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Abta calls for voluntary vaccine certificate to reopen travel
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer has called for the government to give the travel industry the option of using vaccine certificates to help save the summer holiday season.
Earlier this week, the government said it had no plans to introduce vaccine certificates enabling Brits to travel abroad this summer because they were “discriminatory”.
But Tanzer said the option of having a vaccine certificate was “important because this evidence, alongside testing, is likely to be part of the way to reopen travel”.
“We would like to see the government work with the industry on how can we have a voluntary certificate that will be able to demonstrate that you’ve been vaccinated, meaning you don’t have to test or quarantine,” argued Tanzer.
“That would be a real incentive to get people travelling again. We already know that some overseas governments such as Greece and Cyprus are looking at proof of vaccination as a way for travellers to avoid testing and quarantine requirements.
“We should also remember that having a vaccine certificate isn’t a new idea. There are examples that already exist for viral diseases, such as yellow fever, where there is an internationally recognised standard of certification that you have been vaccinated.”
Tanzer added that he understood concerns about discrimination and data privacy, and that was why any vaccine certificate should be optional.
Rob Gill
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