Pubs reopen - and airbridge list delayed
THE UK government has yet again delayed its announcement on which countries Britons can travel to and from without having to quarantine for 14 days on their return.
Pressure on the government to release the list as current uncertainty has a daily impact on both the UK tourism trade and travel agencies dealing with British holidamakers want to book trips abroad.
At the weekend, it was revealed that Spain is likely to be included in the first batch of air bridges.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said air bridges would only be agreed with countries which have a coronavirus test and trace system of the same standard as that used in Britain – this is the case of Spain as the control of this week’s flare-ups has proved.
However, although the list of the first air bridges with “lowrisk” European destinations (that would also include France, Italy, Greece and Germany) was announced for this week, at the time of going to press yesterday (Thursday) it has not been announced. According to reports, air bridges will be announced in batches, with the second set of destinations likely to include other European countries such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and Holland and “low-risk” Caribbean islands.
Call for caution over pubs reopening
Hospitality leaders and police chiefs have issued a joint appeal to pub-goers to help achieve a successful reopening of the industry this weekend.
The British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality, the London Night Czar and the National Police Chiefs' Council urged people to support landlords and others as pubs open their doors for the first time in months.
The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) also issued guidance to people planning to have a pint in England on Saturday. The hospitality and police statement urged people to behave responsibly, adding: "We ask pub-goers to be supportive of landlords and pub staff, helping them to reopen in the best way possible. It's important everyone respects the new measures in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the return of our pubs safely.
Meanwhile, the first cinemas to reopen their doors will start showing films on July 4 after months of darkened screens.
All Showcase cinemas and 10 Odeon cinemas around England will open after closing in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a mixture of recent releases and older offerings available to draw film fans back to theatres.