UK Covid news: Shapps says people should not book summer holidays now, either abroad or in Britain

Good morning. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, triggered a row with the travel industry in April last year when he stated people should not book a summer vacation and now he has performed it once more. In an interview on the Today programme he stated that, “on the shrinking chance” that anybody was fascinated about a summer vacation, he would advise them not to book something now – not simply abroad, however domestically too.

Given that dreaming a few vacation is among the issues people are more than likely to be doing in lockdown, it was an odd type of phrases. Here is the quote in full.

First of all, I should say, people shouldn’t be reserving holidays proper now, not domestically or internationally …

On the shrinking likelihood that there’s anyone listening to this interview at this stage, and pondering of reserving a vacation below the present circumstances … and till we all know the route out of lockdown, which we are able to’t know till now we have extra information, extra data on vaccines as nicely, please don’t go forward and book holidays for one thing which, at this stage, is unlawful to truly go and do – whether or not it’s right here or abroad.

And, additional down the road, I merely don’t know the reply to the query of the place we’ll be as much as this summer; it’s too early to have the ability to offer you that data. You would need to wait till that’s clear earlier than reserving something. So one of the best recommendation to people is do nothing at this stage.

Shapps stated that Boris Johnson can be saying extra concerning the easing of restrictions when he publishes his roadmap out of lockdown later this month. But he stated he did not know whether or not the plan would come with steerage on holidays.

I’ll put up extra from his interviews shortly.

Here is the agenda for the day.

12pm: Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs.

12.15pm: Dr Andrew Goodall, chief govt of NHS Wales, speaks at a Welsh authorities coronavirus press convention.

12.30pm: Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, makes a press release to MPs about cladding. As Jessica Elgot studies, he will announce billions of pounds in extra support to address the cladding crisis that has left homeowners bankrupt and distraught.

12.30pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions in the Scottish parliament.

1.30pm: Downing Street is predicted to carry its day by day foyer briefing.

Politics Live is now doubling up because the UK coronavirus stay weblog and, given the way in which the Covid disaster eclipses every little thing, it will proceed for the foreseeable future. But we will likely be overlaying non-Covid political tales too, and once they appear extra essential or extra attention-grabbing, they are going to take priority.

Here is our international coronavirus stay weblog.

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