As government hits its target for 15 million Covid vaccinations in the UK, Brittany Ferries says now is the time for a re-think on travel corridors, according to the company's release.
While the focus today is rightly on the UK, the transport and holiday company notes that vaccination rates are rising significantly in France and Spain too. These are the countries it serves with ferries departing Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth. They are also the top two destinations for British holidaymakers.
In France, health minister Olivier Véran confirmed that four million people would be vaccinated by the end of February, rising to 43 million by the end of June. That means around 80 per cent of the adult population in Brittany Ferries’ most popular destination should be vaccinated well ahead of the summer holiday season.
Vaccination rates in Spain are currently higher than in France by proportion of the population and, back home, all over-50s are forecast to have received the vaccine by the end of May.
Vaccination projections are of course not set in stone. Brittany Ferries also acknowledges the Covid crisis is fluid, that protecting the health and wellbeing of the nation is key and that circumstances may change. But, as of today, vaccine roll-out should be an opportunity to present hope and optimism for a brighter summer.
Brittany Ferries says reciprocal travel corridors based on a combination of high vaccination rates and low infections, would offer a clear pathway towards a morale-boosting holiday, supporting the wellbeing of the nation. These measures could be supported by testing, and (potentially) vaccine passports.