Flights only for the vaccinated? Most Britons agree

According to a Sky News poll, 54% of Britons agree that air travel should be limited to the vaccinated passengers. 

On December 2-3, 2020, the Sky News conducted a poll of 1,706 adults online. The results show that 54% felt it would be acceptable to limit air travel to only people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 29% said it would be unacceptable and 17% were not sure. For transport in general, including busses and trains, 36% supported the idea of limiting travel to vaccinated people. 

11% said they would stop following the social distancing rules after they get vaccinated. That could lead to an insurgency of new COVID-19 cases as it is not yet clear if the vaccination stops the spread of the virus. 

The results of the survey came out at the same time as the first pictures of COVID-19 vaccine appointment cards were released. The UK government outlined that the vaccination card is not to be seen as an “immunity passport”. 

Some airlines started talking about introducing a requirement for a vaccination proof once the vaccine is readily available. However, there is a challenge related to the technological aspect of presenting a vaccination proof.

“What we’re looking at is how you can have the [proof of] vaccination in an electronic version of a passport that certifies what the vaccine is, if it’s acceptable the country you’re travelling to,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

In November 2020, Australian flag carrier Qantas announced that the airline would require a proof of COVID-19 vaccination before letting passengers board on an international flight. A decision whether people would need vaccination for domestic travel has not yet been made. 

In the beginning of December, 2020, the government in Cyprus has approved a plan to allow visitors with a COVID-19 vaccination proof to enter the country without a negative PCR test. 

The UK authorized the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine on December 2, 2020. Britain is the first country to approve the vaccine and the first shots were given on December 8, 2020.