Scientists Warn Green List Travel System Is ‘Window Dressing’

Scientists Warn Green List Travel System Is ‘Window Dressing’

Scientists Warn Green List Travel System Is ‘Window Dressing’ Credit: Pixabay

Scientists Warn Green List Travel System Is ‘Window Dressing’.

Scientists warn that the government’s green list traffic light system is only “window dressing”. The system has been designed to relaunch foreign travel, but scientists are concerned that it is not based on evidence surrounding different Covid mutations.

Brits will soon be able to holiday abroad as the ban on international travel is set to be lifted. Although when they return from most countries they will still have to isolate. Depending on the country visited this will either be in a Covid hotel costing a considerable amount of money or at home.

Countries that are on the government’s “green list” though will be exempt from these rules but the number of countries on the list is currently very limited as reported The Mirror.

Travellers will also have to incur the costs of Covid testing with the aim of controlling the spread of mutant variations of the potentially deadly virus.

Gurch Randhawa, professor of diversity in public health at the University of Bedfordshire has warned that Coronavirus deaths could possibly grow in the future as variants of the virus are imported, and that he feels travellers should holiday in the UK currently.

According to the Guardian scientists at the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), have voiced concerns that the traffic light system is only “window dressing” as they do not consider it to be based on evidence regarding the risks of mutant variants of the virus.

Reportedly Professor Martin Hibberd, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shares these concerns and said, “While in the UK, we look forward to less disease and fewer restrictions, this is not the case in most of the world. Indeed, for many countries infections are likely to come in waves for at least another year and perhaps longer.

“As a result, imports are likely to become an increasingly important part of new transmissions circulating within the UK. We should develop an effective strategy to cope with the competing desires to allow international travel, while keeping circulating virus in the UK to a minimum.

“From my infectious disease perspective, for travel, I would like to see more testing, preferably with professionally taken swabs, and more support for quarantining, at home when it is possible – and which can be verified for compliance – together with an effective tracing programme.”

The Euro Weekly News is running a campaign to help reunite Brits in Spain with their family and friends by capping the costs of PCR tests for travel. Please help us urge the government to cap costs at https://euroweeklynews.com/2021/04/16/ewn-champions-the-rights-of-brits-in-spain-to-see-loved-ones-again/

 

Alex
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Alex Glenn

Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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