UK plans certification system for those who want to travel to countries that may demand it as a condition for entry. *title edited by MNHQ at OP's request*

[Frequentflier]

In the Times. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/government-plans-covid-vaccine-passports-to-allow-foreign-holidays-3mc9vd0xk

@wanderings

it's not so different from needing to have a passport in general, to be able to travel abroad

@sheslittlebutfierce

Seems a small price

It's not a small price and very different from having a passport issued. It's irreversible inoculation with emergency approved vaccines which some people need more time before they are comfortable enough to take.

What's so difficult to understand?

@trulydelicious

Take as much time as you need to think! At home.

@userxx

So what happens if you've booked a holiday and you're not due to have the vaccine until later in the year?

You don't go, and you think about how silly it was to book a holiday in the middle of a sodding pandemic.

notimagain I totally get where you're coming from about the co-ordination needed, but if the tourist spots wait for the WHO they'll be waiting forever - which is why, IMO, each country will make their own arrangements

I'm not suggesting this would necessarily be wise, only that it may well happen ... and after all, if people do get sick they're likely to be home and in someone else's hospital by then

@ineedaholidaynow

Some vaccines are already compulsory for travel to other areas aren't they.

I would assume with all the variants international travel is really not a good idea at the moment. Many countries are going take ages with their vaccine roll out.

Foreign holidays are not a necessity. Yes it will be horrendous for the travel industry, but international travel isn't great for climate change either

I agree with this 100%.

I can't actually believe that some people are being so selfish as to complain about this, and really think that they have the right to travel and potentially spread the virus without having a vaccine.

Look at the absolute mess the whole world has been in for a year now! Your need for a holiday is not more important than sorting this out!

*Is this so different to travelling to some countries prior to lockdown? Yellow Fever etc
*
Perhaps the difference is that yellow fever jabs are available to anyone who wants one

I suspect it may not come into place until most adults have been offered the vaccination. That could be as early as June/July for the first vaccination, so less likely to affect as many people travelling.
Those not eligible for the vaccine are likely to be exempt too.

Once this year is done it will depend, going forward, how long the vaccine lasts for. It's more likely to become more freely available as time goes on, like the flu vaccine is now.

@MagicSummer

'and stuck with the bill for their working lives'

Like our generation were stuck with the bill for WW2 until 2006 do you mean? What goes around .......

You didn’t personally pay the price though did you? It was unfortunate you grew up post war and there would ha e been prices to pay for that.

But if it was 2006 when that ended then the majority of people on this thread can relate to this too

And MSM should stop twisting words to keep on pushing this idea.

They are close to being fake news outlets frankly

@Puzzledandpissedoff

the tourist spots wait for the WHO they'll be waiting forever

The WHO are largely responsible for this pandemic for advising against border closures in March 2020.

They have no role to play in this and should stay out.

I think people are being a bit dramatic about the impact of THIS on young people (though not the pandemic as a whole which I agree has been shit).

They’ll have to wait a few months. It’s not like holidays have a cut off point, they can go away in September/October.

I do think the government should invest heavily in skills training, housing, leisure facilities, employment for this age group for the longer term. Mostly because it’s a good thing to do, but also to show appreciation.

Speaking as someone who's been shielding for 11 months, I would welcome this. In that time, I've seen 1 relative, 1 friend and had no holidays.

Younger people may have been furloughed, but most of my older (60+) colleagues are self-employed and getting NO support.

@TheKeatingFive

I think people are being a bit dramatic about the impact of THIS on young people

You see sentiment shifting because it could affect young people/children. You don't like it and are trying to put a spin on it. Very obvious

I can't read the whole article, but isn't this about some other countries wanting proof of vaccine rather than the UK government saying we can't travel without a vaccine?

I think people are being a bit dramatic about the impact of THIS on young people (though not the pandemic as a whole which I agree has been shit).
They’ll have to wait a few months. It’s not like holidays have a cut off point, they can go away in September/October

What age are we referring to as young people? young people with families will prefer school holidays as will those in further education. Plus sun in October can be quite expensive.

A bit of positivity - my area are starting vaccinating over 60s without pre existing conditions next week. As someone said upthread, as more vaccines come on stream the numbers they'll vaccinate every day will massively increase.

What age are we referring to as young people? young people with families will prefer school holidays as will those in further education. Plus sun in October can be quite expensive.

20s

It doesn’t apply to teens anyway as they won’t get vaxxed.

Ive had lovely sun holidays in the Med in early autumn personally.

You see sentiment shifting because it could affect young people/children. You don't like it and are trying to put a spin on it. Very obvious

You’ve lost me

Just like there’s not cut off for old people to go away. But they will be first while the young ones have to wait and that’s if the older don’t bring back more mutant strains.

The young have lost so much the 50+ didn’t have to give up their late teen/20’s so isolate to protect the elderly did they nope it’s today’s young the ones who already have it a lot harder to do things like buy houses that again those 50+ had easier.

I have no skin in the game of holidays aboard as well my passports long expired and I only used it once in its 10 years anyway.

Students could be there in their 20s though.

Ive had lovely sun holidays in the Med in early autumn personally.

I have in September not October.

Are foreign holidays really that important in a pandemic?

Even if I had had the vaccine I don’t think I would be rushing off to another country where the virus was still rife and few people vaccinated.

I’m really not sure if it’s a good thing that we’re finding out about these new strains. Most of them haven’t been any worse than the ones we have already but everyone panics about them. Perhaps a case of too much information being a bad thing? For the general public anyway.

But most of them are worse than the ones we already have, either because they are much more transmissible or because vaccines have lower efficacy against them (or both). Of course we should know about them, imagine what people would be saying if this information was deliberately hidden from the public and what that would do to public trust and confidence as well as fuelling the conspiracy theorists.

In any case the information would be impossible to hide as it comes from the scientists not the government and as we don't live in an authoritarian state, scientists are free to publish their findings.
Personally I am glad to live in a democracy, where you are treated like an adult and given relevant information and people in the UK should be proud of the fact that the UK is a world leader in genomic sequencing and surveillance - this is something which will save lives not just here, but globally as it means new variants are picked up sooner and action can be taken sooner (tweaking vaccines for example).

Look at the absolute mess the whole world has been in for a year now! Your need for a holiday is not more important than sorting this out!

It’s not just about holidays. All of my family (except DP and DS) live in an EU country. We haven’t seen them since 2019, including DP’s elderly grandmother who in all likelihood doesn’t have that much longer left. None of them have met DS.

I understand the travel restrictions now. But if it gets to the point where the vulnerable in both countries have been vaccinated and people in the UK are allowed to visit each other (you already can in DP’s home country), then I will be angry if I’m unable to travel based solely on my age.

I just don’t see what people think should be done to make it fairer on younger people?

We can’t control who other countries let in.

Should we bump them up the vaccine list? Hardly.

Or prevent others from going? Really?

The whole article is based on what the Greek PM has said.

The Greek PM added: “Ensuring the quickest possible re-establishment of freedom of movement … is, of necessity, a fundamental priority for us all

But he said it would not be a condition of travel to Greece adding he is “not going to make vaccination compulsory or a prerequisite for travel, persons who have been vaccinated should be free to travel

So in other words - he’d like people to be vaccinated but won’t make it mandatory.

This article isnt about the U.K. government setting up covid passports. This really is fake news and it needs to stop.

Vaccine passports just give me the hope that more people will get done. Some that aren't bothered will still wait their holidays abroad. Also some people that have been more reluctant but want to visit family abroad.

Anything that protects the virus spreading is good news to me. Another plus to is that people that don't want to get vaccinations will be stuck having their holidays here. Spending more money and that will help the hospitality industry get back on its feet.