Dominic Raab defends quarantine exemption for double-jabbed EU and US travellers

Dominic Raab defends quarantine exemption for double-jabbed EU and US travellers
Dominic Raab defends quarantine exemption for double-jabbed EU and US travellers

Dominic Raab today denied that the UK is risking a new Covid outbreak by exempting double-jabbed EU and US travellers from quarantine.

The Foreign Secretary admitted there are 'no guarantees' that people will not try to game the system and avoid isolation by faking documentation, but stressed there will be tough checks.

And he insisted there will still be the 'right level of security and assurance' because only the fully-vaccinated are in line for special treatment from next week, and the government is 'keeping an eye' on variants.

He also revealed that more countries have been contacting him demanding the same get-out for their citizens.

The bullish stance comes after ministers defied officials' concerns about the 'clear public health risk' to sign off on the quarantine easing for visitors from the Continent and America.  

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Raab played down the dangers of relaxing controls. 'We keep an eye on the variants, but because of the 70 per cent double vaccination of our population and because we are insisting only people from the US, the EU and perhaps in due course, as we build up confidence in the system other countries, we proceed on that basis,' he told Sky News.

'Because it is people who are double vaccinated we believe we have got the right level of security and assurance against people who might be at risk of a variant coming in from abroad.'

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Raab said the government 'cannot guarantee' that there would not be efforts to use fake documents, but it was 'highly unlikely'.

'The point here is that, with both the European countries and the US, we are talking about high-trust countries with whom we have not just an intuitive level of high trust, we have active co-operation, so we know that we can straighten out any discrepancies we might come across pretty quickly,' he said.

Mr Raab said there is a 'double lock' of written certification and proof of US residency for American travellers, which he said could allow 'further checks if there is any suspicion of fraud'.

He added: 'Both domestically with our rollout but also internationally we want to open up, we want to move the country forward, but we want to do it irreversibly and we need to take solid, surefooted steps forward.

'We feel this is a modest opening up of international travel but one that has the reassurances that we can take further steps forward as we build confidence in the system.'

Boris Johnson led the charge yesterday as the powerful 'Covid O' group agreed that the self-isolation requirements can be dropped for some of the UK's major trading partners. Ex-pats who have received jabs abroad are also set to benefit from the dispensation, which takes effect from 4am Monday. 

All will still need to get tests in a bid to reduce the risk that they are infected. 

Currently Britons are not allowed to enter the US, but Mr Shapps now expects the lifting of travel restrictions to be reciprocated by the Americans - although that might not happen until September. 

Mr Raab has raised the issue with his counterpart in America, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And the British Ambassador in Washington, Karen Pierce, is also believed to be lobbying for the move in meetings with US officials.

Dominic Raab today denied that the UK is risking a new Covid outbreak by exempting double-jabbed EU and US travellers from quarantine

Dominic Raab today denied that the UK is risking a new Covid outbreak by exempting double-jabbed EU and US travellers from quarantine

Starting from Monday, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU will be permitted to enter England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine for ten days. Pictured, Heathrow airport

Starting from Monday, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU will be permitted to enter England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine for ten days - a policy which is likely to be expanded as the third wave comes to an end.   

But senior officials had warned the Cabinet committee that letting fully vaccinated Europeans come to Britain freely could increase the risk of lower quality vaccines undermining the UK's coronavirus immunity, according to the Times

Labour claims that the PM is being 'reckless' by going ahead with the changesShadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'The Government's track record on our borders has been one of recklessness and confusion. They are in danger of continuing this by setting out changes in policy, applying to England only, without the scientific data and criteria we need to make sure we don't see another Johnson variant run rampant through the country and damage the effort of the British public.'

It came as the UK recorded another 27,734 Covid cases on Wednesday, down 37 per cent in a week for the seventh day in a row.

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