Brits warned to check half-term holiday plans to EU destinations – you could be turned back at the airport
BRITS are being warned they should check their destination country’s Covid entry rules before they head abroad during the half term holidays.
You could get turned away if you show up at the airport without meeting the requirements.
A growing number of EU countries are putting an expiration date on vaccine certificates – so if you had your second jab too long ago, it becomes invalid.
The only way to still gain entry to the country is if you’ve had your booster jab within 14 days of travelling.
So while some fully vaccinated Brits are still able to head on their hols, others who had their jabs longer ago won’t.
Popular EU holiday spots including Spain and France have put a 270 day expiration date on vaccination certificates.
That means that those Brits who had their second dose before May 2021 and have not yet had their booster will be considered unvaccinated.
Italy and Austria have put an even stricter time limit on vaccines at 180 days – that’s just six months.
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So Brits heading to either of those destinations will need to have had a booster if they received their second vaccine before August, 2021.
Families heading abroad for half term face additional challenges based on whether their kids have been vaccinated or not.
Entry requirements for kids vary from country to country, with some requiring all kids aged over six to be fully vaccinated, and others saying kids aged under 18 don’t need to have had any jabs as long as they are travelling with a vaccinated parent.
Tourism leaders have urged government ministers to negotiate with EU countries to prevent chaos at airports, according to The Guardian.
It reported Tom Jenkins, the chief executive of ETOA, the trade association for tour operators in European destinations, warned Brits they need to check the entry requirements for their chosen destination before they set off, and make sure they follow the rules.
He said: “What people probably aren’t prepared for is the scrutiny that British passport holders are going to be subjected to once they arrive in Europe.”
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, added: “Overall, it’s clear that we’re in a no-man’s-land phase coming out of the pandemic.
“It’s causing a lot of confusion because people are having to do calculations about when they’ve had the vaccine, and, if they’ve got children, whether they’ve had enough vaccines.
“We’re seeing a jigsaw puzzle of restrictions emerging, and customers will choose somewhere that’s easier to go.”
Brits are facing additional red tape since the UK left the EU. Since Brexit, Brits are subject to passport checks when entering an EU country.
We’ve rounded up the holiday and travel changes this year – from new EU visas to passport rules.
There is hope for Spanish holidays as rules banning unvaccinated kids could be scrapped.
These are all the countries Brits can enter without needing any Covid tests – and the 33 countries Brits are still banned from due to Covid rules.
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