Following the news at the weekend that ~15 million people in the UK had received their first COVID vaccine, Brittany Ferries said now was the time for a re-think on travel corridors.
The French company Brittany Ferries noted that as well as the UK's progress, vaccine rates were also rising rapidly in France and Spain - the countries the company serves with ferries departing from Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Poole. They are also the top 2 destinations for British vacationers.
The ferry company said it believed that by summer 2021, the case for reciprocal travel corridors - the so-called “sea lanes”, to Spain and France should be persuasive. That was based on the logic that the majority of adults were likely to have been vaccinated and the infection rates were expected to have continued their downward trend.
According to Brittany Ferries, "reciprocal travel corridors based on a combination of high vaccination rates and low infections," would provide a clear pathway supporting the nation's wellbeing. It is suggested that the measures could be supported by testing, along with (potentially) vaccine passports.
The company, which is normally reliant on passengers, was severely affected by the Coronavirus crisis and some routes remain suspended. However, Brittany Ferries has recently become more focused on freight traffic, reporting increases in unaccompanied freight.