England is split on whether fully vaccinated should travel freely to amber countries
A survey of 2,000 adults in England found that while four in 10 don’t think it’s fair that those who have had both jabs still need to follow the quarantine rules, the same number believe it is the right thing to do. Data from the NHS revealed fewer than one in 200 travellers from amber list countries are testing positive on their return. The rate of 0.4 percent is prompting calls for the government to relax restrictions on those arriving in the UK from amber counties, who currently face a 10-day quarantine period.
And health secretary Matt Hancock has raised hopes of foreign travel being back on the table this summer by claiming ministers are ‘working on’ plans to allow the vaccine to bring back some of the freedoms.
Despite the current restrictions, the research by Medicspot which provides day 2 and 8 tests for amber travellers, revealed there are plenty of ‘amber gamblers’ in England.
Two thirds (67 percent) of people who have foreign holidays booked this year still plan on going if it is amber at the time of departure.
Three in 10 (29 percent) said the possibility of the government downgrading a country’s Traffic Light status at short notice, meaning travellers would need to self-isolate on their return, is a risk worth taking for getting away.
And 38 percent would like to go abroad this summer as a boost for their mental health.
