Biden and Johnson vow to speed up opening US-UK travel

Joe Biden will meet Boris Johnson on Thursday ahead of the Group of Seven summit, where they will commit to resume travel between the UK and US as quickly as possible. How soon remains very much an open question. The two leaders will meet for the first time in Cornwall, southwestern England, and launch a joint task force to explore options to resume travel between their countries. Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 5m Britons visited the US and over 4.5m Americans visited the UK every year, according to figures released by Johnson’s office. The US is expected to make a similar commitment to the EU next week when Biden meets continental leaders in Brussels, according to a draft statement seen by Bloomberg. In a dramatic agenda-setting gesture, Biden will announce on Thursday the US will buy 500m doses of Pfizer Inc.’s shots to share internationally. At the same time, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan downplayed the chances of travel opening up soon. “I don’t think the working groups will finish their work by the time the trip is through so we’re not currently anticipating any specific announcements,” he told reporters. The idea of vaccine passports has also been floated, especially by countries dependent on tourism, though it’s unlikely to gain much traction at the G-7. There are growing signs that a fresh Covid wave is starting to hit the UK and other countries, with new strains emerging and infections on the rise. Another 7,540 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the UK on Wednesday -- the highest daily cases since the end of February. That may get in the way of plans to further lift restrictions, even if the economic price is high. Johnson himself is worried about it and at least one of his cabinet ministers has warned people to avoid trips overseas.<br/>