Summer holidays are set for July 19 take-off! Fully-vaccinated travellers could ...

Summer holidays are set for July 19 take-off! Fully-vaccinated travellers could ...
Summer holidays are set for July 19 take-off! Fully-vaccinated travellers could ...

Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing millions of fully-vaccinated Britons to take summer holidays abroad without having to self-isolate.

Ministers are expected to make a final decision tomorrow on exactly when to drop the requirement for double-jabbed travellers to quarantine after returning from amber list destinations such as France, Spain and Greece.

But multiple sources told the Mail that the Prime Minister is determined to implement the move on so-called 'Freedom Day' on July 19, when most remaining domestic restrictions will be scrapped.

It follows the departure of former health secretary Matt Hancock, who had pushed for the change to be delayed until as late as mid-August.

Whitehall sources said Border Force – which had asked for more time to prepare for introducing the change at ports and airports – has now dropped its objections, removing the last major hurdle to early implementation.

One source said: 'Border Force do have to make some technical changes and they had asked for a bit longer to get the new systems in place. But they can see the writing on the wall on this and they have accepted it will be the 19th.'

Another source said: 'It is not just that people can see the writing on the wall – they can see it is the Prime Minister who is writing it and the objections to the 19th are falling away.'

But significant concerns remain over the logistics of the decision, including the possibility of long queues at the border due to a surge in passenger numbers and checks. A Whitehall source told The Times the policy 'will happen before August'. 

And airlines are now set to reveal a trial system to be introduced this week for passengers to provide proof of vaccination at check-in and upon arriving in Britain, using dedicated arrivals lanes to let credentials be verified. 

Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing millions of fully-vaccinated Britons to take summer holidays abroad without having to self-isolate (stock image, Athens, Greece)

Boris Johnson is set to tear up travel quarantine rules from as early as July 19, allowing millions of fully-vaccinated Britons to take summer holidays abroad without having to self-isolate (stock image, Athens, Greece)

Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, June 29

Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, June 29

The system, running on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights into Heathrow, is an attempt to prove the ease with which vaccine status could be checked without creating queuing havoc.

Chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Shai Weiss said: 'To reap the benefits of the UK's world-leading vaccine rollout the UK government must act now to remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from amber countries and no later than the domestic reopening on July 19.'

Chief executive of Heathrow John Holland-Kaye said: 'This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely at check-in, so that fully vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from July 19.'

Downing Street said a final decision had not been made on the timing of the change to current travel quarantine rules but acknowledged it was now likely to be this month rather than August.

The move could open up dozens of popular holiday destinations for fully-vaccinated travellers. Most European countries are currently on the amber list, as are the United States, Mexico, Thailand and many

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