The UK is preparing to receive vaccinated foreigners

Reino Unido se prepara para receber estrangeiros vacinados

The British government announced on Friday (9) that it expects to present “in the next two weeks” its plans to allow people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 abroad to travel to the United Kingdom without the need for quarantine, as British residents.

Boris Johnson’s chief executive announced on Thursday that, so far, only British residents who have received two doses of the vaccine in the UK’s immunization drive will be exempted from quarantine, from July 19, upon their return from EU countries. It is called the “Amber List”, which includes such tourist destinations as Spain, France and Italy.

The announcement raised doubts about the fate of British expats or foreigners who have been vaccinated in other countries.

“It’s something we’re working very actively on,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News today.

“In terms of deadlines, I think I can say something more in the next two weeks,” he added.

The goal is to be able to “recognize mobile applications or certificates from other countries”, which would be “easier for some places like the European Union”, which have a digital passport like the UK, compared to the US, where the certification systems are, he noted. It varies greatly between states and is primarily paper based.

The Migration Agents Guild has warned that vaccination controls to be introduced at British airports could lead to very long queues of up to six hours compared to the current two.

Her spokeswoman, Lucy Moreton, told the BBC: “It’s a political decision to prove 100% of the arrivals are ill, and that’s the problem in particular.”

Shapps also defended the decision to allow 1,000 Italian fans to watch the UEFA European Cup final between their national team and England on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London, without the need for pre-quarantine.

“They go directly to watch football and leave after 12 hours, and they can’t travel anywhere else,” he explained.