UK expects to ease quarantine rules for US travelers this summer

The United Kingdom is expected to ease quarantine rules for U.S. travelers later this summer as more and more people in both countries get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’re moving forward with efforts to safely reopen international travel this summer, and thanks to the success of our vaccination program, we’re now able to consider removing the quarantine period for fully vaccinated UK arrivals from amber countries – showing a real sign of progress,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

The move will allow amber list countries such as the U.S. and most of the European Union to send fully vaccinated travelers to the U.K. without them having to go through a quarantine period upon arrival, according to the AP.

The airline industry has been protesting the U.K.’s strict quarantine rules as other countries have already dropped a previous requirement for fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an international flight.

Many countries in the European Union have opened back up for international travelers and have implemented a COVID-19 passport so travelers can prove their vaccination status and be able to freely travel between countries. 

The announcement comes as the U.K. is reporting the most coronavirus cases they have seen since February. 

The U.K. has given 83 percent of its population one shot of the coronavirus vaccine but has seen 16,703 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.