⦁ Will UK Use NHS App as Vaccination Passport? There have been reports from throughout the world in the past several months suggesting that governmental agencies of different sorts are testing various methods of using evidence that an individual has received at COVID-19 vaccination as a “passport.” In the UK, it appears that the British government is working out a way for Britons to use the app it already has for use with its National Health Service (NHS) as a vaccine passport.
Grant Shapps, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, confirmed to Britain’s Sky News that the government is working on such a passport, explaining that. “It will be the NHS app that is used for people when they book appointments with the NHS and so on.”
A quick study of what this app is all about is here, from a most recent issue of pharmaphorum.com, which covers the pharmaceuticals industry.
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⦁ UK Holidaymakers Ready & Set to Go—Air transport Infrastructure has been in place and operating for some time: Much of the pandemic-related media attention in the UK has focused on just how extensive the opening up of both short-haul and long-haul air travel is going to be—no one, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson—seems to have a direct answer. But indications are that some startup of booking activity will begin next week, from May 17th onward. (Caution: Grant Shapps, the UK Secretary of State for Transport has said that prospective international travelers should wait “two to three weeks” from that date to book foreign holidays
However, the latest OAG data show that domestic airline activity has been humming along and—a big surprise to those who thought the lucrative London Heathrow-to-NYC corridor has been dormant—there has been steady movement between the USA and the UK for those allowed to fly. ‘’
Translated into industry terms, this suggests that a re-start won’t involve as much “lag time” during which the air carriers will have to re-activate (and in some cases, re-certify some of the employees who fly, service and maintain the airlines—not to mention the numbers of airline workers who might have given up on resuming their jobs and are working at something else.
Following are two graphics indicating that, although almost all UK aircraft movement has been domestic, last month’s numbers show that there has been regular aircraft activity.
Source: OAG Mapper
Source: OAG Mapper
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⦁ Less than a third of Brits now comfortable with thought of traveling. A recent YouGov poll of UK adults showed that almost two-thirds are uncomfortable about traveling abroad once restrictions on the activity are lifted. The poll, conducted last month among more than 1,400 adults, also revealed the following:
—63 percent of respondents were not comfortable traveling.
—30 percent were comfortable.
—Seven percent said they were unsure.
—Of those who were not comfortable, 54 percent were “not at all comfortable,” with the remainder of respondents “not very comfortable.”
—Of the 30 percent who were comfortable, a third of those were “very comfortable,” with two-thirds indicating that they were “fairly comfortable.”
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