After several days of intense speculation, England’s Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that fully vaccinated Americans and Europeans would be allowed to enter England without needing to self-isolate. The current quarantine restrictions will be rolled back at 4 am on August 2.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Shapps said that with the change the government was “helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK”.
To be eligible for the quarantine exemption, travellers from the United States and European Union will need to have received both doses of a two-shot vaccine regimen or the full dose of a single shot vaccine which has been approved by either the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA).
British travellers who were fully vaccinated through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have been able to skip quarantine when coming back from Amber List countries since earlier this month. The only exception is France although that is likely to change within days.
British Airways immediately welcomed the news saying the easing of travel restrictions would bring a much-needed boost to the airline industry and wider UK economy.
“Our own trials have proved it’s quick and easy to check travellers are fully vaccinated and can safely enter the UK, and this step will allow us to reunite loved ones and get Global Britain back in business, giving the economy the vital boost it so badly needs,” commented British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle.
“With the UK’s Covid cases falling while vaccinations continue to rise, now is the time for the Government to help secure the re-opening of the crucial UK-US travel corridor, move more low-risk Amber countries to the Green list to allow customers to book with confidence and to review the current expensive…