THE UK's coronavirus figures “look good” to enable the resumption of foreign holidays from England next month, according to Tory Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Overseas leisure travel could resume on May 17 under Boris Johnson’s road map for easing restrictions.
Shapps told Sky News: “I have to say that so far the data does continue to look good from a UK perspective, notwithstanding those concerns about where people might be travelling to and making sure we’re protected from the disease being reimported.”
He added that he will set out which countries fall into the “green”, “amber” and “red” categories under the new risk-based traffic light system “towards the beginning of May”.
That will determine what testing and quarantine requirements travellers will face when they return from various destinations.
Shapps (above) told Times Radio: “Spain specifically, I’m afraid I just don’t have the answer to that because the Joint Biosecurity Centre will need to come up with their assessment and we can’t do that until a bit nearer the time.
“So we will need to wait and see.”
Spain’s tourism minister, Fernando Valdes Verelst, told an international summit held by the World Travel & Tourism Council in Mexico that the country will welcome back tourists – including those from the UK – in June.
The European Union has previously set out plans for coronavirus vaccine certificates that could be used by UK holidaymakers this summer.
Digital Green Certificates will be accepted as evidence that a person has had a Covid-19 jag, received a negative test result or recovered from the virus, according to the European Commission’s proposal.
Verelst said: “Spain is going to be ready in June to use this digital certificate. We are doing a pilot programme in May, in all our 46 airports.
“We are going to give all these travellers that certainty. Spain is going to be ready in June to tell all travellers worldwide that you can visit us.”
Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portugal’s ambassador to the UK, said holidaymakers could be able to visit the country next month.
He told Sky News the country is “hopeful” that “from the middle of May, regular mobility between the UK and Portugal and vice versa can be established”.
READ MORE: Covid update: Fears over Scottish exodus to England for holiday flights
Asked if Britons who have not been vaccinated can travel to Portugal, he added: “Yes, that’s the idea, that’s what we wanted, to as much as possible go back to the regime that existed before the pandemic.
“It’s in that direction we are working and that is possible.”
Shapps added that England's NHS app is being worked on to become a health certificate for UK holidaymakers to use for international travel.
Last week Scotland’s national clinical director Jason Leitch warned international travel will be challenging this summer.
While officials are working on a “digital solution” to help prove who has been tested or vaccinated against Covid-19, there are high levels of coronavirus in countries like India, Estonia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
“We’ve got to be careful,” he said. “We don’t want to burst what we’ve achieved.”
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