International travel, vaccinations & children

[NoGoodPunsLeft]

If proof of a vaccine is needed to travel internationally what does that mean for children? I believe one vaccine is licensed/will be licensed for 16+ but what about younger children?

We have a holiday to Florida booked for March which we can move, we want to go at Easter by which (if Matt Hancock is to be believed) we'll have been vaccinated but 9 year old DD won't.

Perhaps I'm being pessimistic but I can't see people being allowed to holiday abroad until June at the earliest. We have three DC and DH and I are lowest priority for the vaccine so for us it could be a long wait. News this morning is that schools may well not open until after Easter so I doubt foreign travel will be allowed before that.

I'm also interested in what the rules will be for children though, would love to be able to book a holiday to look forward to! Perhaps they'll have to be tested instead.

Negative test for children before flying

We're definitely not expecting to go this year!

Perhaps they'll have to be tested instead

Anyone coming into the UK now can do this but has to isolate on arrival, so other countries do the same but who wants to isolate for 5 days on holiday before they get tested again?!

It'll also depend on whether the jab requirements come in at all, and if they do what will they look like.

You need to check if it's 'have received first shot' or if it's 'have received full course, completed no later than 2 weeks before proposed travel'

@NoGoodPunsLeft

If proof of a vaccine is needed to travel internationally what does that mean for children? I believe one vaccine is licensed/will be licensed for 16+ but what about younger children?

Nobody knows yet. Possibly a negative test before flying.

We have a holiday to Florida booked for March which we can move, we want to go at Easter by which (if Matt Hancock is to be believed) we'll have been vaccinated but 9 year old DD won't.

America is in a mess with Covid. You’d be mad to even consider going there at Easter. Unless you are over 60 or vulnerable I doubt you would have been vaccinated by Easter.

I would postpone for a year iiwy.

They'll need to have something in place anyway for exempt adults too.

we'll have been vaccinated

As PPs say, it depends what the definition of "vaccinated" is - if you're not in a priority group, it's unlikely you'll have had 2 vaccinations by then.

To clarify we are due to go on 30 March 2021 but we want to postpone to Easter 2022, by which point we should have been vaccinated (Matt Hancock said all over 18's will hAve been offered a vaccine by Autumn) but DD won't.

Oh, Easter next year! Well, we'll have to see what they bring in. No-one knows yet.

Easter next year! Why didn’t you say? Biggest ever drip feed 🙄
Just book it!

Good question OP. Hope you get your hols.

Move the booking to 2022 if you can do that for free.

No one knows what the rules will be in terms of international travel in the coming years. The current rules change every day as new countries implement new measures, it really is a game of waiting and see where you stand the week before you travel.

I struggle to see how proof of vaccine would be compulsory by next year. This would exclude many passengers from countries whose vaccination programmes are behind others.

The UK has access to 3 vaccines and may well (or not) have offered the jab to all adults by autumn. But other countries only have Pfizer as a licensed vaccine. They will take longer. There are developing countries that haven't started vaccinating their population. Other countries aren't planning on offering it to all over 18s.

We don't know yet if having the vaccine means you're not a carrier of the virus. You could have the vaccine but still be able to transmit the virus to others, so allowing you to enter another country would defeat the purpose of a travel ban.

I think the negative Covid test requirement is here to stay for a while. Whether it'll be coupled with a vaccine requirement, whether it will be one or the other (with children and non-vaccinated adults having to get a test), we don't know yet. The next few years will be trial and error for the airlines and tourism industries in each country. I wouldn't worry about this until February 2022, when you should have a clearer picture of what the requirements for travel between your departure and destination countries are.

In common with Europe Biden is considering an international lockdown. The U.K. variant is considered as much of a risk as Brazil or South Africa. Best case just clear tests for everyone before flying.
Worst case, enforced 10-14 day hotel quarantine on both sides of the trip at your expense.. can you afford/stomach the idea. If so, enjoy your holiday

Also, there is no holiday insurance that I have seen that will cover you for Covid. So if anyone needs medical treatment in the USA for it, I think you are genuinely at risk of 000's of medical expenses

@TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams there are a few now, obvs costs about 3 times more than it used to cost us...

What a pointless thread OP when you fail to mention you are talking about 2022