Global Travel Taskforce Report: Government outlines its Covid testing and
Travellers will require Covid-19 status certification
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should be in which category too soon,” he said. “If they were to rush into it, the risk is they wouldn’t put any country in the green category and this would all have been a waste of time.” He insisted: “By the time
we get to early May, people will start to feel a little more confident. We’ll all have been able to go out. Life will start to come back to normal and we’ll want to see more countries in that green category. “Certainly, by the time we
get to the summer holidays, people will know where they stand. I would hope by then some of the regulations will have been relaxed a little and more countries will be on the green list.” Holland-Kaye said: “The
review at the end of June, a couple of weeks before the schools break up, will be hugely important.” However, he argued: “It’s
unlikely airlines will be releasing flights to countries until they know what is on the list.” He also warned: “A lot of
countries look to the UK for leadership around the measures adopted. If they require people to take PCR tests going to their country because the UK is expecting PCR tests, this just spirals out of control. We’ll have tests on tests – it is just going to put people off flying. There must be a better way of doing it.”
Covid-19 status certification will be a requirement for international travel when leisure traffic resumes, the taskforce report acknowledges. The report contains little detail
on certification but does confirm the NHS is developing “a digital and non-digital solution for individuals to demonstrate Covid-19 status” and pledges to work with the industry to develop a system “that works for border authorities and carriers and is interoperable”. It says the Department for
Transport will also explore technology tests “with like-minded states” and “bilateral pilots on particular routes”. The report notes “some countries
will require proof of vaccination status as a condition of travel” and states: “The UK government will aim to support residents of England who wish to travel by providing verification that meets international requirements, in line with the Covid-status Certification Review.” The review is due to report
separately from the taskforce later this month. The report says: “Our ambition
is to have a system to facilitate travel certification.” This should include “vaccination status, a negative test, and/or immunity status”.
It pledges the government to
“seek to agree a standard approach” with countries “including Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Malta and Iceland” which have made unilateral declarations about entry requirements and to “play a leading role in development of international standards around a digital travel certification system”.
Government insists on PCR tests to track virus variants
The government’s insistence on costly PCR Covid-19 tests for international arrivals over cheaper, rapid tests is due to a need for laboratory analysis of results to monitor dangerous variants. The taskforce report rules out the
use of free NHS tests for travellers and the traffic light system it proposes will require even those arriving from ‘green’ low-risk destinations to pay for at least one PCR test. However, the report does hold out hope that testing requirements could be relaxed. It explains: “The UK is a global
leader in genome sequencing, which in positive [Covid-19] cases allows the identification of ‘variants of concern’. Mutation-specific PCR testing prior to genome sequencing allows ‘variants of concern’ to be detected more quickly.” The report warns “the risks
38 15 APRIL 2021
from the earliest start day of May 17. Without a change, travellers to
green countries will face paying for one PCR test and one rapid test at a minimum cost of about £180. Those visiting ‘amber’ countries
will face 10 days’ self-isolation on return and pay for two PCR tests and at least one rapid test, or two if they choose to pay for an added test on day five to quit self-isolation early. These would be in addition to the
posed by variants of concern remain significant” and concludes “this is recognised in this framework” through “the continued use of robust testing measures”. It makes clear: “NHS tests at
no cost for those with symptoms will not be permitted for use in international travel.” All tests will have to be paid for by travellers when the scheme comes into operation
cost of destination test requirements. However, the report states: “The
government recognises the cost of these tests can be high. We will work with the industry and private testing providers ahead of international travel reopening to see how we can reduce the cost. This could include cheaper tests being used when holidaymakers return home, as well as whether the government would be able to provide pre-departure tests.”
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURES: Shutterstock/GreenOak, Viacheslav Lopatin, Bernardo Emanuelle
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