For the British, the road to vacation is not yet clear.
At least the one that millions of them like to take every summer, to reach the sun and the shores of the Mediterranean.
Boris Johnson on Monday outlined his plan to partially open the locked borders of the kingdom, after May 17, but without guarantee.
Extreme caution indeed reigns, the Prime Minister warning against the “
very difficult situation
” of certain countries of the continent, and the risk of “
importing new variants
”.
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In order to classify the countries which may or may not be frequented, a three-level system should be put in place.
For green destinations, at least two tests will be required, one on departure and one on arrival.
For orange countries, it will be necessary to observe a home quarantine and carry out several tests.
For the red countries, only residents will be allowed to return and they will have to submit to the costly hotel quarantine already in force for these countries considered dangerous.
This traffic light system will be established on the basis of several criteria: the progress of vaccination in the country, the rate of contamination or the presence of worrying variants.
A major screening campaign
The government still strongly recommends that Britons spend their holidays within the borders, touting the “
Great British summer”
.
Without convincing everyone, and in any case not the airline industry.
The latter, already laminated by a year of restrictions and worried about a second "
white summer
", challenges a strategy fraught with uncertainties, which will make any travel forecast impossible.
“
The tourism industry cannot stand the fiasco of canceling reservations because a system has been poorly thought out and leaves everyone, customers and operators alike, in confusion,
” said Martyn Sumners, director of the Association. independent tour operators.
To support the next stage of deconfinement, the Prime Minister also announced a series of measures.
On April 12, businesses, hairdressing salons, sports clubs and pubs will therefore be able to reopen, but only for service on the terrace.
To "
break the chains of transmission
", a major screening campaign will be launched.
All Britons should therefore benefit from two rapid tests per week, whether or not they have symptoms.
The other very controversial measure is that of a vaccination passport, which will first target "
mass events
".
This "
health certificate",
still under study, would indicate whether a person has been vaccinated, if they have antibodies after being infected, or is negative for the coronavirus.
Trials are expected to begin in mid-April at sporting events, such as the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
But, for the time being, it is specified that it will not be required in public transport, shops or pubs, as Boris Johnson had mentioned ten days ago, causing a stir.
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The idea of this vaccine passport feeds a strong controversy, its detractors deeming it "
discriminatory
".
More than 70 MPs are already windy against this project which succeeds in uniting against it personalities ranging from the radical left, like Jeremy Corbyn, to the hard Brexiters of the Conservative Party.
Boris Johnson assured that he was aware of the "
ethical and practical
" issues raised and that they would be carefully studied.
Some 31.6 million Britons received a first dose of the vaccine and 5.4 million a second.
Contamination rates as well as death figures have plummeted, with 26 dead in the past 24 hours.
For some, this dramatic improvement makes it hard to understand the government's slowness on the way back to normal life.