Pre-travel tests could ‘kill off travel’ Shapps says
Pre-departure Covid tests have been ruled out for now by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Bringing them back risks ‘killing off the travel business,’ he said.
Speaking on Chopper’s Politics Podcast, he said the government will continue a ‘measured approach.’
"Do you want to kill off the travel sector again without realising it?" Or do you wish to respond at the appropriate calibrated level?"
"I believe in transportation, and I don’t want to live in a society where we’re constantly looking for ways to limit it," Shapps said.
"Of course, you have to act appropriately. That’s what I believe we’ve accomplished."
Shapps believes vaccine passports will become the ‘standard for travel.’
"The global standard for travel will be ‘have you been vaccinated,’ in the same way that for many years, you couldn’t travel to certain places without a yellow fever certificate."
Shapps rejected claims the UK overreacted to the initial threat of the Omicron variant by reinstating the red list.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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