You can start to think about holidaying abroad now, says minister
BRITONS were today told they can start to “think” about booking a foreign summer holiday — although trips are initially likely to be to a limited number of destinations.
In a marked change in tone, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps dropped the Government’s advice not to book holidays and travel.
Two weeks ago, Boris Johnson said it was “just too early to say” whether foreign holidays would be allowed and just five days ago a Downing Street document urged people “not to book summer holidays abroad until the picture is clearer”.
But Mr Shapps today confirmed the Government was working on a “traffic light” system of grading countries to restart holidays. He stressed May 17 would be the “earliest” people could possibly travel. He told Sky News: “I’m not telling people that they shouldn’t book summer holidays now, it’s the first time that I’ve been able to say that for many months.”
He said people would want to book holidays to a “green country” and they would only have to wait a few weeks before the list is published.
He added: “For the first time, people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad, or perhaps a summer holiday. But we’re doing it very, very cautiously, because we don’t want to see any return of coronavirus in this country.”
However, Jet2 announced today it will suspend flights and holidays
until June due to uncertainty about foreign travel. Chief executive Steve Heapy said he had been “extremely disappointed at the lack of clarity and detail” in the government plans.
“Because of the continued uncertainty that the framework provides, it is with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to extend the suspension of flights and holidays up to and including 23 June 2021,” he said.
The Government has been heavily criticised by travel companies as under the traffic light system even those returning from low-risk destinations will have to take “expensive” Covid-19 PCR tests, which can cost up to £120. Industry leaders want people returning from low-risk countries to be allowed to take lateral flow tests, which are cheaper and quicker.
However, Mr Shapps said he would work with the industry and providers to “drive down” the cost.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “That cost should be cheaper for those private tests. I’ll be driving that down in the next couple of weeks where we can and potentially removing providers if they are not playing ball because I don’t want to see people being ripped off.”
Mr Shapps said they did not know which country was in which category yet but it would be governed by a country’s level of infections, vaccinations and variants of concern.
According to the rules, passengers returning from a green list country must take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on return to the UK. Under amber, travellers will need to quarantine for 10 days, as well as taking a pre-departure test and two PCR tests. Those returning from a red country will have to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, as well as a pre-departure test and two PCR tests.