Double vaccine to spur foreign travel, UK’s Johnson says

Britons who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will be given extra freedom to travel around the world, PM Boris Johnson said, as the U.K. prepares to set out new rules on foreign trips. British officials have been weighing up allowing people who have been fully vaccinated to return to England without the need to quarantine for 10 days after visiting medium risk destinations. Johnson signaled on Thursday that the government will move ahead with the plan. “The real opportunity we all have now is to open up travel through the double jab,” Johnson said Thursday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is due to set out the latest rules on which countries are safe to visit and those that should be avoided on Thursday. Ending quarantine rules for fully vaccinated travelers isn’t expected to come into force until August. Northern Ireland announced its own changes on Thursday evening, adding territories including Spain’s Balearic Islands, Barbados, Bermuda and Malta to its list of countries from which returning travelers don’t need to quarantine. Travel policies are often closely linked across the four UK nations. The Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Madeira and Bermuda also joined Northern Ireland’s so-called green list for travel.<br/>