Speaking at the government’s daily coronavirus briefing on Thursday (4 June), transport secretary Grant Shapps said if Britons complied with efforts to reduce the R rate such as by wearing face coverings on public transport, now mandatory from 15 June, and maintain social distance, they could "make holidays more of a possibility".
Asked by Metro reporter Dominic Yeatman whether the government should be actively promoting holidays in the UK this summer due to the country’s forthcoming quarantine measures, Shapps reiterated there were currently restrictions on all leisure breaks – domestic and international.
"Clearly, because the rules are at the moment that you can’t stay somewhere else overnight, you still have to return home, that’s obviously a limitation for national holidays," he said. "We’ll have to see how the course of the virus continues before we’re able to answer that.
"We also know, simultaneously, the current Foreign Office (FCO) advice is you can’t travel [overseas] unless it’s absolutely essential. So at the moment, we have to wait to see how the disease, and the path of this, continues to go."
On people’s responsibilities, Shapps added: "People have this [the ability to go on holiday], in no small way, in their own hands – measures like wearing face coverings will assist, in a small way, to fight the R rate and help us get out of this and making holidays more of a possibility.
"I think it’s always a fantastic idea to be able to spend time in the UK, but I’m also aware lots of people would like to go away. I’d love to be able to give you the definitive answer, but for that, we need to see exactly how the disease tracks and how we get the infection rate down over a period of time."
The UK’s 14-day quarantine on arrival measures will come into force on Monday (8 June) meaning all arrivals will have to self-isolate for a fortnight. The FCO is currently advising against all non-essential travel worldwide.
