Cases at pre-second wave level
Sunshine hotspot could let tourists in with or without jab this summer
CORONAVIRUS infections are back to levels seen before the second wave
— with 99% of areas reporting falls.
Some 147 of 149 local authorities had a decline in cases per 100,000 people in the week to February 14, Public Health England reveals.
NHS Test and Trace figures show there has been a 29% drop in positive Covid-19 test results. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers representing hospital trusts, said: “We are encouraged to see the number falling.
“It is reassuring that a high proportion of positive cases each week are being transferred into the tracing system. But one in eight of
OPTIMISM Hopson these is not being reached and asked to provide details of contacts, meaning there is more work to do.
“There must be no room for complacency at this critical juncture in the fight against Covid-19.”
The areas where infections rose were North East Lincs by 12% and Tameside, Gtr Manchester, by 9%.
The biggest decrease came in Rutland, East Midlands, where the rate reduced by almost 75%.
BRITONS who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus might still be able to enjoy holidays in Greece this summer, it has emerged.
Greek tourism minister Harry Theoharis yesterday said inoculated holidaymakers would be welcomed.
And he said he hoped those who had not been jabbed could also travel to hotspots such as Corfu, Kos and Athens.
The Greek government is in “preliminary discussions” with British officials about allowing in UK tourists.
Under Mr Theoharis’s proposal, people who have had a Covid-19 jab would not need to have tests for the virus to enter Greece.
And the unvaccinated could also be allowed entry if they tested negative, he added.
He told the BBC: “The logic is that we don’t want to limit travelling only to those that are vaccinated.
“Technical discussions are under way. I’m very hopeful that we can reach some kind of solution.”
In a normal year, about 3.5 million Brits flock to Greece. Tourism is crucial to the Greek economy, which in November was tipped to have fallen by 10.5% in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The British Government is in talks with foreign counterparts over how a vaccine passport regime for overseas travel could operate.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there would “inevitably” be
“great interest” in showing proof of Covid-19 vaccination, as with yellow fever certification in other countries.” Earlier this week, Spain’s
TALKS Greek minister Harry Theoharis
RULES Arrivals at Heathrow check in to hotel for quarantine
We don’t want to limit travelling only to those that are vaccinated
foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez said vaccinated Brits could be “fast-tracked” for holidays on the Costas.
Usually, about 18 million Brits visit Spain every year. But the figure dropped to just over three million in 2020. Currently, those returning from Greece or Spain must complete passenger locator forms, provide evidence of a
GREEK TOURISM MINISTER HARRY THEOHARIS ON HIS HOPES FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS
negative Covid-19 test taken up to 72 hours before departure, and self-isolate when they arrive.
It is unclear what the rules for entry to the UK will be by the summer. The Government hopes to have vaccinated 32million people in the top nine groups by May. Last night, Labour warned of the danger of letting unvaccinated people travel abroad.
Senior Labour backbencher Grahame Morris, who sits on the Commons Transport Select Committee, said: “We should be very mindful of the risks of bringing into the country strains of the virus that may be resistant.”
And Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called for comprehensive hotel quarantine on entering the UK.
Some travel firms are already insisting passengers be inoculated before jetting off.
Saga says passengers on its 2021 breaks or cruises must be vaccinated, while Australian airline Qantas says travellers will eventually need to prove coronavirus vaccination to board its flights.
But the World Travel and Tourism Council said: “[Vaccines] must not be a requirement to travel as this will further delay the revival of the already ailing travel and tourism sector.”
ALL SMILES With former PM Theresa May
A ‘LOBBYIST’ with close links to the Tories spent almost £65,000 on ads attacking Labour during the last election, it has been revealed.
Jennifer Powers told the Mirror she had partly funded the Facebook and Instagram campaign herself and had raised money through “donations”.
But she refused to say who had contributed and compared her actions with the millions raised for the NHS by Capt Sir Tom Moore – whom she called “that old man”.
Under the guise of a group called Right to Rent, Right to Buy, Right to Own, Ms Powers published dozens of ads claiming then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wanted to attack property rights.
Hers was just one of a string of obscure, short-lived campaigns on social media in the run-up to the 2019 poll.
The former Tory intern said: “I followed all the rules. I just have an amateur interest in housing policy.”
The ads were declared as a “third party”, meaning they don’t count towards electoral spending limits.
Ms Powers LinkedIn page shows she worked for Public First, a PR firm run by friends of Dominic Cummings, until July 2019. It has previously been reported she
SAY CHEESE Ms Powers poses with the PM spent around £17,000 on ads. But new figures reveal that in just two months the property campaign group spent £64,719 on 99 payments exclusively to Facebook, which also owns Instagram. It declared no other costs and the site is now closed.
A spokesman for pro-Corbyn group Momentum said: “It’s no surprise the mega-rich spent huge sums to smear Labour. We posed a real threat.”
Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy, said: “The lack of controls over online political advertising is a colossal loophole and one the Government has had over a decade to plug.”
Ms Powers, whose WhatsApp profile picture shows her outside No10, denied any co-ordination with the Tory party.
Asked if she thought £65,000 a lot for a singleissue campaign to raise and spend in two months, she said: “Who can say? I would have loved to have raised more but that’s what I was able to raise, so.”
In December 2019, Sky News said Ms Powers told them she raised the cash from crowdfunding and her own money.
But last night she told us there was no crowdfunding. She said she was “proud” of her efforts, adding: “This happens all the time. Look how that old man raised money for the NHS.”
Control of political ads online is a loophole the Tories have failed to plug
TOM BRAKE UNLOCK DEMOCRACY DIRECTOR