UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday urged Britons to download the National Health Service app because it now shows evidence of vaccination.
His plea came as Britain embarked on stage three of its Covid roadmap,with indoor hospitality reopening and holidays abroad once again permitted under the traffic light system for travel.
Mr Shapps was keen to highlight that the NHS app is different to its Covid proximity app.
He also reminded people not to let down their guards as the UK emerges from lockdown.
With international travel back on the cards from Monday, Britons will be able to use the NHS app as a vaccine passport. The app will also show whether someone has recently had a negative test result.
Vaccine passports are a key part of efforts to jump-start European tourism in time for the summer peak.
The European Union aims to introduce them by June after governments reached a deal on technical standards in April.
While vaccine passports represent good news for the embattled travel sector, the question remains of whether the growing threat of the Indian variant will prevent people from taking holidays in a few weeks' time.
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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