Britain plans to scrap quarantine for non-UK vaccinated arrivals in weeks

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain plans to scrap quarantine for fully-vaccinated arrivals from other countries in the coming weeks, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Friday, a day after announcing a rule change for those in Britain who had had both shots.

“We want to be able open that up for people. We’re actively working on it,” Shapps told Sky News. “In the next couple of weeks I’ll be able to come forward and say more about other locations in the world.”

He announced on Thursday that fully vaccinated British residents arriving in England from medium risk amber countries would no longer have to self-isolate on arrival.

Shapps said the process of recognising vaccination status would focus on countries administering WHO-approved vaccines, and said the process was complex because each country has different certification systems.

“It’s easier from the EU because they’re creating their own digital passport, it’s more complicated from other countries – the U.S. for example don’t have a digitised system,” Shapps said in a separate interview with the BBC.

(Reporting by William James, writing by Sarah Young; editing by Michael Holden)