Holiday hotspot introduces vaccine passport for kids – causing nightmare for families

NEW YORK is introducing further Covid restrictions that will directly impact families with holiday plans in the city.

From December 14, New York will extends its vaccine passport scheme to include children aged between five and 11.

New York will extend its vaccine passport scheme to include children aged between five and 11

From then, every person over the age of four will need to prove they have been vaccinated against Covid, if they want to go inside restaurants and indoor attractions, such as Broadway shows.

Children under 12 in the UK are not currently eligible for a vaccine, so they will not be allowed into venues.

It was just one month ago that the US lifted a 20-month Covid travel ban, and vaccinated Brits were finally able to visit.

This prompted a surge in Brits booking flights across the pond.

The city is typically buzzing with tourists around the holidays, as people ice skate in Central Park and celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

But the necessity for young kids to be vaccinated will prove a headache for young families.

CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency Paul Charles told The Telegraph that New York “is not doing itself any favours”.

He said: “We know that restrictions simply put people off travelling so New York is not doing itself any favours with this planned measure.

“Britain, along with most other countries, has not approved vaccines for children under 12 so families will simply choose to go to those destinations which are more sensible in dealing with Covid.

“In the short-term, New York’s loss is Europe’s gain as families will choose to visit countries which are friendlier to younger children.”

In a similar move, Disney Cruise Line guests aged five and over will be required to show proof of vaccination from January.

An increasing number of airlines are cancelling flights amid travel uncertainty caused by the Omicron variant.

British Airways has slashed more than 2,000 flights until March 2022.

The decision has affected both domestic routes like London to Belfast and transcontinental flights like London to Cape Town. Affected passengers will be able to receive a full refund or swap flights.

Ryanair has cancelled all flights to and from Morocco until February 1, 2022.

TUI is the latest airline to announce that it might cancel flights because of the Omicron variant.

Children under the age of 12 are not eligible for a vaccine in the UK so they will not be allowed into venues in New York