Fully vaccinated Britons could enjoy quarantine-free holidays from as early as July 19 as ministers scramble to save the summer season - but will still face tough entry restrictions in many countries.
Boris Johnson is under huge pressure from senior ministers to sign off a 'big bang' reopening on so-called 'Freedom Day' with travel curbs eased at the same time as restrictions are lifted at home.
Formal advice against trips to 'amber list' countries would be dropped for those who have been double-jabbed under the plans – opening up summer breaks in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the United States.
Children would also be able to avoid quarantine if travelling with their parents.
Meanwhile, Malta and Spain's Balearic Islands are on track to be added to the 'green list' tomorrow, offering more options for people desperate for some sunshine.
However, those taking advantage of the loosening still face tough restrictions on entry to major destinations. The US has a complete travel ban in place on Britons, while Italy requires five-day self-isolation on arrival. Germany only accepts people for 'humanitarian reasons' and has mandatory 14-day quarantine for arrivals.
Tomorrow's ministerial meeting on foreign travel is expected to be followed by a further session on Monday. Ministers are expected to sign off the plans to allow the double jabbed to travel to amber list countries without the need for quarantine on return.
Downing Street is targeting August for the change. But ministers including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are pushing for curbs on international travel to be lifted from July 19. This would allow families and the battered travel sector to make the most of the summer.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is said to be 'sympathetic' to the move because of the effectiveness of Covid jabs and yesterday he confirmed that ministers were 'working on' plans for quarantine-free travel.
However the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are said still to be cautious.
The World Travel & Tourism Council wrote to Mr Johnson yesterday to say that maintaining restrictions on the sector through July would cost the UK £639million a day.
Its warning came as:
Ministers agreed with Uefa a deal that will see 60,000 fans pack Wembley for the final of the Euros, in the biggest trial of Covid passports to date; The Prime Minister faced renewed pressure to bring forward Freedom Day to July 5, as Covid data continued to improve; Nicola Sturgeon warned that Covid restrictions could remain in place in Scotland until August 9; The head of a government taskforce on the future of work suggested Britain could move towards a four-day week; Matt Hancock said Britain was on track to reopen on July 15 following 'encouraging' data on hospitalisations and deaths; Daily cases rose to 11,625, the highest figure since mid-February, but deaths are averaging just 13 per day.
The PC Agency travel consultancy has suggested that 14 countries currently on Britain's amber list could be moved to green. Separately, there are also suggestions that the bottom two countries, France and Greece, could also make it onto the list
Fully vaccinated Britons could enjoy quarantine-free holidays from as early as July 19, the Mail can reveal today. Pictured: People sunbathe on the beach on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, as a flow of migrants arriving on the Mediterranean island, in Lampedusa, Italy, June 22
Senior ministers are pressing Boris Johnson (pictured during his visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre temporarily set up at StoneX Stadium, home of English rugby union club Saracens, in north London, on June 21, 2021) to sanction a 'big bang' reopening with travel curbs eased at the same time as restrictions are lifted at home
A Cabinet source told the Mail there was clear evidence vaccinations were working.
'It's all over, even if not everyone in Government has realised it yet,' the source said. 'The link between cases and deaths is broken. We know that double jabs work to protect people so why delay the resumption of international travel? There is no reason not to go ahead now – every day counts.'
Mr Hancock said the Government was being 'cautious about international travel' in order to protect the progress made at home. But he added: 'Having said that, the whole point of the vaccine programme is to be able to remove restrictions, and for people to be able to be kept safe by the vaccine, rather than by these rules.'
Huw Merriman, Tory chairman of the Commons transport committee, welcomed plans to lift quarantine requirements for the fully vaccinated, but said they should be brought in immediately.
'There's no reason to hold back or delay until August,' he said. 'The vaccine is effective and the NHS app provides proof for the millions who have received it. The industry has been working for months to make this vaccine dividend operational.
'We now look to the Government to give the green light and let the industry crack on with making it work.'
Andrew Flintham, managing director of travel giant Tui, warned that many companies were 'perilously close to failing', adding that 'every week that goes by just pushes those people closer to that very sad outcome'. The Business Travel Association said that, up to mid-June, GDP had taken a £3.18billion hit from the decline of business travel in the pandemic.
The World Travel & Tourism Council warned up to 218,000 UK jobs could be lost if no action was taken. This is in addition to the 307,000 travel-related posts lost last year.
A Government source said August was the most likely start date for the new travel system. The source said that although people can already prove vaccine status with the NHS app, it would 'take time' to implement the change.
Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list.
It comes as a welcome small relief for the travel industry – with tourism chiefs warning they face their 'darkest hour'.
Industry leaders have pleaded with ministers to lift Covid travel curbs to save them from going bust this summer.
Ministers will meet tomorrow to decide which – if any – countries should be added to the tiny list of destinations where foreign holidays are currently permitted.
But scientists have advised ministers that the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain are now safe to be given green status.
If agreed, British holidaymakers could travel to Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera without the need to quarantine on return.
Malta, which was approved by scientists but controversially rejected by ministers last month, is also expected to be added.
They would be the first mainstream holiday destinations on the list since the controversial removal of Portugal last month.
However, mainland Spain will remain on the amber list, meaning that travel is advised against, and quarantine is required on return.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of the UK's largest travel association Abta, led calls yesterday for restrictions to be eased amid the success of the vaccine rollout. He warned 'the wolves are at the door' for thousands of businesses.
Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list. Pictured: Menorca
Opening the Travel Matters conference of industry bosses, organised by Abta, Mr Tanzer said: 'They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn. This dawn has been a long time coming, and we desperately need to see day breaking soon.
'And yet at our hour of greatest need the Government seems intent on looking away. We're desperate. We have members on the point of failure, of losing their businesses, in some cases their homes.'
Hundreds of industry bosses and employees will descend on Parliament Square today as part of a 'Travel Day of Action' in protest at the Government's handling of the issue.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: 'It is now or never for the Government to reopen travel and save what is remaining of the summer season – not just for families desperate to get away but the tens of thousands of jobs which rely upon this once thriving sector.'
Ministers will also consider on Thursday whether quarantine rules for double-jabbed holidaymakers from medium-risk amber nations should be dropped. As it stands, all amber arrivals must quarantine for at least five days regardless of whether they have been jabbed.
Mr Tanzer said his organisation was considering legal action against the Government over its traffic light system. He accused ministers of failing to share the data upon which the decisions are made.
Mr Tanzer added: 'Outbound travel is the sort of naughty child of
