Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PAIN IN SPAIN
» Hotspot faces green list blow » No10 ‘cautious’ over variants
SPAIN is looking increasingly likely to be left off the travel green list before summer.
Other popular holiday destinations including France, Greece and Italy could also be snubbed.
The Government’s first review of its system for overseas trips is expected to add just a handful of Caribbean islands to the list. People planning for a break in European hotspots might have to wait until July or even
August before they can jet off. It is also understood Spain’s Balearic and Canary islands are currently viewed as off limits. But there is hope trips to the US could be permitted, provided there is a bilateral agreement to drop its ban on foreign travellers. The list is set to be updated in the first week of June but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said No10 will be “necessarily cautious” to stop Covid variants entering the UK. Only 12 countries have got the go-ahead for travel including Portugal, Israel and Gibraltar. Health Secretary
Matt Hancock said ministers were taking a “cautious approach” on easing travel restrictions to ensure progress in the Covid-19 fight was not jeopardised.
Yesterday, he added: “People would be loath to see us put that at risk by going too fast at the borders.”
Tourists who have had both Covid jabs will be able to “prove” their status to other countries from Monday, when the ban on foreign leisure travel ends.
Mr Hancock said people in England will be able to use the NHS app to show they are fully vaccinated in order to fly.
Ministers have also not “ruled out” changing rules on wearing face masks as part of step four of lockdown easing, which is pencilled in for June 21. Greece said it will vaccinate all residents on nearly 100 islands by the end of June in a bid to attract tourists.
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis added: “My message is clear – we are open again.”