British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday (5) that he would partially reopen the economy from next week. All stores, gymnasiums and beauty salons will be operational again, and restaurants and pubs will be able to receive customers outside.
The Prime Minister said he himself would have a pint in a bar as soon as possible.
However, the expected announcement of the resumption of international travel has not yet come. The government said it was too early to know whether Britons could take advantage of the summer vacation (between July and August) abroad – suggesting that the release of flights be postponed until May 17.
The UK is considering organizing a color scheme for countries (depending on the degree of risk of contamination) as soon as travel is re-authorized. But it’s not yet clear which countries would receive the green light – meaning travelers would only have to take a test before boarding and on the way back.
“We obviously hope to continue with the May 17 date, but I don’t want to underestimate the difficulties that we are seeing in some countries where people might want to go,” Boris said.
“I wish I could say more, I know people want to know exactly what they can do from May 17th, but we haven’t reached that point yet.”
The lack of information has angered airlines and airports, who say the industry is on the verge of collapse.
“It is disappointing that the opportunity to provide more clarity to reunite families separated by travel restrictions has been lost, to give tourists the confidence to book their vacation tickets,” said the CEO of the airport. from Heathrow, John Holland-Kaye.
The whole of the UK has made progress on the vaccination program, which has already reached 47% of Britons, and as Covid-19 infections drop, England will move past phase 2 of the lockdown exit plan.
The government has asked people to continue working from home, where possible, and to minimize travel within the country. Boris also confirmed that his team was working on a vaccine passport project, to allow events to resume with more people.
Since the start of the pandemic, the UK has recorded 4.4 million cases and 127,000 deaths from Covid-19.