BORIS Johnson has rejected calls for a new "Amber Watchlist" travel tier and called for holiday advice to be made "as simple as possible" for Brits heading abroad.
His plea came just hours after bumbling junior minister suggested the travel traffic lights scheme could become a rainbow "spectrum" of warning levels instead.
A holiday boost has also been given to many as travel experts said 17 more countries could be added to the green lists this week.
Restrictions on visits to destinations including Germany and Canada may be eased thanks to their low Covid case rates.
The news will comes as a huge boost to hopeful holidaymakers and the millions of Brits who have family living abroad.
Travel consultancy firm the PC Agency analysed the data from nations around the world to see where is on course to be opened up.
Read our coronavirus live blog below for that latest news and updates…
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UK COVID CASES DROP TO LOWEST IN FIVE WEEKS WITH 21,952 INFECTIONS AND 24 NEW DEATHS
It’s hoped the UK may now be past the peak of the third wave after new infections dropped by 12 per cent in a week.
Deaths are also comparatively low, with 24 more fatalities recorded – 63 per cent fewer than yesterday, when 65 more families lost loved ones.
Britain’s successful jabs roll-out has been heralded for breaking the link between infections and severe illness – and this weekend, it was reported that 32million of us will be offered a booster jab this autumn.
Those who were given the Pfizer vaccination will be offered a third dose if they’re over 50 or their immune system is suppressed.
And health chiefs are continuing with their push to get youngsters jabbed – as one expert said he fears they believe “infections don’t matter”.
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RISHI SUNAK VOWS FURLOUGH WILL END IN SEPTEMBER & NO PLANS TO EXTEND IT
Rishi Sunak vows furlough WILL end in September and no plans to extend it
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WHAT THE GREEN LIST COULD LOOK LIKE
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NHS COVID APP FINALLY TWEAKED
Only those in contact with a Covid case two days prior will be told to stay at home compared to the current five days, the Government announced.
It will hopefully save thousands of people from needlessly quarantining at home despite negative test results.
The move aims to encourage people to keep using the app, after it caused chaos across the UK.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to self isolate due to the “pingdemic”, potentially off work, with half a million notifications in one week.
It led to people deleting the app in fear it would scupper their plans for weddings, holidays and other events.
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CHINA FORCES MILLIONS BACK INTO COVID LOCKDOWN AS DELTA VARIANT HITS 20 CITIES
The rapidly-spreading Delta variant has hit 20 cities in more than a dozen provinces – including Wuhan where the virus first emerged in late 2019.
A total of 55 new locally transmitted infections were reported today, with seven positive tests in the former coronavirus epicentre.
The Wuhan cluster came after the official daily tally was released, but it was confirmed by state media which said the infections had been traced to a train station.
“The seven were identified as migrant workers,” Xinhua reported, citing Covid-19 prevention and control officials.
Major cities including Beijing have now tested millions of residents while cordoning off residential compounds and placing close contacts under quarantine.
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BRITAIN TO OFFER VACCINE BOOSTER SHOTS FOR 32 MILLION PEOPLE NEXT MONTH – REPORT
Britain will offer Covid-19 booster vaccines to 32 million Britons starting early next month with up to 2,000 pharmacies set to deliver the programme, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The campaign could start as soon as Sept. 6, which would see the rollout completed by early December if it goes to plan, the report added.
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UK SPARE VACCINES ARE BEING USED AFTER BEING SHIPPED LAST WEEK, SAYS DOMINIC RAAB
The Foreign Secretary said the UK’s spare donated vaccine doses were starting to be used after being shipped out last week.
Dominic Raab tweeted: “Pleased to see the first of nine million Covid-19 vaccines the UK sent overseas this week going in arms in Jamaica.
“Jabs are also on their way to clinics in Kenya, Guyana, Belize, Laos and elsewhere, thanks to the quick work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Crown Agents.”
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IRELAND ADMINISTERS 2.1 MILLION VACCINES IN SIX WEEKS
Ireland has administered more than two million Covid-19 jabs in six weeks, health officials have said.
In excess of 1.5 million of those 2.1 million jabs were given out in July.
The latest update on the country’s rollout comes after 18,000 people attended temporary walk-in centres over the weekend.
Twenty six of the centres remained open on bank holiday Monday with people able to turn up to get a vaccine without having booked an appointment.
The vast majority of those attending the centre have been young people.
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PM SAYS UK ECONOMY ‘ABOUT THE MOST OPEN IN EUROPE’ AS A RESULT OF VACCINE ROLLOUT
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK economy and society “is just about the most open in Europe” as a result of the vaccine rollout but caution was still needed around travel.
He told reporters at Airbus in Stevenage: “On travel, we have had to balance it because of the anxiety that I think a lot of people have – I have – about importing new variants, bringing back the disease.
“We also have to recognise that people want, badly, to go on their summer holidays, we need to get the travel industry moving again, we need to get our city centres open again and so we want an approach that is as simple as we can possibly make it.”
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WATCH: DANNIELLA WESTBROOK SAYS SHE’S BATTLED SEVERE DEPRESSION SINCE CONTRACTING COVID
Danniella Westbrook says she’s battled severe depression since contracting Covid
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NURSE REUNITED WITH FAMILY ARRIVING FROM US AS QUARANTINE-FREE TRAVEL BEGINS
A nurse who embraced her family at an airport after 20 months apart has hailed the “best present ever” after rule changes mean they will not have to quarantine for 10 days.
Elaine Burt, 55, a senior nurse with the NHS, shared an emotional embrace with her sister Michelle Bolger, 50, and her nephews Kaie, 17, and Taran, 12, who were all double vaccinated in the US, as they arrived at Glasgow Airport on Monday morning from Boston via Amsterdam.
Mrs Bolger told reporters: “It’s been so long … it’s been really hard, but we’re here, we made it”, as she arrived in the country to visit her mother Jean, who has been unwell.
She said: “We booked the flight just a week past Monday. It’s been a rollercoaster trying to get here.
“We still have to test on day two but it’s great, absolutely amazing, I didn’t think I would see this day. We’ve done everything by the book just to get here and we’re just excited.”
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NURSE REUNITED WITH FAMILY ARRIVING FROM US AS QUARANTINE-FREE TRAVEL BEGINS
A nurse who embraced her family at an airport after 20 months apart has hailed the “best present ever” after rule changes mean they will not have to quarantine for 10 days.
Elaine Burt, 55, a senior nurse with the NHS, shared an emotional embrace with her sister Michelle Bolger, 50, and her nephews Kaie, 17, and Taran, 12, who were all double vaccinated in the US, as they arrived at Glasgow Airport on Monday morning from Boston via Amsterdam.
Mrs Bolger told reporters: “It’s been so long … it’s been really hard, but we’re here, we made it”, as she arrived in the country to visit her mother Jean, who has been unwell.
She said: “We booked the flight just a week past Monday. It’s been a rollercoaster trying to get here.
“We still have to test on day two but it’s great, absolutely amazing, I didn’t think I would see this day. We’ve done everything by the book just to get here and we’re just excited.”
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WORKING TWO DAYS A WEEK IN THE OFFICE ‘WILL BE THE NEW NORMAL’ FOR MILLIONS OF EMPLOYEES
The government has lifted its guidance for Brits to work from home, but most bosses will not force workers to return to the office every day, according to the latest research.
Two in five businesses will allow all or some staff members to work from home in the future, compared to just one in four firms before the Covid crisis.
YouGov data showed that only one in five firms will require all workers to come in five days a week.
Before the pandemic, one in three firms made all staff work from the office everyday.
Hybrid working – where employees split their time between home and the office – is expected to continue to increase.
The survey showed 7% of businesses will ask staff to come in for one day per week, rising to 12% for two days a week.
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TRAVEL NEWS BOOST
The news will comes as a huge boost to hopeful holidaymakers and the millions of Brits who have family living abroad.
Travel consultancy firm the PC Agency analysed the data from nations around the world to see where is on course to be opened up.
It says the countries that could be added to the green list are:
- Germany
- Poland
- Canada
- Austria
- Romania
- Bosnia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
BORIS JOHNSON SCRAPS PLANS FOR AN ‘AMBER WATCHLIST’ TO MAKE GOING ON HOLIDAY ‘AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE’
His plea came just hours after bumbling junior minister suggested the travel traffic lights scheme could become a rainbow "spectrum" of warning levels instead.
Officials had been pushing for a new layer to be added to the red, amber and green system to give holiday makers warning that their destination could soon go red – but critics said it would be too complicated.
However today Mr Johnson publicly called for the system to be a simple and “user friendly” as possible, with insiders saying the original three tier traffic light system is preferable.
It also means that the ‘Amber plus” sub category will also likely go, with France returning to the usual amber category.
Boris said: “I obviously understand that people care very much about the holidays.
“People want to go abroad, I understand how much people plan, prepare for the summer holidays, but we've also got to remember that it's still a dangerous virus.
“We must stop importing variants from abroad and we have to have a balanced approach and what I want to see is something that is as simple and as user friendly for people as possible.”
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EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE THE CURRENT FURLOUGH RULES?
Furlough rules have already changed in August – meaning government are covering less of the bill, and companies are stepping up their contributions.
The scheme first launched last year at the start of the pandemic to save millions of people from losing their jobs as businesses were forced to close and the economy almost ground to a halt.
Anyone furloughed was given 80% of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month and all of this was covered by the government.
From July 1 the rules changed and the government reduced how much it covered to 70% of wages up to a maximum of £2,187.50.
Employers then had to make up the difference – 10% – so everyone on furlough still got 80% pay, up to £2,500.
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COVID APP UPDATE
THE NHS Covid app is at last being watered down so fewer people are “pinged” and sent into self isolation.
Only those in contact with a Covid case two days prior will be told to stay at home compared to the current five days, the Government announced.
It will hopefully save thousands of people from needlessly quarantining at home despite negative test results.
The move aims to encourage people to keep using the app, after it caused chaos across the UK.
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FOOD DELIVERY AND TAXI-HAILING FIRMS TO OFFER COVID JAB-LINKED INCENTIVES
Food delivery and taxi-hailing companies are to offer discounted rides and meals for customers who get a Covid-19 jab to help boost vaccine uptake, the Government has announced.
Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo are among the brands who will be offering incentives to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said taxi app firm Uber will be sending reminders to all users in August encouraging them to get jabbed.
The company will offer discounted Uber rides and meals on its Uber Eats platform for young adults who receive a vaccine.
Uber has previously offered free trips to vaccination centres for NHS staff.
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NHS COVID APP FINALLY TWEAKED
Dr Jenny Harries, CEO of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “The NHS COVID-19 App is a really practical example of how technology can be used to fight the biggest challenges we face in protecting and improving our health.
“The app is the simplest, easiest, and fastest way to find out whether you have been exposed to the virus, and it has saved thousands of lives over the course of this pandemic.
“I strongly encourage everyone, even those fully vaccinated, to continue using the app. It is a lifesaving tool that helps us to stay safe and to protect those closest to us as we return to a more familiar way of life.”
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MATT HANCOCK ‘GROVELLING’ TO MPS ON WHATSAPP AS HE FIGHTS FOR CAREER & PLANS NEW LIFE WITH LOVER AFTER AFFAIR SCANDAL
The former Health Secretary, 42, has been lying low since he left his wife to pursue a relationship with his former aide, Gina Coladangelo.
He quit his job in Government after The Sun published photographs of the pair together in his ministerial office.
But has stayed on as an MP, and is now trying to test the water with old colleagues, The Telegraph reports.
One MP said: "It was the first time he had popped up on the WhatsApp group since he resigned.
"He was thanking people for their support after he quit, and everyone was very nice to him, saying well done on the vaccine programme."
MPs also suggested he had debated attending the annual Spectator magazine summer party, but was advised it was still "too soon" after the affair.
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10,000 JABBED IN A DAY AS WALK-IN VACCINE CENTRES PROVE POPULAR
More than 10,000 people got vaccinated at temporary walk-in centres across Ireland on Saturday.
Dozens of centres have been operating across the country over the bank holiday weekend as the vaccination programme continues at a significant pace.
Long queues have been observed at many across the weekend, with many young people among those waiting in line for a first jab.
Two thirds of the 10,000 jabbed at the walk-in centres on Saturday were 19 or younger.
Twenty of the centres will be open through Sunday and Monday.
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COVID LATEST
- The NHS Covid app has been tweaked so fewer contacts have to self-isolate from today
- Virus patients of any age are at risk of suffering a heart attack in the first two weeks after contracting the illness, experts have warned
- The PM refuses to rule out a new 'amber watch list' – and admitted his concern over new variants
- Bin lorry drivers are being offered £3,000 bonuses to clear a huge backlog of rubbish
- China forces millions back into lockdown as the Delta variant hits 20 cities in the biggest outbreak since Wuhan
TODAY'S CASES
UK COVID CASES DROP TO LOWEST IN FIVE WEEKS WITH 21,952 INFECTIONS AND 24 NEW DEATHS
It's hoped the UK may now be past the peak of the third wave after new infections dropped by 12 per cent in a week.
Deaths are also comparatively low, with 24 more fatalities recorded – 63 per cent fewer than yesterday, when 65 more families lost loved ones.
Britain's successful jabs roll-out has been heralded for breaking the link between infections and severe illness – and this weekend, it was reported that 32million of us will be offered a booster jab this autumn.
Those who were given the Pfizer vaccination will be offered a third dose if they're over 50 or their immune system is suppressed.
And health chiefs are continuing with their push to get youngsters jabbed – as one expert said he fears they believe "infections don't matter".
RISHI SUNAK VOWS FURLOUGH WILL END IN SEPTEMBER & NO PLANS TO EXTEND IT
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