BRITS may have to “sacrifice” having a summer holiday to help Britain avoid a second spike, a minister has suggested.
Kit Malthouse today claimed the nation may have to miss out on a trip abroad so the nation can finally see off the virus.
Appearing on Sky News, the Policing Minister was asked if he still expected to have a holiday this year.
He said: “At some point it would be nice to, not least because we have some family overseas we would like to visit.
“We recognise along with everybody else we are in the middle of a huge global pandemic.
“We are just making great progress in terms of falling numbers now is the critical moment for us to reinforce our advantage and avoid a second spike.
“If that means this summer we have to go without an overseas holiday, then that’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make.”
It comes as the Government’s controversial new quarantine rules came into force today, requiring anyone coming into the country to quarantine for two weeks.
Under the policy, all new arrivals – including returning Brits – must fill in a passenger locator form to give an address where they must remain for 14 days.
Health officials will carry out telephone checks and £1,000 fines will be slapped on anybody found breaking the quarantine.
Insiders say the Prime Minister understands the concerns about the policy, and wants it watered down as soon as possible.
An agreement with the EU’s 27 countries could allow Brits to go on a sunshine summer holiday abroad this summer.
An air bridge – which allows quarantine-free travel between two countries – is currently being discussed by the UK government with a number of holiday destinations as a way to continue travel this year
Senior cabinet ministers are set to meet to finalise criteria and start negotiating sea or air bridges this week.
One senior government figure said: “Designing international travel corridors is very complex, not least because they are a cross-Whitehall problem.
“The aim is to have the first ones in place by mid-July, and one with the EU will be the first.”
Boris and French president Emmanuel Macron tried to set up a UK-France safe corridor but were prevented after the EU Commission insisted it would break the rules of the Schengen free travel area.
HOAR has also learned that the Foreign Office advice against all but essential international travel is expected to be scrapped within days now.
The FCO last night confirmed the advice is being reviewed.
And in a big hint that a change is imminent, a new note appeared beside the travel ban on its website in the last few days saying: “This advice is being kept under constant review”.
