Relaxing travel restrictions is a risk – the government needs to be ready to act at the first sign of trouble

The further relaxation of travel restrictions for those coming into the UK is a risk, but it is one of the more acceptable ones that the government has decided on in recent weeks.

The importation of new and dangerous coronavirus variants remains an acute concern. Yet the truth is that many of the countries previously regarded as unsafe by the UK have shown lower rates of Covid-19, and better public health responses, than our own. Rising vaccination rates in the UK also provide some room for manoeuvre.

Nonetheless, the government should be ready to reverse any or all of the changes to quarantine rules at the earliest sign of trouble. Slow reactions at the border have cost Britain dear during the pandemic.

Even the most dedicated student of the continually varying travel rules of the UK government and the devolved administrations has probably found them more confusing than helpful. Few would be able to explain in a sentence the practical difference between, say, “green watchlist” and “amber plus” status. Nor would they be able to understand why, a few weeks ago, it was OK to travel back from some countries to England or Scotland without any need to quarantine, but the same did not apply to Wales. Or how double vaccinations affected – or rather did not affect – the requirement to quarantine.

The temptation was to game the system by flying from red list countries via green ones, or, more likely, just to book a “staycation” break in the UK instead. There was little effective policing of the system in any case, as there has not been since border quarantine controls were first introduced. If the UK’s traffic light system had been trialled at a real road junction, there would have been many accidents.

There’s no doubt that the travel industry has suffered grievously, and families have longed for a trip abroad. The mood is more optimistic now, but there is still great uncertainty, and many will continue to be reluctant to book tickets and hotels while things remain unclear.

That is not entirely the fault of the traffic light system, in fairness, or even the incompetence of ministers – though both have been unhelpful factors. The real problem with returning to normal, as with the so-called “pingdemic”, is that Covid case levels are still too high, and the pandemic is far from over. Indeed, periodic outbreaks of Covid and the appearance of variants of concern may continue to sap confidence in travel for years ahead, because quarantines and blockades may have to be imposed at short notice: that is surely the most likely prospect in the medium term.

The travel industry, therefore, cannot simply rely on the permanent lifting of restrictions to deliver financial salvation, because the restrictions will probably have to be reimposed from time to time. If Covid becomes endemic, then deeper changes will be needed. What the sector, as well as many of its customers, needs is the provision of more assured Covid-secure facilities – planes, ferries and hotels – with high standards of hygiene, modest social distancing and mask-wearing, with access to such facilities being controlled through the use of vaccine passports and testing at the point of entry. It can be done.

Other reforms would also help. More efficient use of vaccine passports, and testing for all at ports and airports – ie before travel – would greatly reduce the need for quarantine in the first place, and in addition would help prevent the spread of the virus. Business travellers will perhaps increasingly use Zoom and Teams meetings to take the place of their trips to meet colleagues and clients, saving on greenhouse gas emissions.

The climate crisis will also necessitate adjustments, such as fewer flights, for obvious reasons. In short, almost all travellers to any destination may in future find themselves waiting longer for a green signal at the metaphorical traffic lights.