak booking period for spring and summer travel.