The Sunday Times December 19, 2021 9Travel
Ninja pass is available for
PCR-tested 12 to 15-year-olds.
No restrictions for under-12s.SWITZERLAND
Entry Adults must be fully
vaccinated; negative PCR
(72hrs) or antigen (24hrs)
test results also required
from age 16. No requirements
for under-16s.
Access Everyone aged 16
or older needs a Covid Pass
for indoor public areas. No
restrictions for under-16s.ITALY
Entry Adults must be fully
vaccinated with a negative
PCR (48hrs) or antigen
(24hrs) test result; 6-to-17-
year-olds can enter with
only a negative test result.
Under-6s need no test
Access A Covid Pass is
needed for ski lifts and
indoor spaces for those
aged 12 or older. No
restrictions for under-12s.USA
Entry Adults must be fully
vaccinated with a negative
PCR or antigen test result
(24hrs). Everyone aged 2 to
17 must take the same types
of test. No requirements for
the under-2s.
Access Restrictions in resorts
vary — check before booking.entry to the growing number
of countries that require
Covid passes for those aged
12 and older, it also grants
test-free access to public
spaces such as restaurants
and ski lifts.
Bear in mind that it can take
five days for vaccination
records to be updated, and a
further five to seven days for
the letter to arrive once it has
been requested at nhs.uk or
by calling 119, so those who
received their first jabs after
November 1 may not get their
pass in time for the February
half-term holidays.
Here’s a summary of
requirements for
holidaymakers in key ski
destinations. In the case of
testing, the hours given denote
the maximum time before
either departure or arrival that
a test can be taken. “Covid
Pass” means an NHS Covid
Pass showing full vaccination
or recovery from Covid within
180 days of travel.AUSTRIA
Entry Adults must be fully
vaccinated; 12-to-17-year-olds
can show a negative PCR result
(72hrs) or proof of recovery.
No requirements for under-12s.
Access A Covid Pass is needed
for ski lifts and indoor public
spaces from age 16; the Holidaybook a second dose of the
vaccine, as long as their first
was at least 12 weeks ago (those
aged 12 to 15 in Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland are still
waiting for news on the timing
of their second doses).
A second jab qualifies
them for a Covid Pass letter
from the NHS, with a
machine-readable code, to
be shown when abroad (until
they can access the UK’s
digital pass, this will act as
a Covid passport). Not only
does this allow quarantine-freealtitude resorts such as
Tignes, Cervinia, Obergurgl
and Val Thorens are the best
bet for family trips at Easter.
Always check a company’s
cancellation policies before
booking, and look for those
that offer full financial
protection for your holiday
money via an Atol bond if
flights are included — or Abta
or Abtot if not.
There has been one piece of
good news for English families
with single-jabbed teenagers —
children aged 12 to 15 can nowWHAT ARE THE HOPES FOR
N
ot every Brit gave
up on their festive
French ski holiday
last week. As
news broke of
the country’s sudden ban on
British tourists, some simply
threw their ski boots in the car
and drove straight to the Alps
before the restrictions came
into force at 11pm on Friday.
Most, however, quietly
buried their dreams of a white
Christmas or new year and
began changing bookings or
claiming refunds.
Now, as the travel industry
picks itself up yet again, the
question is: “What next?”
“While we are all devastated
by the latest holiday
restrictions, we are clinging to
the tiny glimmer of hope that
these will be short term,” says
Nick Edwards of the specialist
travel agent Snowfinders. The
hope is that France will realise
— just as the UK did — that once
community transmission of
Omicron begins, there’s little
point closing your borders.
There is the risk, however,
that other nations will tighten
their restrictions on Brits if the
UK infection rate continues to
rise — or impose their own
lockdowns. At the time of
writing no further bans were
in place in popular winter
holiday destinations, so thereSean Newsom has the latest updates for families
THE
SLOPES?
is still a chance that British
skiers and boarders will have
brilliant holidays, in
exceptional early-season
conditions. But if your
departure is not too far away,
keep a daily check on news
bulletins and entry
requirements at gov.uk and
on national tourism websites.
Meanwhile, those aiming
to book or rebook holidays
should either sit tight for now
and see how the Omicron
wave develops, or book for the
back end of the season: high-AKSONOV/GETTY IMAGESentry to
of coun
Covid pa
12 and
test-fr
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and ski li
Beari
five days
records t
further f
the letter
been r
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