Fears for Florida hols as US unlikely to allow Brits before end of summer
HOPES for a UK-US travel corridor in time for the summer have been dashed as talks fail due to the Delta variant and the vaccine rollout abroad.
It is unlikely that travel restrictions will be decided upon before the end of July, putting summer hols at risk.
Families hoping for a holiday to Disney World or Universal Orlando during the summer break are likely to have to wait until next year.
According to the Financial Times, the rise in cases of the Delta variant in Britain, the complexities of the US political system and uncertainty over the status of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the United States, where it is not yet approved, were set to extend the talks into August and even September.
Officials in London hoped they would have the outline of an agreement to reopen travel between the United States and Britain by July 4, the newspaper added.
A British government spokesperson told Reuters both countries established a working group “to help relaunch UK-US travel as soon as possible.”
They said: “Discussions between the working group are ongoing to ensure the UK and U.S. closely share thinking and expertise on international travel policy going forward.”
Earlier in June, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed opening a transatlantic travel corridor at their bilateral meeting, but no announcement was imminent, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
The US remains closed to Brits, with a UK travel ban in place since March 2020, while the US is currently on the UK’s amber list.
Airlines including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have also been pushing for a travel corridor between the UK and the US, citing the strong vaccine rollout in both countries.
Last week, it was announced that Malta, the Portuguese island of Madeira and the Balearic Islands were to be added to the UK’s green list, meaning Brits don’t have to quarantine on their return.
However, in response, Malta and Portugal announced new travel restrictions on Brits which require them to be fully vaccinated to enter.
Spain, who previously had no travel restrictions for UK arrivals, now require Brits to be fully vaccinated or have a negative Covid test.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that double jabbed Brits may be able to avoid quarantine restrictions when returning from amber list destinations.
The UK and the EU are closing in on a deal to accept each other’s vaccine passports for quarantine-free travel in a major foreign holidays boost.
Negotiators are nearing an agreement to unlock travel despite Angela Merkel’s attempts to ban UK tourists from the continent over Delta variant fears.
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