So families with 12-17 years olds still can't really travel?

[MsFogi]

If I have read the various requirements (UK and EU countries) correctly - it seems teenagers getting one jab won't count as vaccinated for EU travel (eg in France they won't have a vaccine passport so won't be able to to into restaurants, museums etc etc without a covid test from a pharmacy every few days) and they'll still have to have a waste of time PCR test on their return. Which means short visits to Europe are pretty much a write-off and it's not looking great for holidays abroad generally. This seems awfully unfair - that the one jab puts them in limbo.

That’s the U.K. rule to leave and come back.
The rest of the world will have its own rules and they might not match.
(And it’s highly likely as well that if one gets vaccinated too far apart, ie a 16yo in uk who might be offered a dose more than 12 weeks apart, it’ll not be counted as fully vaccinated anyway for other health systems)

(This was in response to @Blubells)

I have a 17DS who’ll turn 18 just before Xmas. If it wasn’t for the rule of the 17 and 9months that will allow him to get a second dose in November he would not be able to travel to grandparents for Xmas because he’d fly out as a minor and fly back as an adult. With a maze of different rules. At least that aspect was thought out!

@WombatChocolate

But they might not be welcomed to other countries as fully vaccinated, when they have only had 1 jab. That is why having the 2nd dose is important for travel (never mind the protection from Covid benefits).

This is what's annoying me - there is no upside to getting one vaccine when it comes to travel!

The Government should clarify when 12-17 year olds can get their second jab.

Taking a single vaccine is actually a disincentive as it wont allow travel access to Green Pass in Europe whereas proof of recent infection does (for 6 months).

@Blubells

The best thing is to get the jab as soon as it’s available. Then 8 weeks will pass and if the 2nd dose is approved, your kids will be ready to have it. If you delay, the 8-12 week gap might further delay being able to travel.

No, because under 18s are exempt from the new travel rules that apply to unvaccinated adults. They are free to travel, regardless of their vaccine status.

They are free to travel according to the UK.

Their countries of destination will not have the same rules - so they might not be able to travel freely 'regardless of vaccine status'.

And like @cherin has said, no other countries are spreading the two doses so much. I got mine 4 weeks apart which is the standard wait where I live. My teenager siblings in Spain have had theirs 3 weeks apart.

Having 8 or more weeks between doses might deem the vaccination invalid in some countries.

Yup werelooking at france.

Eileen, quick hijack if I may! (I know you are Spanish)
On a FB group I'm in, someone is screeching blue murder about sueing the Spanish govt because she was refused boarding as the airport staff said her LFT to return was too old. She said the UK govt says 72 hours is fine. The people at the airport say it has to be no more than 48. (that would be the case here in Italy) do you know if there is a discrepancy between what the UK accepts and what the Spanish airports ask for? And who would be correct in this case?
Thanks!

@Geamhradh

Sorry I've just got in from work and seen your post.

I cannot be 100% sure about the legalities of this case, but in Spain - as in the rest of the EU - antigen tests (LFT) are only valid for 48 hours. PCR tests are valid for 72 hours.

The UK accepts a 72h old LFT, but that is technically invalid on Spanish soil (much like in Italy).

The problem here is that I don't know why the ground staff at the airport had the power to declare that test result invalid, given that it is not a legal requirement in Spain to produce a Covid pass upon entry to the airport. The Spanish airport cannot 'ask' for anything, their only responsibility is to check the paperwork complies with what the destination country (here, UK) requires. The test only had to be checked for boarding purposes.

The only valid explanation would if the airline's own policy doesn't accept tests that are older than 48 hours?

I personally think she should've been boarded, because she complied with all the rules as much as we can take from the story.

Now, about the suing. Spanish airports are owned by a private company (AENA) that has nothing to do with the government, so I've no idea why this lady would want to sue the government, they don't own or have control of the airports... Those who denied her boarding are also not the government, but ground staff employed either by AENA, or the airline she was flying with. Or subcontracted companies of the airport. Surely she'd need to sue easyJet/TUI/whoever she flew with?

I digress but I'd love to comment on that post about how useless these actions she's saying she'll take are going to be

To sum it up yes, there are often discrepancies between countries. Best thing is to go with the most restrictive ones, just to be safe. Don't do tests 71h 59min before you fly just because the UK government says you can. Leave some margin and get into the window that all countries recognise, because you don't want an idiot useless check in assistant misunderstanding the rules and refusing you boarding.