Brits could be banned from European holidays from New Year under Covid travel rules - The Sun

MILLIONS of Brits may be banned from European holidays from January 1 under Covid rules after Britain leaves the EU.

Pandemic safety regulations allowing free travel within the European Union will stop applying to Britain at the start of 2021.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Millions of Brits could be banned from travelling to the EU under post-Brexit Covid rulesCredit: EPA

Under EU pandemic rules, non-essential travel is only allowed from non-EU countries with low infection ratesCredit: AFP or licensors

The UK's Brexit transition period with the EU ends on December 31.

The EU is only allowing essential travel from non-EU countries with low infection rates during the pandemic.

But only travellers from eight of these countries are currently allowed into the EU, The Financial Times reports.

EU officials told the FT there are no plans to add the UK to this list of safe countries.

Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are among the countries on the EU's safe list.

Only 12 EU countries allow travellers from all eight nations on the bloc's safe list.

Norway, which is not an EU member, has already said it will block Brits from entering from January 1.

The EU is only allowing essential travel from non-EU countries with low infection ratesCredit: W8MEDIA

HOLIDAY BLUES

It means pandemic-weary holidaymakers from the UK could have hopes of a continental getaway to favourite Brit destinations like Greece, Spain and Italy dashed from next month.

Travel companies reported a surge in bookings for early 2021, following news of the vaccine success last month.

Airlines and airports in the UK have been launching Covid testing schemes in preparation for a rise in Brits going on foreign holidays, as the vaccine rolls out across the country.

Downing Street has also announced plans to slash quarantine for travellers entering the UK from high risk countries from 14 days to five days this month, providing they can produce a negative Covid test.

A surge in Covid cases across Europe this month has seen countries like Greece and Italy already introducing new restrictions for the holiday season, with a mandatory 14-day isolation period.

This is alongside the current rules requiring a negative coronavirus test, taken up to 72 hours before travel.

PASSPORT DEADLINE

Meanwhile, passengers could also be barred from entering EU countries from January 1 unless they renew their passports.

Tourists heading to Europe will need at least six months remaining on their travel documents under rules set to be introduced at the end of the Brexit transition period.

Brits have previously been able to travel freely in the EU and the Schengen area with a valid passport, regardless of how close it is to its expiry date.

The change in rules is expected to trigger a last-minute dash to renew passport applications ahead of the looming deadline.

It costs £75.50 to renew a passport online and £85 if you fill out a paper form.

Some travellers applying online have been told they face a two-month wait to see their passports renewed - putting New Year trips in jeopardy.

Millions of Brits could be barred from entering EU countries from January 1 unless they renew their passports (stock)Credit: Solarpix

Chris Whitty says UK likely to have 'portfolio of three or four vaccines we can use' by mid-2021

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2020-12-10 07:35:41Z
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UK warns “very large gaps” remain after Boris Johnson's Brexit talks in Brussels - BBC News - BBC News

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2020-12-09 22:47:25Z
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Boris Johnson in last-ditch Brussels meeting with Brexit talks “close to failure” - BBC News - BBC News

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2020-12-09 22:30:57Z
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Council leaders in emergency motion to push Scottish Government to lower Edinburgh Covid level - Edinburgh News

Edinburgh Council leader Adam McVey has written to TSB amid concern about the effect of the closures.

Adam McVey has tabled a motion ahead of Thursday’s full council meeting, demanding the Scottish government explains its recent decision to keep Edinburgh at level three.

The motion also insists that ‘the government follow scientific evidence and advice that indicates that Edinburgh has been consistently in tier two’.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Public Health Scotland officials had advised that Edinburgh should be moved down to level two.

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However, on Tuesday afternoon First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the capital would remain at level three due to concerns over Christmas shopping.

Capital politicians have reacted with dismay to the First Minister’s announcement, with Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson saying “the cost of this will be counted in lost businesses, lost livelihoods and lost jobs.”

Councillor McVey, who represents Forth, has also heavily criticised the decision, saying on Tuesday: “I’m extremely disappointed. Our numbers are stable and have now been consistently within the rates of level two for some time.

“We know what a dire situation local businesses continue to face and the latest news will be yet another blow in the lead-up to the Christmas period – which should be their busiest time of the year.

“I’ve been strongly pressing for Edinburgh’s case to move to a lower level of restrictions when safe to do so. The data suggests that time should have been now.””

In a tweet on Wednesday evening, councillor McVey called for ‘all-party support to put political squabbles aside and speak with one voice as a city’.

The motion, seconded by depute leader Cammy Day, Labour, reads: “

“[The] council seriously regrets that despite robust representations from Edinburgh Council to the cabinet and public health advice supporting a case to reduce Edinburgh’s level of restrictions to level two, this has not happened.

“[The] council agrees to continue to lobby the Scottish government and at the next scheduled meeting insist the government follow scientific evidence and advice that indicates that Edinburgh has been consistently in tier two.”

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2020-12-09 19:41:00Z
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Brexit: PM says deal 'still there to be done' ahead of crunch trip - BBC News

Boris Johnson has said the EU is insisting on terms "no prime minister could accept" in UK-EU trade talks.

The PM told MPs "a good deal is still there to be done", ahead of post-Brexit deal negotiations with the European Commission president.

But he said the EU was seeking an "automatic right" to retaliate against the UK if its labour and environmental standards diverged from theirs.

He is in Brussels for talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The prime minister also suggested the EU could not accept the UK having sovereign control over its fishing waters after Brexit, as he answered questions at Prime Minister's Questions.

Time is running out to reach a deal before 31 December, when the UK stops following EU trading rules.

Major disagreements remain on fishing rights, business competition rules and how a deal will be policed.

• Kuenssberg analysis: Will Brexit dinner prove to be the last supper?
• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• What happens if there's no trade deal?

At the dinner, expected to begin at 19:00 GMT, the prime minister will work through a list of the major sticking points with Mrs von der Leyen, who is representing the leaders of the 27 EU nations.

A UK government source said progress at a political level may allow the UK's negotiator Lord Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier - who will both also attend the dinner - to resume their work over the coming days.

But the source added that it was important to be "realistic" that an agreement might not be possible.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove outlined details on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland, after agreement was reached with the EU.

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, but leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life afterwards - they got 11 months.
• Talks are happening: The UK and the EU have until 31 December 2020 to agree a trade deal as well as other things, such as fishing rights.
• If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods travelling between the UK and the EU. But deal or no deal, we will still see changes.

What happens next with Brexit?

'Deal still there'

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson warned that a deal would not be possible if the EU continued to insist that if it was to pass a new law in the future - and the UK did not follow suit - it wanted the "automatic right punish us and retaliate" with tariffs on goods.

He also claimed that the EU wanted the UK to become the "only country in the world" not to have "sovereign control" over its fishing waters.

"I don't believe that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a Brexit deal was still possible but insisted that the integrity of the EU single market must be respected.

The UK and EU are at loggerheads over the so-called "level playing field" - a set of shared rules and standards to ensure businesses in one country do not have an unfair advantage over their competitors in others.

Brussels wants the UK to follow EU rules closely in areas such as workers' rights and environmental regulations, but the UK says the goal of Brexit is to break free from following common rules and reassert national sovereignty.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says that the purpose of the dinner is not to call a halt or to proclaim that a deal's been done.

"The reason for the meeting is to see if both sides are willing in principle to tolerate the notion of budging, after the negotiations, and frankly negotiators, have been exhausted," she says.

EU leaders are due to meet for a summit of their own on Thursday.

It comes as no surprise at all that EU-UK talks have gone down to the wire.

That was widely predicted. As was the "both making last-minute political compromises" part, believed to come right at the end, after the two sides abandon their high-stakes game of chicken.

But tonight's dinner is far more complex than the prime minister declaring "OK, Ursula, we'll give you your level playing field, if you (EU) give us our fish."

The clash of ideologies, clear from the start, is still very much present.

We have the government's determination to protect its post-Brexit sovereignty, and not sign up to another Brussels rule book on the one side and on the other, the EU focus on protecting its single market a) from what it views as potentially unfair competition from the UK and b) in terms of global reputation.

Brussels believes compromising single market rules for a UK deal, would weaken it in the eyes of other future trade partners.

Conclusion: As much as Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, say they still hope for a deal, 'no deal' is still very much on the table tonight, alongside dinner.

Details of Northern Ireland agreement

In separate talks on Tuesday, the UK and EU reached an agreement on specific trade arrangements for Northern Ireland - including on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland.

From 1 January, Northern Ireland will stay in the EU single market for goods as the rest of the UK leaves.

That means a proportion of food products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain will need to be checked under arrangements known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

• Supermarkets will get 'grace period' for NI food
• UK to drop US goods tariffs in bid for trade deal
• UK and EU reach deal over NI border checks

The main points include:

• All goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland will be exempt from EU tariffs, with a handful of exceptions
• NI supermarkets and suppliers won't have to carry out food safety checks on GB goods for three months
• There will be a longer six month "grace period" for checks on chilled meat products, such as sausages
• NI firms won't have to complete GB export declarations except in a very few cases
• Subsidies for NI fishing and farming businesses will be exempt from EU state aid rules
• EU customs officials will be able to observe border checks but not carry them out

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Gove said it would ensure the smooth flow of trade "on which lives and livelihoods depend....with no need for new physical customs infrastructure" on the island of Ireland.

"The deal protects unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to their most important market," he said.

• TRAVEL RULES: How your holidays will change in 2021
• NO DEAL YET: What are the sticking points in trade talks?
• BREXIT: Seven things that will change on 1 January

How will Brexit affect you? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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2020-12-09 17:35:00Z
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Brexit: PM says deal 'still there to be done' ahead of crunch trip - BBC News

Boris Johnson has said the EU is insisting on terms "no prime minister could accept" in UK-EU trade talks.

The PM told MPs "a good deal is still there to be done", ahead of post-Brexit deal negotiations with the European Commission president.

But he said the EU was seeking an "automatic right" to retaliate against the UK if its labour and environmental standards diverged from theirs.

He is heading to Brussels for talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The prime minister also suggested the EU could not accept the UK having sovereign control over its fishing waters after Brexit, as he answered questions at Prime Minister's Questions.

Time is running out to reach a deal before 31 December, when the UK stops following EU trading rules.

Major disagreements remain on fishing rights, business competition rules and how a deal will be policed.

• Kuenssberg analysis: Will Brexit dinner prove to be the last supper?
• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• What happens if there's no trade deal?

At the dinner, expected to begin at 19:00 GMT, the prime minister will work through a list of the major sticking points with Mrs von der Leyen, who is representing the leaders of the 27 EU nations.

A UK government source said progress at a political level may allow the UK's negotiator Lord Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier - who will both also attend the dinner - to resume their work over the coming days.

But the source added that it was important to be "realistic" that an agreement might not be possible.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove outlined details on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland, after agreement was reached with the EU.

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, but leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life afterwards - they got 11 months.
• Talks are happening: The UK and the EU have until 31 December 2020 to agree a trade deal as well as other things, such as fishing rights.
• If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods travelling between the UK and the EU. But deal or no deal, we will still see changes.

What happens next with Brexit?

'Deal still there'

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson warned that a deal would not be possible if the EU continued to insist that if it was to pass a new law in the future - and the UK did not follow suit - it wanted the "automatic right punish us and retaliate" with tariffs on goods.

He also claimed that the EU wanted the UK to become the "only country in the world" not to have "sovereign control" over its fishing waters.

"I don't believe that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a Brexit deal was still possible but insisted that the integrity of the EU single market must be respected.

The UK and EU are at loggerheads over the so-called "level playing field" - a set of shared rules and standards to ensure businesses in one country do not have an unfair advantage over their competitors in others.

Brussels wants the UK to follow EU rules closely in areas such as workers' rights and environmental regulations, but the UK says the goal of Brexit is to break free from following common rules and reassert national sovereignty.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says that the purpose of the dinner is not to call a halt or to proclaim that a deal's been done.

"The reason for the meeting is to see if both sides are willing in principle to tolerate the notion of budging, after the negotiations, and frankly negotiators, have been exhausted," she says.

EU leaders are due to meet for a summit of their own on Thursday.

It comes as no surprise at all that EU-UK talks have gone down to the wire.

That was widely predicted. As was the "both making last-minute political compromises" part, believed to come right at the end, after the two sides abandon their high-stakes game of chicken.

But tonight's dinner is far more complex than the prime minister declaring "OK, Ursula, we'll give you your level playing field, if you (EU) give us our fish."

The clash of ideologies, clear from the start, is still very much present.

We have the government's determination to protect its post-Brexit sovereignty, and not sign up to another Brussels rule book on the one side and on the other, the EU focus on protecting its single market a) from what it views as potentially unfair competition from the UK and b) in terms of global reputation.

Brussels believes compromising single market rules for a UK deal, would weaken it in the eyes of other future trade partners.

Conclusion: As much as Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, say they still hope for a deal, 'no deal' is still very much on the table tonight, alongside dinner.

Details of Northern Ireland agreement

In separate talks on Tuesday, the UK and EU reached an agreement on specific trade arrangements for Northern Ireland - including on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland.

From 1 January, Northern Ireland will stay in the EU single market for goods as the rest of the UK leaves.

That means a proportion of food products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain will need to be checked under arrangements known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

• Supermarkets will get 'grace period' for NI food
• UK to drop US goods tariffs in bid for trade deal
• UK and EU reach deal over NI border checks

The main points include:

• All goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland will be exempt from EU tariffs, with a handful of exceptions
• NI supermarkets and suppliers won't have to carry out food safety checks on GB goods for three months
• There will be a longer six month "grace period" for checks on chilled meat products, such as sausages
• NI firms won't have to complete GB export declarations except in a very few cases
• Subsidies for NI fishing and farming businesses will be exempt from EU state aid rules
• EU customs officials will be able to observe border checks but not carry them out

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Gove said it would ensure the smooth flow of trade "on which lives and livelihoods depend....with no need for new physical customs infrastructure" on the island of Ireland.

"The deal protects unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to their most important market," he said.

• TRAVEL RULES: How your holidays will change in 2021
• NO DEAL YET: What are the sticking points in trade talks?
• BREXIT: Seven things that will change on 1 January

How will Brexit affect you? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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2020-12-09 16:44:00Z
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COVID-19: Canada approves Pfizer's vaccine - and says it is 'safe, effective and of good quality' - Sky News

Canada has become the latest country to approve Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine - describing it as "safe, effective and of good quality".

In a statement, Health Canada said the authorisation was a "critical milestone" in the fight against COVID-19 - and stressed that the review process had been "rigorous".

The country is set to receive 249,000 doses this month, and four million doses by the end of March.

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Who received the first jabs in the UK?

Overall, Canada has a firm order for 20 million doses of this vaccine with an option to buy 56 million more, meaning it has purchased more shots per head than any other country.

Officials stressed that they "will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it is on the market and will not hesitate to take action if any safety concerns are identified".

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At present, Canada is allowing people over the age of 16 to receive the vaccine, but said the rollout may be extended to young people once "clinical trials on children of all age groups" are completed.

The announcement comes a week after the UK became the first country in the world to approve Pfizer's vaccine, which was shown to be 95% effective at preventing illness in large-scale clinical trials.

More from Covid-19

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the first doses of Pfizer's vaccine will arrive in Canada by the end of December.

The vaccine is going to be administered for free nationwide - and just like the UK, Canada has said it plans to prioritise the most vulnerable in its society, as well as the doctors and carers who look after them.

Image: Justin Trudeau says Canada is expecting to receive 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this month

In an attempt to assuage concerns about how rapidly the vaccine has been approved, Health Canada has published a summary of the evidence that has been reviewed over the past two months.

Scott Moe, who leads the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, said: "Now we expect to receive those vaccines more quickly than was originally anticipated, and in greater quantities than we originally anticipated."

Canada reported 5,981 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday and 90 deaths. In total, there have been 433,000 infections in the country and 12,931 fatalities.

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The biggest vaccination programme in the UK's history has already gotten under way, with thousands of people receiving the first dose of the jab on Tuesday.

Patients require two doses - 21 days apart - in order to receive full protection against COVID-19.

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First patient receives coronavirus vaccine

On Wednesday, UK regulators warned that people who have a history of "significant" allergic reactions should not receive the vaccine.

It came after two NHS staff members who had the jab on Tuesday experienced "anaphylactoid reaction" symptoms.

England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said the jab will "substantially" reduce deaths - adding that there will be up to four different vaccines approved for use by the middle of next year.

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2020-12-09 16:41:15Z
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