US agencies assert that the British “traffic light” has no scientific support

After the UK government decided to include the United States in the Amber category of a new “epidemic traffic signal”, Roger Dow, president of the American Travel Association, published a short but solid letter asserting that this designation was “not supported by science” and warned that it could cause losses. Great for the US economy.

As HOSTELTUR says, The UK government has decided to order the reopening of international travel on the basis of the “epidemic traffic lights” system., Which defines three categories (“red”, “amber” and “green”), in which different countries are included according to their own health standards and provide different restrictions for each.

(See: COVID traffic sign: Spain in amber, Portugal in green, Turkey in red)

The United States is included in the Amber groupTherefore, British passengers visiting that country on return should attend Negative test before returning; Submit to Two PCR reports on arrival (On the second and eighth day); And save prof Mandatory quarantine for 10 days.

In addition, the British government has issued an alert She advises people not to travel to destinations classified as Amber from May 17, Which is the expected date to reopen. Anyway, they went ahead This traffic light will be checked every three weeks.

(See: The British government recommends against traveling to amber countries, such as Spain)

But this decision was born Strong rejection by the American Travel Association, The largest entity in the US tourism sector, which is struggling to reopen both foreign and domestic tourism.

On Friday, May 7, its president, Roger Dow, published a letter in which he asserted: “The UK’s decision to reopen the United States in its amber state is not backed by science. Placing the country in this category ignores scientific data about increasing vaccination rates and declining infection rates. The nation has appropriate strategies to mitigate the risks. “

In this sense, he added:The United States needs to show leadership and come to the negotiating table with the United KingdomAnd increasing dialogue to allow flights to be reopened with one of our most important international partners. “

The North American country has suffered a serious economic impact from the epidemic, but the director representing travel agencies and other major sectors, such as cruise ships, warned that if the borders do not reopen soon, the damage will be greater. “The US economy will lose $ 262 billion and 1.1 million jobs if its borders remain closed. “Introducing a roadmap and timetables for creating a fast travel corridor with the UK would reduce the risks for both countries and generate a substantial financial return,” Dow concluded.