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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Will Hayward

It is six days until foreign travel can resume in England and we still don't know what Wales' rules are and what Wales' vaccine passport will be

People in Wales still have no idea how vaccine passports are going to work despite international travel reopening in six days time.

On May 17, the UK Government is bringing in a "green list" of countries from where it will allow quarantine-free international travel.

The Welsh Government had previously indicated it would follow Westminster's lead on this however there has been no formal confirmation of this since England's announcement last week.

And there is still no confirmation of how people in Wales will be able to use a vaccine passport for countries that require one.

England is going to be using an NHS app that as yet only works if you are registered with a GP surgery in England.

WalesOnline approached the Welsh Government to ask if a similar app would be used in Wales and they were unable to confirm.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We are considering the options for reopening international travel safely and making sure we do not risk the progress we have made in keeping Wales safe.”

As well as the green list, the UK government also has a red list of countries. Visitors to England from these countries have to go straight to a hotel at the airport to quarantine for 11 days. There is also an amber list. Anyone coming back into England from an amber list country must quarantine at home for 10 days and take coronavirus tests on day two and day eight. Leisure travel to and from red and amber list countries is banned.

As yet, there has been no confirmation from the Welsh Government that the same lists will apply in Wales although the First Minister had previously indicated that he wanted to follow the same approach as the UK government.

The Welsh Parliament elections have meant that the Welsh Government has been unable to make political announcements over the last month and that key decisions have been left for the next administration.

However this will be little comfort to would be holiday makers in Wales who are desperate for clarity on the situation. It is understood that First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce more details on Friday.

Many countries around the world will only be accepting foreign visitors if they can show with a recognised vaccine passport that they have been vaccinated. Otherwise they will have to follow quarantine rules.

Speaking to the BBC about the plans for England, a spokesman for the UK Government said: "We're keen to go further and faster now that the Secretary of State has confirmed that travellers will have access to their covid vaccination status by 17 May.

"Globally there are now 20+ countries that are either easing testing or quarantine requirements for vaccinated passengers so the UK needs to move quickly if it does not want to fall behind globally in supporting its citizens' ability to freely travel."

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