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EU Covid passports will allow travel to restart – here’s how they will work

The certificates give proof of vaccinated status alongside history of infection

The possibility of 'vaccine passports' has given the tourism sector renewed hope of recovery in 2021
The possibility of 'vaccine passports' has given the tourism sector renewed hope of recovery in 2021 Photo: Dinendra Haria/Getty Images

The tourism sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, as lockdowns drag into the spring, borders remain closed and planes are grounded.

In the UK alone, monthly air passenger arrivals to the country fell from 6.8 million in February 2020 to 112,300 in April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, amounting to a drop of 98.3%, according to the Office for National Statistics. After peaking in August, the numbers fell again as restrictions were re-imposed.

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