Boris Johnson plans to ease controversial quarantine plan with air bridges as it emerges almost ALL the countries Britons would visit this summer have LOWER coronavirus infection rates than the UK

  • From Monday, anyone arriving in Britain from abroad, including Britons, will have to self-isolate for a fortnight 
  • Policy was due to be unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel Monday but has been delayed until later today
  • The quarantine plan has caused backlash, with MPs and tourism bosses saying it would decimate the industry 
  • Boris Johnson is now pushing for quarantine-free 'travel corridors' which will allow Britons to go on holiday
  • Newly revealed data shows that the 15 most popular countries for Britons have lower infection rate than UK 
Hopes for foreign holidays this summer have been revived after sources claimed Boris Johnson was looking at relax the government's controversial quarantine plan with air bridges. 
From next week, people coming into the UK from abroad will have to quarantine for 14 days to stop the spread of coronavirus. 
But with business chiefs warning this will wreck the travel and hospitality industry, the Prime Minister is pushing for quarantine-free 'travel corridors' or air bridges to popular destinations. These would allow British families to go abroad and foreign tourists to come here. 
A Downing Street source said: 'We will be guided by the science, but the PM does not want to be standing in the way of people's holidays unnecessarily.'
Ministers are also looking at whether to test travellers on their arrival in the UK – removing the need for automatic self-isolation. The 14-day quarantine scheme will be reviewed on June 29 to see whether low case numbers in some destinations might allow the measures to be relaxed on a country-by-country basis. 
Leading travel operators still fear they will have to lay off 60 per cent of their staff, however. 
The news came as it emerged that nearly every country popular with Britons as a summer holiday destination has a lower coronavirus infection rate than the UK. 
The UK currently has more cases of coronavirus per million people than most of the 15 most popular holiday destinations for Britons. 
Only the US and Portugal have a higher infection rate with places like France, Spain, Greece and Italy all drastically lower than Britain. 
The data is sure to fuel the anger of opponents of the quarantine, after some 124 chief executive and owners of businesses worth a combined £5billion said they expect to make up to 60 per cent of their staff redundant if the scheme goes ahead.
Details of the quarantine scheme, which is due to come into force on Monday June 8 were expected to be revealed to MPs yesterday. 
But Downing Street confirmed that Home Secretary Priti Patel is now expected to unveil them later today, fuelling suggestions that some sort of compromise could be on the cards.
And that speculation was further increased by last night's No10 briefing, where Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was growing 'more optimistic' about the prospect of Britons taking holidays abroad this year.  
Despite the potential news of a relaxation of the quarantine rules later in the month, the Home Secretary intends to push full steam ahead with the unveiling of the plan later today. 
Ms Patel is expected to warn rebellious Conservative MPs that their opposition to the quarantine plan risk alienating the public and throwing away the country's progress in tackling coronavirus. She will also say that the government 'owes' it to all victims of the disease to do what it can to avoid a second peak. 
In other developments to Britain's coronavirus crisis:
  • A report revealed how age, ethnicity and obesity dramatically increase the risk of dying from coronavirus;
  • The House of Commons was branded an 'embarrassing shambles' as MPs queued for half a mile to vote;
  • It emerged that Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty had resisted the political pressure to lower Britain's official coronavirus alert level;
  • Figures revealed that nearly 20,000 hospital patients were discharged into care homes without being tested during the first weeks of lockdown;
  • At least 25 residents died in just one care home; Ministers have changed the law meaning reviews of the lockdown will take place every 28 days, instead of every 21;
  • Official figures showed the numbers dying each week have fallen back to levels last seen in late March;
  • Oxford professor Carl Heneghan predicted there could be no coronavirus deaths by late June or early July;
  • Leaked figures showed the new track-and-trace system identified only half of contacts in its first three days;
  • A study suggested that most prospective students want the start of the academic year delayed in order to secure more face-to-face teaching at university.


Home Secretary Priti Patel delayed unveiling the government's new quarantine and travel plans today as MPs and tourism bosses demanded they be thrown out

From Monday, people coming into the UK from abroad will have to quarantine for 14 days to stop the spread of coronavirus

A police officer talking to beach-goers in Italy. The UK has more cases of coronavirus per million people than most of the 15 most popular holiday destinations for Britons - including Italy

A couple hug each other at Misericordia beach in Malaga. Spain has a far lower level of coronavirus infection rate than the UK

A couple hug each other at Misericordia beach in Malaga. Spain has a far lower level of coronavirus infection rate than the UK
The 14-day quarantine scheme will be reviewed on June 29 to see whether low case numbers in some destinations might allow the measures to be relaxed on a country-by-country basis.
Leading travel operators still fear they will have to lay off 60 per cent of their staff however.  
Mr Johnson has been told to drops the plans to force visitors and returning British nationals to self-isolate for 14 days to avoid a 'catastrophic' hammer blow to the tourism and hospitality industries. 
MPs have also branded the curbs 'ridiculous' and 'pointless' after it emerged people will be allowed to pop out for food, only a fifth face spot checks, and officials will not be allowed to enter their homes.   
Home Secretary Priti Patel last night defended the quarantine plan saying that saving lives and preventing a second peak was the top priority.
'As we get the virus under control here, we must manage the risk of cases being imported from abroad,' she said.
'We owe it to the thousands who've lost their lives not to throw away our progress.
'These measures are informed by science, backed by the public and will keep us all safe.'  
Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier hinted at cabinet strife over plans to introduce 'air bridges' between the UK and countries with low coronavirus infection rates. 
Under that plan, agreements between Britain and countries with low infection rates would allow people from those nations to visit the UK without self-isolating. 

How UK coronavirus cases compare to 15 popular holiday destinations for Britons  

Tourism bosses and MPs have discussed air bridges to popular tourist destinations and countries who send large numbers of tourist to the UK.
Here is how the UK's coronavoirus cases compare to popular nations. The figures are the daily confirmed cases of coronavirus per million people for each country, as of June 1.
UK - 28.52
SPAIN - 4.30
FRANCE - 3.94
ITALY - 5.87
USA - 59.84
GREECE - 0.19
PORTUGAL - 29.13
NETHERLANDS - 10.80
TURKEY - 9.85
IRELAND - 12.35
GERMANY - 3.98
BELGIUM - 16.82
MEXICO - 24.45
MOROCCO - 0.73
AUSTRALIA - 0.39
NEW ZEALAND - 0
Asked about the government's policy in the evening Downing Street press briefing, Mr Hancock hinted at friction within the cabinet: 'This air bridge idea has been floated. 
'I know there has been a lot of discussion about it and I know that some countries have been mentioned in the media but that is a piece of work that is being done by the Home office and the DfT and I'm not going to tread on the toes of my colleagues no matter how tempting it is.'
The Health Secretary also said that all measures taken by the government, including those related to travellers, were taken with people's safety as the key consideration.  
The new quarantine rules will allow people subject to the 14-day restrictions to leave their place of isolation for a number of reasons, including shopping for food. 
Travellers will also be able to board public transport from the port or airport to where they will quarantine, although they will be encouraged to use private vehicles instead. 
But the rules will only be in place for an initial three weeks, with the first review on June 29. 
Campaigner George Morgan-Grenville, the chief executive of tour operator Red Savannah, said: 'By pursuing its quarantine plans without due regard for the economic consequences, the Government is choosing to ignore the devastation it will cause to companies, to employment and to the lives of all those whose jobs will be lost.
'The quarantine measures are a blunt weapon which will bring only economic disaster.'
Ministers are also facing a major Tory rebellion over the issue.  
Whitehall sources said the quarantine plan had been championed by the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings. 
But Mr Johnson is said to have been taken aback by the scale of opposition from within his own party.
Meanwhile, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said travellers should not face quarantine unless arriving from a country with a higher infection rate than the UK's.
A Government spokesman said: 'Our priority will always be to protect the public's health and these new measures are being introduced to do exactly this. We have received clear science advice and the quarantine system is designed to keep the transmission rate down, stop new cases being brought in from abroad and help prevent a devastating second wave of coronavirus.
'We are supporting businesses in the tourism sector through one of the most generous economic packages provided anywhere in the world and we will continue to look at options to increase international travel, when it is safe to do so, as we move forward.' 
The rules are due to take effect on Monday, but a there are growing signs the measures will be scaled back again when they are reviewed in three weeks. 
The air bridges plan, championed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, could see restrictions eased on countries like Australia and Greece with low levels of coronavirus. 
It offers some hopes of summer holidays for Britons as the nation struggles to get back to normal after months of lockdown. 
Health Secretary Matt Hancock hinted at friction within the cabinet over the government's travel plans to introduce a quarantine
Just 23 people used Gatwick Airport in an entire day last week - down from its pre-covid average of 45,000
Ministers are expected to use a five-point assessment to judge which countries could be prioritised for the agreements. 
The criteria could include the economic and cultural ties to the UK, the infection rate and the level of health screening at departure airports.  
A country's R rate of infection is likely to be the key factor in whether an air bridge agreement is considered.   
The news comes as MPs urged the government to rethink the 14-day quarantine to avoid killing off the airline industry.    

EasyJet says it will resume flights to almost 75% of its network by August 

EasyJet has announced it will resume flying to almost three-quarters of its route network by August.
The airline is also launching what it claims is its 'biggest ever summer sale' with over one million flights to holiday destinations across Europe on offer from £29.99 for travel between July 1 and October 31, 2020.
Onboard, all passengers and crew will be required to wear face masks. 
EasyJet said it plans to fly 50 per cent of its 1,022 routes in July and 75 per cent in August, although flight frequency will be much lower, equating to around 30 per cent of normal July to September capacity.
This will include flying to and from its UK bases across July and August to a selection of destinations for summer holidays.
The airline said that although there will be fewer flights on offer, 'customers will have the choice of flights to domestic, city and beach destinations'.
These include cities such as Paris, Milan and Rome; 'summer sun favourites' the Balearics and Canary Islands; 'lively and culturally rich hotspots' in Italy, Croatia and Portugal and 'even further afield to exotic destinations, Egypt and Morocco'.
The airline has confirmed that some flights will initially resume from June 15 including those from London Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Belfast in the UK.
Tory MP Henry Smith, whose Crawley constituency covers Gatwick, said low passengers at the airport last week highlighted the scale of the problem.   
He said: 'It's well-intentioned but it hasn't been thought through.
'It sounds good, to stop people at the borders so we don't get re-infections of Covid-19. But I don't think it is going to be a benefit to public health and will prolong the economic damage.'
Travel industry experts say quarantine, will cost Britain's tourism sector as much as £15billion if it is maintained throughout the summer.
Under the plans, people arriving in the UK from Britain, including citizens returning from abroad, will have to self-isolate for two weeks. 
There are exemptions for groups including lorry drivers, health workers and scientists. 
Spot checks will be carried out on addresses and fines of £1,000 could be imposed on people breaking the rules.
But according to the Guardian, only a fifth of arrivals will be subject to spot checks. 
People will be able to give more than one address where they will be self-isolating - and will also be allowed to go out to buy food – including for pets – or medicine.
'To get caught, you will either have to be unlucky or stupid,' one source said.  
Like the wider lockdown measures, the plans will be reviewed every three weeks.
Former transport minister Stephen Hammond asked what the point of the quarantine was when it could be dodged relatively easily.
The Tory MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that air bridges would be a 'sensible, targeted response' between low-risk countries.
'I think the idea of air bridges are the right way forward,' he added.
'I think, as we've seen across the world, people are taking measures out of the lockdown and this targeted approach would be a much more sensible way to behave.'
The air bridges idea was first floated by Mr Shapps last month, before being played down by No10 sources.
However, sources told the Telegraph that Mr Johnson is now 'personally in favour' of the plan. 
Priti Patel, the home secretary, is thought to remain sceptical. 
Travel companies are offering up to 65 per cent off summer holidays – but tourism experts are warning Britons the trips may not end up going ahead.
The bargain packages are being advertised on booking sites for as early as July in a bid to salvage the season.
It came as last night the holiday dreams of millions of Britons were given a boost after Portugal and Greece said they were ready to welcome back UK tourists within days.
Tui, Britain's biggest tour operator, is cutting three nights all-inclusive at the TUI SUNEO Odessos in Bulgaria on July 10 from £543 per person to £296. And a seven-night trip to Gran Canaria on July 6 has been slashed from £606 to £394.
Travel Zoo is offering two nights in Paris in September for £79 – up to 64 per cent cheaper than usual.
And easyJet Holidays is selling a week-long stay at Anseli Hotel in Rhodes from July 8 for £195 with flights and transfers.
But experts have warned desperate Britons to hold off booking for now.
The Foreign Office still advises against all but essential travel and there will be a two-week quarantine for returning holidaymakers from June 8.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: 'If consumers are keen to book something now they should go into it with their eyes open.
'If the FCO advice is still in place when their holiday is due to take place, they will get a refund, but there's a good chance they will be waiting a long time.
'Holiday providers need to make it clear to their customers that these holidays may not take place.'
The UK quarantine will be reviewed every three weeks. TUI spokesman Liz Edwards said they hope it will be lifted on June 29 in time for summer trips.
She added: 'We believe we will be having summer holidays this year, hopefully from July. We hope the quarantine will be lifted, but air bridges are certainly a possibility.
'Bookings have been really picking up. Spain, Greece, Cyprus are likely to open up first. The Canaries and Balearics are keen to welcome back tourists.'
Airlines are also heavily discounting flights. A Heathrow to Cancun return with Air France in September, which usually sells for around £800, is being advertised for £312.
And return flights from Manchester to Reykjavik with easyJet in November are being sold for £41 (usually £150 plus), and Manchester to Dubrovnik with Jet2 from £30 one-way in late June (usually around £120).
Emma Coulthurst, from TravelSupermarket, said: 'The 14-day quarantine measure makes holidays pretty impractical, although I have heard of some people willing to do it to get a holiday. There is a risk booking now as there is no guarantee the holiday will go ahead.'
Research by TUI revealed the most popular destinations for trips this year are Spain, Greece and Italy followed by Florida and the Caribbean.

AREAS WITH THE MOST AND LEAST COVID-19 DEATHS

According to ONS data for England and Wales up to May 22, these are the areas that had recorded the most and least deaths from the coronavirus: 
MOST DEATHS
  1. Birmingham (1,082) 
  2. Leeds (605)
  3. County Durham (567)
  4. Liverpool (529)
  5. Sheffield (498)
  6. Brent (465)
  7. Croydon (458)
  8. Barnet (442)
  9. Cheshire East (417)
  10. Bradford (416)
FEWEST DEATHS
  1. Isles of Scilly (0)
  2. City of London (5)  
  3. Ceredigion (7)
  4. Hastings (8)
  5. South Hams (12)
  6. Rutland (15)
  7. Mid Devon (15)
  8. West Devon (15)
  9. Norwich (17)
  10. Mendip (18)
And those hoping to go to Greece or Portugal this summer could still get the chance.
Officials in Lisbon believe Britain has coronavirus 'under control' and want quarantine-free travel between the two countries to restart from this Saturday.
Greece's tourism minister Harry Theocharis told the Mail the epidemic was moving 'in the right direction' in the UK and restrictions could be dropped for Britons from June 15.
The interventions increased pressure on Downing Street to re-think its plan for a 'blanket' 14-day quarantine amid a growing backlash from MPs at being denied a vote on the measures.
Ms Patel will now introduce the regulations in Parliament to come into effect from next Monday.
But they will be brought as a statutory instrument, which does not automatically go to a vote. Tory MPs are expecting the government to give a strong signal on air bridges to head off an outright rebellion.
Under the plans, anyone entering the country by plane, train or boat will have to go into quarantine for two weeks.
This will apply to foreign tourists as well as Britons returning from abroad.
However, some people, including medical professionals and lorry drivers, will be exempt.
MPs among a cross-party group of at least 40 who are critical of the plans last night voiced their fury.
They want the Government to leave open the option of creating 'air bridges' – which would allow tourists between two countries to visit without needing to quarantine – to salvage as much of the summer holiday season as possible and help keep the hard-hit tourism industry afloat.
They say, instead of quarantine, arrivals to the UK could be subject to health checks or testing.
Industry chiefs say millions of Britons are desperate for a foreign getaway, but the blanket quarantine policy has all but cancelled summer holidays.
Former Cabinet minister David Davis said: 'Parliament should be properly involved and quite plainly it is not. In this particular case, its very blanket policy could reasonably be amended in a number of ways. 
'For example, our death rate is many, many times than that in Greece. So the idea of quarantining someone coming from Greece who would have a much lower risk of suffering from the disease than someone anywhere else in Britain is plainly not supported by any sort of science.
'The idea of putting in air bridges might be a sensible amendment.'

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