Covid: Warnings over international travel and vaccine passports idea as England's latest lockdown easing looms
International travel without proper checks in place could risk undoing the UK's progress in rolling out the Covid vaccine, a top scientist has said.
The warning comes as ministers hinted at plans for over-70s in England to soon start being given booster jabs to protect them against variants.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the first booster doses would go to the top four priority groups from September, including care home staff, NHS workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable.
But Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), which advises the government, suggested progress could be undone if overseas trips were allowed without without efficient testing and tracing in place.
Under current guidelines, while it is illegal to travel abroad for holidays, international travel with a "reasonable excuse" - like study abroad, certain professions, and in relation to overseas property - is permitted.
Travellers returning from countries included on the ‘red list’ where coronavirus cases are higher must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.
Ministers are facing pressure to protect the success of the vaccination programme against the import of new variants from overseas, with the Guardian reporting officials met on Friday to consider expanding the red list.
Dr Tildesley, an infectious diseases expert, told Times Radio: "I can understand the need for wanting to keep our borders open for as long as possible, but if we are, there’s a risk there.
"We need to do what we can to minimise the risk, because what we don’t want is new variants coming in that undo all the good that our vaccination programme has done."
He added: "If we are going to allow travel to continue we clearly need to do something about making sure that testing is much more efficient at airports and making sure that tracing works, and also that people are isolating for the full period, and we need to give people the support to do so."
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Earlier this week, the Prime Minister said the “natural wanderlust” of Britons will lead to a “miraculous change” in the desire to holiday abroad, implying that summer holidays could still be on the cards.
The PM acknowledged, however, that things are “looking difficult” in Europe's fight against the virus, as transmissions continue to rise there.
Under the current ‘road map’ for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could go on holiday abroad would be May 17.
Boris Johnson has said details of a review being carried out by the international travel taskforce will be revealed on April 5.
In other pandemic news, a social psychologist advising the government has warned the idea of vaccine passports to gain access to pubs could be counterproductive.
Professor Stephen Reicher said on Saturday that the measure being considered by the government could compound hesitancy in those already sceptical of vaccines.
Mr Johnson has sought to calm fears over the possible introduction of coronavirus health certificates amid criticism from publicans and Tory backbenchers.
Ministers are reviewing their potential use, which could see access to hospitality venues granted only if customers have been jabbed, received negative tests, or developed antibodies through past infection.
Boris Johnson on the idea of Covid vaccine 'certification'
But Professor Reicher, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B), warned their introduction could depress vaccine up-take.
"I don’t think that the idea of vaccine passports to get into the pub is a good idea and I think in many ways they could be counterproductive," he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
"I think positive incentives, something that gives you something extra, is one thing. People actually aren’t adverse for vaccine passports to travel internationally.
"But when it comes to negative incentives, to in effect barring people from their everyday lives, from social activity, then actually they work in a very different way and people behave very negatively," he said.
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“When it comes to excluding people from everyday lives things swap around. And what’s more it leads to other problems like social division.
Mr Johnson this week acknowledged the “moral complexities” around a domestic vaccine passport scheme, which the government will set out more details on in early April.
He suggested that it might only be possible to introduce one after all adults had been offered a vaccine at the end of July.
But landlords rejected their use after his earlier suggestion it could be up to them to decide whether to screen customers’ certificates on entry.