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Government mulls tougher international restrictions
The government is mulling tougher border restrictions as hopes of a strong European summer continue to recede.
Despite operators reporting strong demand for 2021, messages emanating from government paint an increasingly bleak outlook.
A video circulating on social media showed Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying the ‘price’ for domestic protection was the closure of international borders.
While suggesting there was ‘a chance’ of international travel resuming for the summer, he warned the emergence of new Covid variants was creating complications.
Should a variant be able to evade vaccinations and enter the UK, the country will be ‘back to square one’, he said.
"Tougher international restrictions are the price that, for instance, Australia has paid for strong domestic protection," he said.
Ministers are mulling a series of measures to tighten borders, including Australian-style rules where arriving passengers are bussed to hotels where they must quarantine for two weeks, at their own expense.
A complete ban on arrivals is also being contemplated.
It even emerged that tagging passengers was among the measures previously considered.
In a further move to prevent new Covid variants entering the UK, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday banned arrivals from Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo.
It comes into effect at 4am tomorrow with Shapps saying it will help prevent the spread of the Covid variant identified in South Africa.
"We are continuing to monitor Covid-19 rates and new strains of the virus across the globe, this alongside the suspension of travel corridors and pre departure testing will help protect our borders," he said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday refused to rule out the current lockdown continuing beyond spring.
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