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Thousands of tourists are still being let into the UK every day even though Britons have been banned from overseas trips – with recent arrivals including a holidaymaker from Peru who wrote on a visa form that he ‘wanted to visit Big Ben’.
Of the around 20,000 people arriving in the country every day, some 40 percent – or 8,000 – are tourists, figures compiled by Border Force staff revealed.
This rises to 80 or 90% at Gatwick and Eurostar terminals, while at Heathrow the proportion is around 20 to 30%, according to data gathered by whistle-blowers.
Hundreds are arriving on tourist visas issued by the Home Office, The Times reported, in a revelation shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called ‘outrageous’.
Despite overseas tourists continuing to enter the UK – provided they have a negative Covid test – international holidays for Britons will be not be permitted until May 17 at the earliest and anyone trying to leave for a holiday can be hit with a £5,000 fine at the airport.
Passengers have also had to have a form declaring that their trip is allowed under lockdown rules from early last month, but Border Force staff said they had no powers to deny them entry as long as they had followed testing and quarantine requirements.
Boris Johnson is set to today unveil a traffic light system ranking destinations as red, amber and green, according to the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated, the rate of infection, any emerging variants and the country’s access to reliable data and genomic sequencing.
Sunseekers returning from countries in the green category will not have to isolate, although they will need to have tests before and after they fly. Those coming back from red list countries would have to quarantine in a hotel for ten days, while arrivals from amber destinations will have to isolate at home.
- Boris Johnson is today set to unveil a traffic light system for holidays ranking destinations as red, amber and green;
- He has urged everybody to take two free Covid tests a week to help safeguard the unlocking of the country;
- The PM prepared to brief the Cabinet today that the conditions have been met to allow shops, gyms and hairdressers to reopen as planned on April 12;
- Millions of Britons filled up parks and commons during pleasant weather over the weekend;
- Hairdressers and barbers are allowed to reopen in Scotland from today as further lockdown restrictions are lifted;
- Mr Johnson looks at risk of failing to get Commons approval for vaccine passports, as Michael Gove promised MPs who are critical of the scheme the chance to vote against it.
Of the around 20,000 people arriving in the country every day, around 40 percent – or 8,000 – are tourists, figures compiled by Border Force staff revealed. Pictured is a file photo of arrivals at Heathrow
One tourist who had a Home Office visa wrote on the application form that he wanted to ‘visit Big Ben’ (pictured last month)
A member of Border Force staff said: ‘There are hundreds upon hundreds of arrivals up and down the UK every day from people who are basically coming here on a two-week holiday.
‘There are no grounds to refuse them — arriving during a pandemic isn’t one of them.
‘As long as they’ve got an address where they say they’ll quarantine, and they’ve completed their pre-departure tests, they’ve got their certificates and everything else, they’ve got means and a return ticket, we’ve got no grounds to refuse them.’
One tourist who had a Home Office visa wrote on the application form that he wanted to ‘visit Big Ben’, the Times reported.
Kevin Foster, minister for future borders and immigration, said: ‘We do not recognise these figures. We are enforcing tough health measures at the border for the small minority of people coming to the UK, including those entering on a visitor visa for legitimate reasons.
‘Since January 2021, we have paused all decisions on visitor visas to applicants applying from a ‘red list’ country or where it is apparent an applicant has visited one of those countries in the last ten days.
‘Border Force officers also have the right to refuse entry to any visitor who they believe has travelled to the UK to carry out activities not permitted under current local health restrictions, such as holidays or tourism, or who will not comply with self-isolation and testing requirements.’
The Immigration Services Union told MailOnline: ‘Border Force staff report increasing numbers of travellers arriving to have holidays in the UK, to visit friends and family for non urgent reasons.
‘Travellers cannot be refused entry simply for breach of the Covid regulations. They can only be issued with a notice of intention to fine. If they otherwise qualify for entry under the Immigration rules they must be admitted.
‘This not only undermines the Government’s stated tougher approach to our borders but also seriously damages staff morale when visitors have to be admitted to visit with friends and family where staff have been prohibited from doing so, something for over a year.’
The Home Office could not account for why a visa had been issued for visiting Big Ben.
Travellers arriving in the UK must now show proof of a negative Covid test taken more than three days before departure and complete a form with an address for where they will quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.
People arriving from ‘red list’ countries must stay in a hotel.
The Prime Minister will unveil a traffic light system that will see destinations rated as red, amber and green
The Prime Minister will today re-affirm May 17 will be the earliest that foreign holidays can resume and a new traffic light system comes into effect.
But he will say he is unable to advise yet whether any countries will be classed as green on this date.
A Government source said last night: ‘It is too early to predict which countries will be on which list over the summer. As such, we continue to advise people not to book summer holidays abroad.’
One scientist said yesterday the traffic light system could be too simplistic to stop the spread of new cases.
Professor Gabriel Scally, a member of the Independent Sage committee, said: ‘It is not quite as simple as looking at what the situation is in an individual country from which a flight originated. We know people will mix together from all over the world, and this is what spurred the autumn surges of cases.’
Malta’s health minister yesterday said there was ‘no reason’ why holidaymakers should not be allowed to travel between countries that have vaccinated a high proportion of their population. Christopher Fearne told Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: ‘Malta by the summer will probably be one of the safest places to travel to certainly in Europe and probably in the world.
‘That is because we are vaccinating at a high rate.’
Malta has announced British travellers who have had both doses of the vaccine are welcome from June 1.
Travel chiefs urged Mr Johnson to add a fourth tier to the system which would eliminate the need for testing or quarantine to very low-risk countries.
Chief executive of easyJet John Lungren, Jet2 boss Stephen Heapy and Manchester Airports Group boss Charlie Cornish have handed ministers ‘independent and scientifically-robust’ research they each commissioned which suggests safe travel ‘to Europe and beyond will be possible this summer, in many cases without any restrictions’.
At a press conference this evening, the Prime Minister will confirm the next stage of the release from lockdown is on schedule – with shops, gyms and hairdressers allowed to reopen from next week
Boris Johnson will today urge everybody to take two Covid tests a week to help safeguard the unlocking of the country.
At a press conference this evening, the Prime Minister will confirm the next stage of the release from lockdown is on schedule – with shops, gyms and hairdressers allowed to reopen from next week.
Pubs, restaurants and cafes will also be allowed a limited reopening for outdoor customers.
But ministers fear that even this cautious freeing of the economy could lead to a surge in cases that could slow the further release from lockdown, or even send it into reverse.
Today they will unveil a multi-billion-pound scheme inviting everyone in England to take two free Covid tests per week.
The fast-turnaround tests, which produce results in just half an hour, do not require lab analysis and will be available for use at home.
Mr Johnson last night said the huge testing programme was needed to ensure that the sacrifices made in recent months ‘are not wasted’.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was vital that people take up the testing offer, adding: ‘The vaccine programme has been a shot in the arm for the whole country, but reclaiming our lost freedoms and getting back to normal hinges on us all getting tested regularly.’
Writing in the Mail, Jenny Harries, head of the new UK Health Security Agency, said twice-weekly testing could ‘help us get back to normal’.
She added: ‘If we are going to reclaim our lost freedoms for the long term, we must ensure we can withstand expected but unpredictable attacks in the form of variants of the virus.
‘That will require us to use the massive testing capacity to discover where variants of concern are and respond to them swiftly.’
Hundreds have hit Britain’s beaches and parks for Easter Sunday amid gloriously warm temperatures in the South of England as lockdown restrictions are eased. Pictured: Durdle Door in Dorset
Visitors flock to Durdle Door in Dorset on a day of warm spring sunshine and a cool breeze during Easter Sunday
Government sources confirmed that the surge in testing was likely to lead to a rise in detected case numbers, which yesterday fell to just 2,297 – the lowest figure since September 5.
However, the move will fuel concerns among Tory MPs that any rise in cases could lead to further releases from lockdown being delayed.
Former minister Steve Baker said that even the false positives generated by tens of millions of additional tests could be enough to knock the Government’s road map off course.
Q&A: How will the regular testing programme work?
What is being proposed?
Ministers want everyone in England to take a Covid test twice a week to help quickly identify any surge in cases as the economy and society are unlocked in the coming months.
How will it work?
People will be able to order so-called lateral flow tests for use at home, or get tested at work or at sites run by local councils. They are already used by millions of children following the return to school last month.
What are lateral flow tests?
These pregnancy-style tests can deliver results at home within half an hour. Like a regular test they involve taking a swab from the back of the throat and nose but the samples do not have to be sent for laboratory analysis.
Are these tests reliable?
They are not as sensitive as a standard PCR laboratory test. One study found they missed 40 per cent of asymptomatic cases. However, they perform much better at picking up cases where people have a high viral load. The Government says they have picked up 120,000 cases which would not otherwise have been identified.
What if I test positive?
People who test positive will be asked to self-isolate in the normal way, as well as providing details of their contacts to the Test and Trace service.
What about false positives?
Recent analysis by NHS Test and Trace suggests fewer than one in a thousand lateral flow tests will produce a false positive. However, anyone who does test positive will be offered a PCR test to confirm the result.
How much will this cost?
Officials were tight-lipped about the likely cost, but acknowledge it will run into billions of pounds. Lateral flow tests are much cheaper than the standard PCR ones, with some reports suggesting the Government can buy them for as little as £5 each. But if 25 million people were to test twice a week, the cost would still top £1 billion a month.
What will it cost me?
Nothing. The Government will pick up the bill for all tests.
Mr Baker, deputy chairman of the 70-strong Covid Recovery Group of MPs, said: ‘It is now obvious that in an environment of low prevalence, mass asymptomatic testing makes false positives a real issue.’
Today’s announcement introduces a universal mass testing regime for England which is likely to become part of the ‘new normal’ and remain in place for many months.
NHS and care home staff, along with millions of school children are already using fast-turnaround tests twice a week.
The tests are said to have identified 120,000 cases that might not otherwise have been picked up.
Government sources said that more than 100,000 businesses have also requested test kits to run their own schemes designed to make workplaces Covid secure.
Under the new regime, which will be introduced on Friday, people will be able to request packs of test kits for home use.
Individuals will also have the opportunity to get tested at council-run sites or as part of workplace schemes.
And a new ‘Pharmacy Collect’ scheme will be introduced, allowing adults to pick up boxes of seven rapid tests.
Mr Johnson said the rollout will help stop Covid outbreaks ‘in their tracks’.
He added: ‘As we continue to make good progress on our vaccine programme and with our road map to cautiously easing restrictions under way, regular rapid testing is even more important to make sure those efforts are not wasted.’
Dr Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, urged ‘everyone’ to take up the testing offer, saying they were vital in ‘breaking the chains of transmission’.
A major new advertising campaign will be launched this week encouraging Britons to take up the tests.
Mr Hancock said that, with one in three people infected with Covid showing no symptoms, mass testing would be ‘fundamental in helping us quickly spot positive cases and squash any outbreaks’.
The new drive will use so-called ‘lateral flow tests’ which provide on-the-spot results in the same way as a pregnancy test.
Users still have to take a swab from their nose and throat, but the results can be determined at home in half an hour, without the need for laboratory analysis.
Health sources last night said the tests produced fewer than one false positive in a thousand.
But this could still result in almost 1,000 false cases for every one million taken.
Ministers have now agreed that anyone testing positive will be offered a ‘gold standard’ PCR test to confirm the result.
New technology means these tests can also now be used to detect new variants of the virus, allowing their spread to be picked up more quickly.
The Government was unable to say how much the new scheme would cost.
But with tests thought to cost at least £5 each, take-up of 25million would generate a bill of more than £1billion a month.
We all want a return to normality… regular tests can only help, writes DR JENNY HARRIES
The new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) launched last week with the unique mission to protect the nation’s health, both from existing hazards – such as hepatitis or radiation risks – but also from external and emerging threats.
As its first priority, it will continue the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regular, rapid testing means we are finding cases of the virus that we wouldn’t otherwise detect, which prevents transmission to families, friends and communities – and which could ultimately save lives.
Around one in three people experiences no symptoms when they contract the virus and by getting tested regularly people will rapidly break chains of transmission that could begin unwittingly.
Twice-weekly testing using lateral flow devices, commonly known as LFDs, has already protected millions of people who need to leave home for work, including frontline NHS workers, care home staff and residents, and schoolchildren and their families.
Regular, rapid testing means we are finding cases of the virus that we wouldn’t otherwise detect, which prevents transmission to families, friends and communities – and which could ultimately save lives, writes Dr Jenny Harries
Regular testing in the months ahead can help us all get back to normal, and from this Friday we will make twice-weekly LFD testing available to every person in England.
An LFD is the testing equivalent of a Formula 1 pit stop. With a rapid turnaround time of 30 minutes for a result, these swab tests can be done from the comfort of a living room and are capable of quickly giving a snap verdict on whether someone is or isn’t likely to be infectious.
Just like an experienced mechanic, people get quicker at doing the test, and get better results, the more frequently they carry them out.
Vaccines are tipping the scales in our favour but as cases, deaths and hospitalisation charts continue to fall, the importance of our testing and tracing capabilities grows.
An effective testing and tracing system is our radar for spotting new outbreaks and suppressing them and for watching out for new variants. The new variant in Kent, which rapidly increased cases across the country, is a stark reminder that viruses are shapeshifters and they mutate all the time.
Regular testing in the months ahead can help us all get back to normal, and from this Friday we will make twice-weekly LFD testing available to every person in England. Pictured: A student uses a swab at a testing site in the University of Hull’s Allam Sport Centre
If we are going to reclaim our lost freedoms for the long term, we must ensure we can withstand expected but unpredictable attacks in the form of variants of the virus.
That will require us to use the massive testing capacity to discover where variants of concern are and respond to them swiftly. Our diagnostics system is ready for testing on a level that matches the vaccination rollout, both in scope and ambition. The UK is now a testing juggernaut.
At the most recent count we have been testing over a million people a day, genome sequencing 32,000 tests in a week, and we have traced and contacted 3.2million who have tested positive in the past year, and a further six million of their contacts.
Regular testing is a way we can all help to bring about the return of much that has been missing in all of our lives and I have every confidence people will continue to give their selfless support in this next stage, just as they have throughout this pandemic.
Dr Jenny Harries is chief executive of the UKHSA.
Source by www.dailymail.co.uk