New research by easyJet reveals that over four-in-five UK residents (83%) believe that they should be able to travel freely to Green and Amber list countries without needing to take Covid-19 tests to return to the UK if they are double vaccinated.
Despite the removal of quarantine for Amber list destinations, there is still a requirement for all travellers, including fully vaccinated Brits, to take a pre-departure lateral flow test before returning to the UK, followed by a PCR test two days after returning to the UK – together costing around £400 for a family of four.
The study also revealed that 88% of British people have found the Government’s travel policies and advice confusing when it comes to travelling abroad this year, with a further 83% thinking there has been a lack of transparency on the government decision-making around the country traffic light travel lists.
And even though the Government has now removed the need to quarantine when returning from destinations on the Amber list with the exception of France, 58% of double-vaccinated Brits think it has taken too long to get the benefits of their double vaccine, with 63% of the country believing the UK has lagged behind Europe in opening up travel for its citizens, with 68% finding this unfair.
There are signs that confidence is returning to travellers, with 61% of Brits saying they are much more likely to want to travel abroad once they have been double jabbed, with the research showing that travel was a major reason in driving the decision to get vaccinated. 47% say that one of the main reasons they got or would get the Covid-19 vaccine was to travel abroad.
The roll-out of the vaccine has been a true success story for the UK, and being able to travel was a big driver for many to decide to get vaccinated. The Government has shifted its focus on living with Covid and opened up the domestic economy. We now need to take the same next step for travel and recognise that those who are fully vaccinated do not need to be tested when they are travelling from countries which are not on the Red list.
This study shows that the overwhelming majority of people see no justification for the fully vaccinated having to do tests when they travel to approved countries. The Government’s own data shows that testing travellers coming from Europe is not necessary.
We do not want to see a return to flying being a preserve of the rich, and so we urge the government to quickly remove these unnecessary tests for low-risk countries and for the fully vaccinated, otherwise they risk turning back the clock.
