HUGS? LET’S WAIT TILL MAY
BORIS Johnson has told members of the public desperate to be reunited with friends and family living far away that they must wait until May.
The Prime Minister said he sympathised with those who had been unable to see loved ones for months. But he insisted only local meetings are allowed until his roadmap allows household mingling indoors and overnight stays, from May 17 at the earliest.
During one of his ‘People’s PMQs’ Q&A sessions last night, Mr Johnson was asked twice about the restrictions on families who live far apart. They will not be able to meet on park benches or in gardens from March 29 as local friends and relatives can.
The first caller, identified as Lisa from Oxford, asked him: ‘Will the Government consider introducing exemptions to the ban on indoor visits on compassionate grounds so that we can support loved ones?’ A second caller, Claire in London, said her five-month-old son had not yet been able to meet friends and family and asked: ‘How far is it acceptable for us to travel at each of the planned phases of the roadmap?’ Mr Johnson said overnight stays were still not allowed ‘so the assumption is that it will be a local meeting’. He admitted that May 17 ‘sounds like a long time to wait’. ÷ David Cameron has become the latest former prime minister to back the idea of vaccine passports. He said Covid certificates to gain entry to pubs and theatres could be vital to get the economy back up and running quickly. Tony Blair has also supported the proposal, which is being considered as part of a review led by Michael Gove. Mr Cameron said in a CNN interview: ‘There will be a number of different ways and places where people will want to know have you been vaccinated.’