GRAPH: NUMBERS OF COVID DEATHS AND CASES PER DAY

BRITS ENJOY LATEST TASTE OF FREEDOM

Thirsty Brits enjoyed their first pint inside a pub this year as the clock struck midnight.

Boozers toasted their newfound freedom as indoor mixing was finally allowed across the country for the first time since November. 

TOP PROFESSORS SAYS YOUNG PEOPLE MUST BE VACCINATED “AS FAST AS POSSIBLE”

Professor Peter Openshaw said that it was important to vaccinate people as “fast as possible”, including those under 18.

The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use in the UK among people over the age of 16 – the only vaccine in the UK currently available to people under 18. In the US, the vaccine is also being given to those aged 12 to 15.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I’m not an expert in vaccine supply – my understanding is that the amount of vaccine that we’re able to deliver at the moment is limited by the amount of vaccine that we are able to obtain and that we don’t have vaccine sitting in warehouses waiting to be administered.

“That being the case, if we’re going to be vaccinating younger people in one area, that potentially might mean taking vaccines away from people who might otherwise be getting those vaccines and are at higher personal risk.”

But he added: “In Bolton, it looks like the cases are growing, particularly in those under the age of 45 – in other words, those who have not been vaccinated – so that I suppose is an encouraging signal for vaccination, extending down into those younger age groups is going to be effective in limiting spread.”

WHAT ARE THE NEW TRAVEL RULES?

Going on holiday is no longer illegal, with May 17 marking the date that travel has finally been given the go-ahead.

Anyone coming back to Britain will still have to take pre-departure tests up to 72 hours before they travel, which can be a lateral flow or PCR test.

Quarantine or additional testing is not needed upon return, unless the post-arrival test is positive.

The next review is set to take place in three weeks – so on May 28.

BRITS SHOULD AVOID HOLIDAYS IN ‘AMBER LIST’ COUNTRIES, HEALTH SECRETARY WARNS

Brits’ holiday plans have been thrown into chaos as they’ve been urged to stay away from “amber list” countries despite the Government ban on travel outside of the UK coming to an end.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that people should not travel to amber countries except for essential reasons and “certainly not” to countries such as Italy, France, Greece and Spain.

His comments were echoed by Sir John Bell, emeritus professor of medicine at Oxford University, and a member of the government’s vaccine taskforce, who said that parts of Europe were “largely unvaccinated” making them more vulnerable to the Indian variant of coronavirus.

“People just have to get used to the fact that Cornwall or Bournemouth is not so bad,” he added.

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE ON THE SAFE-TRAVEL ‘GREEN LIST’?

Portugal
Gibraltar
Israel
Iceland
Brunei
Singapore
Faroe Islands
Falkland Islands
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Australia*
New Zealand*

*Closed to foreign visitors

PORTUGUESE PRESS AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF BRITISH TOURISTS

Sky’s Michelle Clifford shows Portugal is waiting for UK tourists’ arrival.

The Portuguese government announced Brits would be allowed to travel to the country from midnight on Monday provided they had a negative Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure.

UK tourism is a major part of the Portuguese economy and tourist associations in popular destinations such as the Algarve have hailed the return.

GATWICK CHIEF SPEAKS OF “BIG RELIEF” AS BRITS CAN TAKE TO THE SKIES AGAIN

Gatwick Airport chief executive Stewart Wingate has said welcoming holidaymakers for the first time in months is a “big relief” and that he expects the numbers of travellers to increase tenfold by the end of May – but this will still be less than 15% of the traffic seen in pre-pandemic times.

Speaking on the airport’s runway as the first green and amber list planes took off, Mr Wingate said: “It’s a big relief for everybody at Gatwick Airport that finally UK citizens can travel internationally again.

“It’s an important day for us, and important first step, and very much we’re looking forward to seeing more countries added to the green list in the weeks ahead as the vaccination programme has continued to accelerate and being rolled out across Europe, and hopefully the infection rates fall.”

AWKWARD: SUSANNA REID REFUSES HUG FROM GMB CO-STAR AS RESTRICTIONS ARE EASED

‘HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE’ VACCINES WORK AGAINST INDIAN VARIANT, SAYS HANCOCK

New evidence gives a “high degree of confidence” that coronavirus vaccines work against the Indian variant, Matt Hancock said as he urged people to get jabbed to prevent the new strain spreading “like wildfire”.

The Health Secretary said on Sunday it is “appropriate” to push on with the major easing of restrictions in England on Monday despite concerns from scientists that it could be 50% more transmissible than the Kent strain.

He did not rule out the possibility of imposing local lockdowns in areas such as Bolton to stem the spread of the variant, although he said it is “relatively widespread in small numbers” elsewhere.

Ministers are hoping surge testing and the acceleration of second vaccine doses can allow a safe opening up of the nation, with jabs due to be extended to the over-35s this week.

Mr Hancock said there are now more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant in total and it is becoming “the dominant strain” in areas including Bolton and Blackburn in the North West.

EASYJET SAYS FLIGHT PRICES WILL NOT RISE

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren suggested prices of flights to green list countries will not be raised in the coming months.

Speaking at Gatwick Airport near London on the first day that people in England and Wales have been allowed to go on holiday abroad, he said: “We have prices that start from £28.99 so you’re always going to find flights that are exceptionally affordable and provide a lot of value for money.

“So the pricing is very dynamic as well, and we would like to ensure that we can get as much capacity out there to support the demand that we know is there.

“Travel comes out as the number one thing that people want to do most in the pandemic and in lockdown, so it’s not about a lack of demand.

“It all comes down to restrictions and to make sure that those can be (unwound) so that we can start travelling at a larger scale.”

YOUNGER PEOPLE SHOULD GET COVID VACCINE IN PLACES WHERE INDIAN VARIANT IS RIFE, SAYS SADIQ KHAN

A coronavirus vaccine should be given to younger people in those parts of the country where the Indian variant is causing concern, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said.

He said he has asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi for the “flexibility to give younger people the vaccine in those parts of London concerned about this strain”.

Mr Khan told Sky News that “what we are saying is be nimble in those pockets where we know there is an issue, let’s use the vaccine sensibly”.

He added there should be a “hyper-local approach” in affected boroughs which should include “those who are younger, who would have to wait a few weeks, to have this vaccine now to avoid the strain spreading”.

POST-PANDEMIC JOBS BOOST

Optimism among UK employers is at an eight-year high – with all sectors expecting a post-pandemic jobs recovery, according to a new survey.

Jobs in the public, private and voluntary sector are all set to increase and pay prospects have also improved, the latest labour market outlook report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and recruiter Adecco.

The quarterly report’s net employment intentions balance, which measures the difference between employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut them, hit a score of 27 for the second quarter of 2021, compared with 11 in the first quarter of the year.

Employer optimism found the private and voluntary sectors record scores of 28, with the public sector coming in at 22 – bringing a score stronger than at any time since the survey began in February 2013.

TOP SCIENTIST WARNS AGAINST SOCIALISING INDOORS

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said that he would not meet indoors “at the moment”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.”

But he added: “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to lift the restrictions – we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we’ve been in restrictions now for a very long time.”

UK HOTELS REOPEN FROM TODAY

Hotels across England can finally open their doors from today, welcoming guests once again.

Not only that, but group holidays can also go ahead from today – meaning a trip with your friends and family.

The latest lockdown restrictions have been eased even further, which originally only allowed self-catered holidays for single households.

However, as England eases out of lockdown, more UK holidays can go ahead from today.

The new group holiday rules allow groups of six from different households or unlimited people from two households to now go away together, and can now socialise indoors at pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Hotels have already opened in Wales, although this was only if they had en-suite facilities and room service – all holiday accommodation can now reopen.

COVID RESTRICTIONS EASE IN SCOTLAND

Coronavirus restrictions have relaxed in Scotland, with most mainland areas moving to Level 2 as the country progresses out of lockdown.

It means people will be able to hug loved ones again and socialise indoors, subject to restrictions.

Up to six people from three households can socialise indoors in a private home or garden without physical distancing. The government advises people to use their best judgment around physical contact.

Six people can also meet in a hospitality venue and eight people from eight houses can meet outdoors.

Glasgow and Moray will remain in Level 3 due to virus outbreaks. Meanwhile many of the islands are now in Level 1.

BUSINESS SECRETARY SAYS IT IS “VERY LIKELY” RESTRICTIONS WILL EASE ON 21 JUNE

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said he thinks it “very likely” that all coronavirus restrictions will be scrapped on 21 June, despite the threat of the Indian variant.

Defending the decision to ease the lockdown, the Cabinet minister told Sky News: “Yes, things are opening up but people should have common sense, they should use judgment and I think if we act in a reasonable way, there is no reason to suppose that we can’t reopen the economy entirely on June 21.

“I think there has to be a degree of common sense, a bit of caution and people shouldn’t be running away being too exuberant, I suppose.

“I think we just need to be measured and cautious.”

HOLIDAY CHAOS AS MATT HANCOCK URGES BRITS TO STAY AWAY FROM ‘AMBER LIST’ SPAIN, GREECE & ITALY DESPITE END OF TRAVEL BAN

BRITS’ holiday plans have been thrown into chaos as they’ve been urged to stay away from “amber list” countries despite the Government ban on travel outside of the UK coming to an end.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that people should not travel to amber countries except for essential reasons and “certainly not” to countries such as Italy, France, Greece and Spain.

Brits can travel abroad for the first time this year from today – but just twelve countries made it onto the “green list” which does not require quarantine on return. 

Mr Hancock dashed hopes of a Spring break in the sun this morning, saying Brits should only travel to tourist hotspots such as Spain or Greece if “absolutely necessary”. 

“People should not travel to amber or red list countries unless it’s absolutely necessary, and certainly not for holiday purposes,” he told Times Radio. “Our borders, testing [and] surveillance is the best in the world and it means that we can spot problems in other countries sometimes before they know they’ve got a problem themselves. So the green list is here for exactly this reason to provide for a safe way where we know that it’s okay and safe to go abroad.”

GROWING FEARS THAT INDIAN VARIANT ‘MAY BECOME DOMINANT’

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there are now more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant in the UK.

He said it is becoming “the dominant strain” in areas including Bolton and Blackburn in the North West, amid fears it will spread elsewhere and halt lockdown lifting.

But he did offer hope by reassuring Brits that Covid vaccinations should protect against the variant.

“We have a high degree of confidence that the vaccine will overcome,” he said on Sky News.

GRAPH: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY

BRAZIL’S COVID-19 DEATH TOLL PASSES 435,000

Brazil recorded 40,941 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

The health minister also said Sunday that there were a further 1,036 deaths from the virus in the same period.

Brazil has now registered 15.63 million cases since the pandemic began, while the South American nation’s official death toll stands at 435,751.

‘HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE’ VACCINES WORK AGAINST INDIAN VARIANT, SAYS HANCOCK

New evidence gives a “high degree of confidence” that coronavirus vaccines work against the Indian variant, Matt Hancock said as he urged people to get jabbed to prevent the new strain spreading “like wildfire”.

The Health Secretary said on Sunday it is “appropriate” to push on with the major easing of restrictions in England on Monday despite concerns from scientists that it could be 50% more transmissible than the Kent strain.

He did not rule out the possibility of imposing local lockdowns in areas such as Bolton to stem the spread of the variant, although he said it is “relatively widespread in small numbers” elsewhere.

Ministers are hoping surge testing and the acceleration of second vaccine doses can allow a safe opening up of the nation, with jabs due to be extended to the over-35s this week.

Mr Hancock said there are now more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant in total and it is becoming “the dominant strain” in areas including Bolton and Blackburn in the North West.

PORTUGAL TO OPEN TO BRIT TOURISTS FROM TOMORROW

Portugal will open to tourists from nearly all European countries from Monday, says the interior ministry.

Travellers from most EU countries, the 26-nation Schengen Area and the UK can make “all types of visits to Portugal, including even non-essential visits”.

MAPPED: ENGLAND HOTSPOTS WHERE INDIAN VARIANT IS DOMINANT