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There are a “whole series of complexities to resolve” before travel between the united kingdom and US can resume, the transport secretary has said.
Grant Shapps told MPs that talks are under way and “progress is being made” on restarting transatlantic travel, which has been heavily restricted since March 2020 thanks to COVID-19 Now a Term Plan which also gives your Premium
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Shapps: Holidays different to old days
But he played down the prospect of a swift resolution.
Elaborating on the “complexities”, Mr Shapps told the Commons: “For example, the US doesn’t recognise AstraZeneca, currently because AstraZeneca hasn’t applied for the licence.
“On the opposite side we do not have any particular system to recognise vaccine status from the us because they do not have a digitised system as we do with our NHS – they need 50 separate systems.
“There are complexities.”
The transport secretary also said it might “require time” to mapped out the “complicated” policy of allowing travellers who have had two jabs to avoid quarantine.
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Ministers said last week that fully vaccinated people in England would be ready to visit an amber list country without having to quarantine on their return “later this summer”.
Spain’s Balearic Islands and Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, are on the united kingdom government green list.
The amber list includes the us , also as France, Germany, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
Responding to an urgent question from Labour, Mr Shapps said: “This may be a complicated policy that needs time to figure through.
“First, the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations has yet to opine on whether children should be a part of the vaccination programme – they are not at the present and that we must resolve how children would therefore be treated under a programme which enables people to travel.
“Next there’s the question of what to try to to for people that can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons or perhaps because they’re on one among the vaccine trials.
“That accounts for about half 1,000,000 people and that we got to compute what to try to to there.
“There’s also the question of the way to recognise vaccine status at ports and airports – easier for people that are vaccinated within the UK, the most NHS app can already display your vaccine status, but less easy to prove from someone coming from overseas, particularly if they need paper-based systems.
“As a results of all of this we’ll announce to the House when we’re able to make these decisions so as to bring this technique into place, phased presumably for UK residents first.”
Play Video – Britons feel ‘relief’ with new green list
Britons feel ‘relief’ with new green list
Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Jim McMahon, said the party had been calling on the govt to “show international leadership” but “so far they need did not step up”.
“So am i able to ask him why the govt won’t bring forward concrete plans for a world vaccine passport which can be accepted by key destination countries?”
The transport secretary said in response: “He involves a passport which might be used for people that are double vaccinated and yet at an equivalent time his policy is really to place every single country within the red list.”
Labour has within the past involved the amber list to be scrapped, with only a green and red list.
At the beginning of the urgent question, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle criticised the govt for announcing changes to travel policy to the media before updating MPs.
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“If ministers prefer to make important announcements outside this chamber first they need to not be surprised that i will be able to grant urgent questions on those matters,” Sir Lindsay said.
He added: “I will still confirm this House gets a chance to scrutinise the govt but it would be better for all concerned if the govt simply followed its own ministerial code and made important announcements to the present House where members are elected to represent their constituents.”
Mr Shapps told the chamber that changes to the travel measures can “escape” via the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once decisions are taken.
He added: “I do apologise to the House for not always having the ability to urge here first.”
