Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK from countries on the government's Covid-19 green list should not have to take pre and post-arrival virus tests, a new report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change said.
It also proposes removing the automatic 10-day quarantine requirement for those who are inoculated and coming from amber list countries.
Under current rules for England, travellers arriving from the small number of countries on the green list must take a Covid test before and after entry. They also have to quarantine if it later arises that they travelled with someone who tested positive for the virus.
Arrivals from amber list countries must take a Covid test beforehand, another two after, and quarantine for 10 days.
In its report, the Tony Blair Institute suggests that "anyone who is fully vaccinated should be free to travel to and from any country currently designated as green without any quarantine period or testing required”.
Commenting on the report, former UK prime minister Tony Blair said it made sense to now make the distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
“The management of the Covid-19 pandemic is all about that management of risk. We place or remove restrictions here at home on that basis. We assess countries as green, amber or red on that basis," he said.
“We vaccinate on the same basis. We know that vaccination radically reduces the risk of transmission and the risk of serious illness. It doesn't eliminate the risk. But the reduction is substantial and game-changing. Hence the country’s embrace of vaccination and pride in doing it quickly.
“It is time to distinguish for the purposes of freedom from restriction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, both for citizens here for domestic purposes; but also for our citizens and those from other countries in respect of travel on the basis that being vaccinated substantially reduces risk. It therefore makes no sense at all to treat those who have had vaccination the same as those who haven't.”
The report suggests utilising the PCR testing capacity of the National Health Service for arrivals amber countries, rather than more expensive private services.
The report proposes that, once vaccines are available for all age groups, places such as shops, restaurants, gyms and cultural venues should be allowed to loosen restrictions for those fully vaccinated or in possession of a recent negative lateral flow test.
“If they take up this option, they should be allowed to operate with no restrictions on capacity, no observed social distancing and without requirements to wear a face covering,” the report said.
Mr Blair conceded that the policies suggested by his institute would discriminate between those who were inoculated and those who were not.
“But the whole of risk management is based on discriminating between different types and levels of risk. Nothing matters more to risk than vaccination, which is precisely why we're doing it.
“Yes by allowing greater freedom and fewer restrictions to the vaccinated we're providing a powerful incentive to take up vaccination, but this is a perfectly valid public policy objective. Other than for medical reasons, people should be vaccinated,” he said.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE%20SPECS
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Jebel Ali results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gabr, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Torno Subito, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more from Johann Chacko
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
