April 22, 2021- 10:00 a.m.
The government aims to provide official proof of vaccination for millions of British holidaymakers this summer – starting as early as 17 May.
According to a report in the Telegraph, a government official told travel bosses on the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group: “We aim to give people the ability to prove their vaccine status by the time international travel restarts where other countries require it.”
At present all foreign holidays from the UK are illegal, but ministers say they hope to lift the ban and allow journeys abroad from 17 May.
Many nations have said that official evidence of vaccination from tourists will enable or smooth visits.
The plan, revealed just 26 days before the expected resumption of international travel, comes as southern European nations advanced their ideas for attracting British holidaymakers.
The Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group is run by VisitBritain, which promotes inbound tourism to the UK. It comprises “key tourism industry associations and organisations, as well as relevant government departments,” according to VisitBritain.
The plan was outlined during a discussion of the border reopenings.
A DfT spokesperson confirmed to The Independent: “We are working on a solution to enable residents to prove their Covid-19 status, including vaccination status, to other countries on the outbound leg.
“We are working on this as a priority and intend to have the solution ready as soon as possible.”
The UK government recognised in November 2020 that some kind of vaccination passport would be needed. The first Global Travel Taskforce report identified the need for “a global framework for validating test results and vaccination records”.
The report noted: “The global harmonisation of measures will simplify travel between countries, strengthening public confidence in international travel, and enable travel to be more quickly re-established between countries.”
Since then, there has been little sign of progress. In February the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, advised travellers to ask their GP for proof of vaccination.
But he later said: “If other countries will require a vaccine certificate then I think it’s right that we facilitate it.
A “vaccine passport” or Covid health certificate would smooth summer holidays abroad, giving host countries confidence that the visitor is low risk.
But coming up with an internationally agreed form of proof of vaccination that is also cyber-secure is proving tricky for the UK and the rest of the world.
