Are holidays cancelled again and will you need a vaccine to travel?

Norfolk travel agents cancelling trips because of lockdown remain optimistic people will get a holiday abroad from May. 

As lockdown throws the travel industry once again into uncertainty, it's believed some countries may only accept people who have been vaccinated.

But with Brexit adding confusion agents are struggling to make sense of the overall picture.

It comes as vaccination against coronavirus is raising hopes of the prospect of a summer holiday in a foreign country without the need for quarantine measures.

Currently all travel abroad from England is banned unless you have a legally permitted reason to do so, such as for essential work purposes. Click here for more information.

Australian airline Qantas has stated it is considering changing its terms and conditions to make proof of vaccination a requirement for all international passengers. The airline's boss Alan Joyce said the move would be "a necessity".

Other countries such as Hungary have also stated people can enter providing they show evidence they have recovered from coronavirus or been vaccinated against it.

Iceland is another looking at this and possibly relaxing the requirement to wear a face covering for those people who qualify.

Some countries already require vaccinations against diseases such as yellow fever and it could be that coronavirus will be added to the list going forward. 

But, with insufficient evidence over how well the vaccine prevents the spread of the disease to others, it is unclear yet whether it will become mandatory before travelling on an aeroplane or cruise liner.

Nicholas Lee, who runs Broadland Travel in North Walsham, said: "We believe you may need a vaccination against coronavirus before travelling to some countries. Australia is one which is definitely considering it but the view is that everyone has until March to decide so there's no panic about it."

Meanwhile, he and his team are cancelling holidays booked for the next couple of months after the news of lockdown.

"We only had a couple of customers affected. In the first lockdown we were seeing the same number per day we have per month. I am telling customers to expect a rolling cancellation period now until the end of March."

Agents at Oyster Travel in Old Catton, Norwich, were also having to cancel some trips. A spokeswoman said: "Most people are rebooking and are taking the news well."