COVID-19 travel: Hopes for summer holidays dashed
It’s too early to book foreign summer holidays according to the transport secretary, despite countries saying they hope to welcome vaccinated Brits from May.
Grant Shapps said there are “lots of questions” to answer about “how safe it will be in June to travel.”
England could be allowed to travel abroad from 17 May at the earliest under current plans.
Cyprus and Portugal are among the countries keen to welcome UK visitors.
Under the current rules, foreign travel from the UK is banned apart from for exceptional reasons.
While 17 May has been marked as the date that rule could change – the decision is subject to a review closer to the time.
Asked if it was too early to book a summer holiday, Mr Shapps said: “Yes.”
He added: “We have said it will remain illegal to travel internationally until at least 17 May – that’s an at-the-earliest date.”
Mr Shapps said people should look towards 12 April, when he will publish a global travel task force report, and said the government was weighing up not only the “extraordinary” UK vaccination rollout but also other countries’ vaccine programmes.
“So there are lots of questions the answer to which we simply don’t know yet about how safe it will be in June to travel around,” he said.
When we are allowed to travel again, the success of the UK’s vaccination programme is likely to make travelling British attractive to countries looking to rebuild their tourism sector.
UK travel advice
Get advice about travelling abroad, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings – GOV.UK
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