The call by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus for the government to discourage foreign holidays this summer is a timely reminder that there is still some work ahead before we can be confident that victory over Covid-19 can safely be declared.
The group of more than 60 MPs and peers makes a number of cautionary points. It warns of the danger from overcrowding at airports, saying that arrival halls have become “breeding grounds” for the virus. It criticises the way in which people arriving from “red” countries mingle with those from “amber” and “green” ones. And it warns of fake test certificates, sometimes picked up because of spelling mistakes.
It concludes that the current travel ban, which is due to end for England on 17 May, should continue with a review every three months. That would rule out holidays abroad until the middle of August at the earliest. The wariness is helpful, given the government’s uneven response to the pandemic.
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