UK and Israel could agree mutual Covid vaccination travel plan

The UK and Israel could recognise Covid-19 vaccination certificates to allow those who have received both jabs to enter each other’s counties without the further need for isolation.

In a move discussed by health officials from both countries last week it was suggested that those who had been vaccinated fully against the virus would need just one serological test in the first two days of arrival in either Israel or the UK.

An Israeli official confirmed the plan but said it was “still aspirational.”

In an appearance on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Dr Susan Hopkins, lead epidemiologist for Public Health England, said: “We’ve talked a lot to countries like Israel who are ahead of us in the vaccination campaign and they are now really looking at allowing people to come into their country who’ve had two vaccines and not needing isolate.

“And they are allowing their population to travel more.

“We need to be alert and will need to consider how we can measure the response of these vaccines to new variants that come along.”

All foreign arrivals have to undergo quarantine, as do Israelis who are not vaccinated or those who have returned from one of the six countries with high levels of the Delta or Indian variant, even if vaccinated.

Those testing positive on arrival are believed to be low as a result of the fact that two-thirds of Israelis are vaccinated.

In last week’s conference call Israel requested further detail on how to confirm Brits arriving at Ben Gurion have had both jabs.