Kamis, 11 Februari 2021

NHS reform: Shake-up to improve care, Hancock says - BBC News

A healthcare worker leading an elderly woman
Getty Images

Health and care services will work more closely together under plans to reform the NHS in England, the government has said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out plans for a "more integrated, more innovative and responsive" NHS.

He said he wanted to target "burdensome bureaucracy".

But Labour questioned the timing of the reorganisation in the midst of the pandemic.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Labour "have to study the detail" - but that "you cannot just legislate for integration, you need a properly-funded social care plan, you need a funded workforce plan".

The shake-up will see the law changed to reverse reforms of the NHS in England introduced under David Cameron in 2012.

The full white paper - which sets out the proposed future legislation - will be published later.

Ministers believe the changes will put the NHS in a better position to cope with an ageing population and a rise in people with complex health conditions.

One-in-three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or asthma, up from one-in-10 a decade ago.

Those working in the health service said many of the rules in place were time-consuming, frustrating and stressful.

Nigel Edwards, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the changes would be a "re-wiring behind the dashboard" and should not be too noticeable to patients.

While it was not a "magic bullet", it could help different parts of the system work more closely together, he added.

2px presentational grey line

Analysis: Why is reform that important?

The ageing population requires different services to work hand-in-hand, sharing expertise and staff to make sure people get the joined-up care they need.

If that sounds like NHS-speak, let's take a typical patient with whom the NHS deals. She is in her 70s, has heart disease, the early stages of dementia and lives alone.

She needs regular contact with her heart specialist, support from community nurses and, ideally, some company from befriending services which are run by the voluntary sector with support from councils.

If she needs to go into hospital - perhaps after a fall - in an ideal world she will be treated quickly and then the hospital staff will be in touch with community services to arrange the support to allow her to come home.

In a world where budgets are linked to individual services, where different organisations are encouraged to compete and tender for work, the pooling of resources and staff is not so easy.

2px presentational grey line

The proposals include scrapping the tendering rule, which sees companies and providers compete to win contracts to run services.

This rule made it complicated for councils and different parts of the NHS to set up joint teams and pool their budgets, with some having to set up separate bodies to bid for contracts.

Instead, the NHS and councils will be left to run services and told to collaborate with each other to pool resources.

Mr Hancock said: "The practical implication is that these changes will allow the NHS to work more closely together with the different parts of the NHS and, crucially, with social care and public health colleagues.

"At the moment there are rules set out in law that stop some of that working together. We've seen that that's been a problem."

He told BBC Breakfast: "At the heart of these reforms is the idea you take the budget for the NHS in a local area, and you get an integrated team that has social care, the NHS, the GPs and the hospitals, and they commission and they do the work to spend the money as effectively as possible."

On the timing of the reform in a pandemic, Mr Hancock said: "You've got to do both. When we come out of this pandemic, and we will, we need to build a better, stronger NHS."

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said it will create a "flexible can-do spirit" across the health and care system.

The white paper will cite examples of good practice, such as a care team at the Royal Derby Hospital which sees nurses from the community, council care services and hospital staff working together to plan the discharge of patients.

Woman on own
Getty Images

Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents NHS managers, said it would end "an unnecessarily rigid NHS approach to procurement".

The Local Government Association welcomed the plans but said they did not provide the funding to put care services on a "sustainable and long-term footing".

Shadow health secretary Mr Ashworth said "we did warn the government 10 years ago when they introduced the last piece of legislation", adding: "That was a set of reforms that Matt Hancock voted for, spoke up in favour of."

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There are still questions as to whether these reforms will integrate care."

He said ministers needed to point out how this would help the growing numbers of people facing long waits for treatment and ease the pressure on services.

Social care funding

Mr Hancock was challenged over the state of social care - which is under pressure with governments failing to reform or fund the council-run system properly.

In their 2019 election manifesto, the Conservatives pledged to find a cross-party solution to reduce pressures on the sector and provide long-term funding.

Asked about the problem of people not being able to be discharged from hospital because care homes were full, Mr Hancock said there was a "challenge" of discharge.

But he said "it's a challenge of integration as much as it is a challenge of capacity".

Mr Hancock repeated the government's pledge, saying: "We're committed to the long-term reforms to funding of social care."

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2021-02-11 09:07:00Z
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Covid-19: Ministers 'doing everything' to allow summer holidays - BBC News

Holiday-makers on the beach on July 12, 2020 in Rock, United Kingdom
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Ministers are doing everything possible to make sure people can have a summer holiday this year, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He warned "people will have to be patient" amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, but the government "will bring more certainty when we can".

Amid warnings it is "too soon" to plan holidays, Mr Hancock said he had booked a break in Cornwall "months ago".

He also said Covid vaccine take-up has been much higher than expected so far.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised ministers for not being clearer about plans for the summer.

He said he had yet to book a holiday because he was "in the same boat as everyone else".

"I just want to know what's happening, so ministers need to tell us," he told BBC Breakfast.

Meanwhile, Mr Hancock said 90% of people had accepted an offer of a jab - much higher than predictions about 75% would get the vaccine.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged two million people who have yet to accept their offer of a jab to "come forward" this week.

Mr Hancock said it was too early to know which coronavirus restrictions may still be in place over the summer, but that he understood people wanted to make plans.

He told BBC Breakfast "people are yearning for certainty over whether they can have a summer holiday" but said "pandemics are difficult times and there is a lot of uncertainty".

"So I am afraid that people will have to be patient before we can get that certainty," he added.

"We are doing everything that we possibly can to make sure that people can have a holiday this summer but the vaccine rollout is absolutely essential to that.

"We will set out more in more detail when we can, but at the moment unfortunately there is that uncertainty still."

The health secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, before summer holidays, the priority would be making sure people can go and see loved ones.

"It is too early to say when - and the prime minister will set out more details in the week beginning 22 February," he added.

'Don't book'

His comments came after both Mr Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps pleaded with people not to "go ahead and book holidays".

Mr Shapps said on Wednesday it was "too soon" to book a domestic holiday and that foreign breaks may only be possible once many more people have been vaccinated.

He added: "I simply don't know the answer to the question of where we'll be up to this summer. It's too early to give that information. The best advice to people is: do nothing at this stage."

Mr Johnson told a Downing Street briefing: "I understand why people want to make plans now but we're just going to have to be a little bit more patient."

The remarks prompted anger from senior Conservative MP Sir Charles Walker, who accused ministers of "ripping out" the goalposts on the timetable for lifting Covid restrictions.

People "need to have something to look forward to", he said.

One travel industry leader criticised Mr Shapps's plea for people to stop making summer plans as "puerile and nonsensical".

While Heathrow Airport's chief executive said getting back to normality was not just about people's holidays but also to "protect people's businesses and livelihood".

John Holland-Kaye said aviation businesses have gone for almost a full year with virtually no revenue and warned they may not be able to continue without slashing jobs.

Banner image reading 'more about coronavirus'
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Under the current national restrictions, holidays are not permitted anywhere in the UK. International travel is restricted to essential purposes, such as for work, medical appointments, or education.

A new online portal allowing UK and Irish nationals and residents travelling from certain "red list" countries to book a place in hotel quarantine opens later on Thursday.

From Monday, arrivals from 33 nations deemed high-risk due to new virus variants must isolate for 10 days in managed facilities at a cost of at least £1,750.

All other arrivals must see out a 10-day quarantine at home, but will be required to book and pay for two additional private virus tests.

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2021-02-11 09:16:00Z
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NHS shake-up 'to cut bureaucracy and improve care' - BBC News

A healthcare worker leading an elderly woman
Getty Images

Health and care services will work more closely together under plans to reform the NHS in England, the government has said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out plans for a "more integrated, more innovative and responsive" NHS.

He said he wanted to target "burdensome bureaucracy".

But Labour questioned the timing of the reorganisation in the midst of the pandemic.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Labour "have to study the detail" - but that "you cannot just legislate for integration, you need a properly-funded social care plan, you need a funded workforce plan".

The shake-up will see the law changed to reverse reforms of the NHS in England introduced under David Cameron in 2012.

The full white paper - which sets out the proposed future legislation - will be published later.

Ministers believe the changes will put the NHS in a better position to cope with an ageing population and a rise in people with complex health conditions.

One-in-three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or asthma, up from one-in-10 a decade ago.

Those working in the health service said many of the rules in place were time-consuming, frustrating and stressful.

Nigel Edwards, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the changes would be a "re-wiring behind the dashboard" and should not be too noticeable to patients.

While it was not a "magic bullet", it could help different parts of the system work more closely together, he added.

2px presentational grey line

Analysis: Why is reform that important?

The ageing population requires different services to work hand-in-hand, sharing expertise and staff to make sure people get the joined-up care they need.

If that sounds like NHS-speak, let's take a typical patient with whom the NHS deals. She is in her 70s, has heart disease, the early stages of dementia and lives alone.

She needs regular contact with her heart specialist, support from community nurses and, ideally, some company from befriending services which are run by the voluntary sector with support from councils.

If she needs to go into hospital - perhaps after a fall - in an ideal world she will be treated quickly and then the hospital staff will be in touch with community services to arrange the support to allow her to come home.

In a world where budgets are linked to individual services, where different organisations are encouraged to compete and tender for work, the pooling of resources and staff is not so easy.

2px presentational grey line

The proposals include scrapping the tendering rule. This made it complicated for councils and different parts of the NHS to set up joint teams and pool budgets, and some had to set up separate bodies to bid for contracts.

Under the changes, councils and NHS services will be able to set up bodies that can make decisions about how to join up services.

Mr Hancock said: "The practical implication is that these changes will allow the NHS to work more closely together with the different parts of the NHS and, crucially, with social care and public health colleagues.

"At the moment there are rules set out in law that stop some of that working together. We've seen that that's been a problem."

He told BBC Breakfast: "At the heart of these reforms is the idea you take the budget for the NHS in a local area, and you get an integrated team that has social care, the NHS, the GPs and the hospitals, and they commission and they do the work to spend the money as effectively as possible."

On the timing of the reform in a pandemic, Mr Hancock said: "You've got to do both. When we come out of this pandemic, and we will, we need to build a better, stronger NHS."

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said it will create a "flexible can-do spirit" across the health and care system.

The white paper will cite examples of good practice, such as a care team at the Royal Derby Hospital which sees nurses from the community, council care services and hospital staff working together to plan the discharge of patients.

Woman on own
Getty Images

Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents NHS managers, said it would end "an unnecessarily rigid NHS approach to procurement".

The Local Government Association welcomed the plans but said they did not provide the funding to put care services on a "sustainable and long-term footing".

Shadow health secretary Mr Ashworth said "we did warn the government 10 years ago when they introduced the last piece of legislation", adding: "That was a set of reforms that Matt Hancock voted for, spoke up in favour of."

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There are still questions as to whether these reforms will integrate care."

He said ministers needed to point out how this would help the growing numbers of people facing long waits for treatment and ease the pressure on services.

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2021-02-11 08:24:00Z
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COVID-19: Government 'doing everything we can' to allow summer holidays this year, says Matt Hancock - Sky News

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News the government is "doing everything we can" to allow Britons to enjoy a holiday this year - amid confusion about whether people should be booking summer breaks.

Following the introduction of tougher border measures for UK nationals returning from abroad and the continuing lockdown restrictions, the government has faced questions about whether summer holidays might be possible.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps this week urged Britons not to book holidays, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it is "too early for people to be certain about what we will be able to do this summer".

Mr Hancock, who has previously predicted a "great British summer", confirmed he had booked a break to Cornwall this summer.

But he added he could not yet be certain about whether his own holiday would go ahead.

"I do understand, of course, the yearning for certainty. But certainty is hard in a pandemic," the health secretary told Sky News.

The prime minister is due to set out how England's latest lockdown might be eased in the week beginning 22 February.

More from Covid-19

"It is difficult at this point and people will have to be patient as the prime minister said," Mr Hancock added.

"But we are doing everything we can to make sure people can have their holiday in the summer.

"And, even before then, to be able to see their loved ones.

"Even before we get to whether we're going on holiday, or where we're going on holiday, how soon we can see and hug our loved ones is important.

"Thankfully, because the vaccine roll-out is going so well... that will all help us to get out of this and get back to normal."

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2021-02-11 07:47:01Z
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Rabu, 10 Februari 2021

Matt Hancock admits he's booked a summer break in Cornwall - Daily Mail

Holiday shambles as Matt Hancock admits he has booked a summer break in Cornwall... hours after Grant Shapps said Britons should NOT take a staycation this year

  • Ministers were left bickering over whether it is safe for Brits to book a summer break within the UK this year 
  • Grant Shapps said: ‘People shouldn’t be booking holidays right now – not domestically or internationally’
  • However, Downing Street seemed to distance itself from this, saying it was a 'choice for individuals'
  • Prime Minister later said it was 'just too early' for people to be certain about what they can do in the summer
  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock then revealed to Tory MPs he has already booked his staycation to Cornwall 
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Travel advice from the Government descended into farce last night as ministers bickered over whether it is safe to book a summer break in the UK this year.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sparked a furious backlash after declaring yesterday morning: ‘People shouldn’t be booking holidays right now – not domestically or internationally.’

As anger mounted, Downing Street appeared to distance itself from Mr Shapps at lunchtime, saying it was a ‘choice for individuals’.

But Boris Johnson, who earlier this month said he was ‘optimistic’ about the prospect of summer holidays, appeared to change his mind yesterday. The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference it was ‘just too early for people to be certain about what we will be able to do this summer’.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) has revealed to Tory MPs he has already booked a holiday in Cornwall this summer

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) has revealed to Tory MPs he has already booked a holiday in Cornwall this summer

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sparked a furious backlash after declaring yesterday morning: ‘People shouldn’t be booking holidays right now – not domestically or internationally'

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sparked a furious backlash after declaring yesterday morning: ‘People shouldn’t be booking holidays right now – not domestically or internationally'

Shapps says 'vaccines passports' likely to happen in the future 

Grant Shapps today said he believes 'vaccine passports' will happen so holidays can resume when the pandemic eases.

The Transport Secretary confirmed the government is working on a system and was having talks with other countries.

However, he stressed it is not the same thing as documentation to allow people to access services in this country, which is not being considered. 

Mr Shapps said in a round of interviews: 'I imagine that in the future there will be an international system where countries will want to know that you have been potentially vaccinated or potentially had tests taken before flying. 

'I was speaking to my Singaporean counterpart, I was speaking to my US counterpart this week, and we'll have discussions about those things to have an internationally recognised system.' 

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On a chaotic day, Health Secretary Matt Hancock then revealed to Tory MPs he has already booked a holiday in Cornwall this summer. Whitehall sources told the Mail that, despite the cautious message from the PM, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden are working on packages to promote holidays in the UK.

One insider said: ‘We are going to strain every sinew to let people have a holiday this summer.’

Another senior Tory said: ‘We are in danger of making “holiday” a dirty word when it should be exactly the sort of aspirational thing we are celebrating.’

Ministers have already put dreams of a summer break abroad in jeopardy, with the introduction of draconian border controls backed by the threat of ten-year prison sentences for those who try to cheat the system. Mr Shapps yesterday said opening up foreign travel would depend on ‘everybody having their vaccinations’ – a process not currently due to be completed until the autumn.

The PM later told MPs that people would have to ‘get used to the idea of re-vaccinating in the autumn’ to counter new variants of the disease. But suggestions that domestic holidays could also be disrupted sparked anger among Tory MPs and travel bosses.

Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, said the suggestion that people should not book summer breaks in the UK was ‘extraordinary and unacceptable’. He insisted the goalposts for easing lockdown had ‘not so much been moved as ripped out and moved to another playing field’.

He said: ‘We had summer holidays last year when we didn’t have vaccines. Now we have vaccines coming out of our ears we are being told we can’t book a holiday. It is very strange and very frustrating.’

Ministers have already put dreams of a summer break abroad in jeopardy, with the introduction of draconian border controls backed by the threat of ten-year prison sentences for those who try to cheat the system. Mr Shapps yesterday said opening up foreign travel would depend on ‘everybody having their vaccinations’ – a process not currently due to be completed until the autumn (stock image)

Ministers have already put dreams of a summer break abroad in jeopardy, with the introduction of draconian border controls backed by the threat of ten-year prison sentences for those who try to cheat the system. Mr Shapps yesterday said opening up foreign travel would depend on ‘everybody having their vaccinations’ – a process not currently due to be completed until the autumn (stock image)

Sir Charles, who called on the PM to ‘rein in’ Mr Shapps and Mr Hancock, warned that lockdown was becoming ‘an extended exercise in almost studied and deliberate cruelty for a nation now that is increasingly anxious and under pressure’.

In a further sign of Tory unease about the lockdown, 24 MPs yesterday staged a symbolic rebellion over Covid regulations relating to house parties.

Steve Double, Tory chairman of the all-party hospitality and tourism group, said it was ‘almost too late’ to book a holiday in many parts of the UK.

He stressed it was ‘essential’ that the PM set out a timetable for the reopening of the domestic tourism industry when he publishes his road map out of lockdown later this month.

Mr Double said: ‘I don’t know about telling people it’s too early to book a UK holiday this summer – in many places like Cornwall it’s too late.

‘People are listening to what is being said about foreign travel and booking in this country.’

The PM previously indicated that the road map, due in the week beginning February 22, would offer guidance on holidays. Asked directly whether it was safe to book for this summer, he replied yesterday: ‘I understand why people want to make plans now, but we’re just going to have to be a little bit more patient.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer last night urged ministers to ‘stop the mixed messages’ on holidays adding: ‘That really isn’t helping.’

Boris Johnson (pictured), who earlier this month said he was ‘optimistic’ about the prospect of summer holidays, appeared to change his mind yesterday. The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference it was ‘just too early for people to be certain about what we will be able to do this summer’

Boris Johnson (pictured), who earlier this month said he was ‘optimistic’ about the prospect of summer holidays, appeared to change his mind yesterday. The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference it was ‘just too early for people to be certain about what we will be able to do this summer’ 

Mr Johnson also warned that the reopening of the economy and society would be ‘cautious’.

He added: ‘What businesses up and down the country are going to want is a cautious and measured approach that is pragmatic and one we don’t have to retreat from or reverse.’

Microbiologist Professor Paul Hunter yesterday said the tough border restrictions should be lifted once the over-50s are vaccinated at the end of April.

He told the BBC’s World At One: ‘The things we are trying to keep out are probably already here. Border restrictions may have some value in terms of delaying things until we have got more vaccine. But in the longer term I cannot see them having any substantial ongoing benefit after April.’

Travel chiefs yesterday warned of a ‘second lost summer’ and stepped up urgent calls for a bailout and recovery package.

Tim Alderslade, of Airlines UK, wrote to Mr Johnson, saying in order to run a full flying programme in July, airlines need to begin planning by the end of the month. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told Sky News: ‘If everybody over 50 is vaccinated by the end of May, frankly there’s going to be no justification for restricting people’s civil liberties or forcing them to sit at home when the risk of coronavirus has been hugely reduced.’

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2021-02-10 22:01:00Z
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U.K. coronavirus restrictions to include hotel quarantines, threats of fines and prison - The Washington Post

Kirsty Wigglesworth AP Britain is escalating its coronavirus response with new travel restrictions.

LONDON — Britain, besieged by a more contagious coronavirus strain and alarmed by the potential of new and imported variants, is about to launch the toughest travel restrictions in Europe, including mandatory hotel quarantines and 10-year prison terms for those who lie on entry forms.

The government has already has shut down almost all travel by international visitors from 33 countries seen as viral hot spots, including Brazil and South Africa.

Beginning Monday, British citizens returning from those “red list” countries must quarantine for 10 days in designated hotels, under police guard, costing travelers 1,750 pounds, or about $2,400. Travelers must to submit to multiple coronavirus tests before release. Those who try to elude quarantine face fines of up to $14,000.

The threat of prison time is for anyone found guilty of misleading authorities over having recently been in a red-list country.

[How 9 destinations around the world enforce mandatory quarantines]

Only essential travel is allowed from countries not on the list, including the United States. And all international arrivals must show proof of a recent negative coronavirus test and self-quarantine for 10 days, getting tested on days 2 and 8, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday evening.

The raft of measures mark a profound escalation in Britain’s pandemic response, showing how worried the government and its scientific advisers are about the dizzying rise of various coronavirus “variants of concern,” some of which have evolved to be much more infectious, possibly more deadly or potentially less responsive to vaccines.

Already, Britain on many days posts the highest per capita death toll from the virus in the world.

Forcing arrivals into government-run quarantine sites near airports has been policy in countries including Australia, China and South Korea. But it is new for Europe. And it is especially out of character for this Conservative-led British government.

Ben Stansall

AFP/Getty Images

A member of the cleaning staff prepares a room for a guest at the St Giles Hotel, one of the designated quarantine sites near London’s Heathrow Airport.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticized for being too slow in declaring each of three national lockdowns. His government reopened pubs before fully reopening schools and paid people to go out and eat in restaurants last summer.

[Boris Johnson is splitting the check with millions of Britons who dare to dine out]

Throughout the pandemic, Johnson and his Tory backbenchers have been resistant to sweeping travel bans, seeing Britain, and London especially, as a vital crossroads of global travel, trade and finance.

That the “sovereign free-trading island nation,” as Johnson likes to describe his country, is essentially retreating into its castle keep, pulling up the drawbridges, appears especially hard for Johnson, as the measures come just as the prime minister hoped to launch his vision for a post-Brexit “Global Britain.”

The red flags denote countries with exploding outbreaks or those where concerning mutations of the virus have been identified. More than a dozen are in Central and South America, alongside more than a dozen African nations. Portugal is the only country in Europe to make the list.

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said the Johnson government tends to view coronavirus restrictions as “something that will harm the economy, rather than seeing the case for how restrictions early on would actually be better for the economy in the long term.”

Bale said he imagined the government’s threat of prison for travelers caught lying was designed to be “eye-catching” and show that “to breach regulations would be a serious thing to do.”

But he said it could also be “an attempt by the government to get everyone talking about that, rather than failures going back to March to protect the borders.”

The government has been lax in enforcement of previous coronavirus travel restrictions, with border police issuing few fines, leaving it to public health tracers to follow up with travelers to see if they are abiding by quarantine rules.

[Britain is promoting strict coronavirus quarantines but has issued hardly any fines]

The announcement of new and more actively enforced quarantines has stirred deep feelings of lost liberties.

Jonathan Sumption, a former supreme court judge and medieval historian, asked the health minister in a guest column in the Telegraph, “Does Mr Hancock really think that non-disclosure of a visit to Portugal is worse than the large number of violent firearms offences or sexual offences involving minors, for which the maximum is seven years?”

Sumption continued, “The hotel quarantine rules are a form of imprisonment in solitary confinement. They are brutal, inhumane and disproportionate. They are economically extremely destructive. They are also of limited value because the virus is already endemic in the UK and spontaneously mutates all the time.”

Ben Stansall

AFP/Getty Images

British citizens returning from red-list countries will have to quarantine for 10 days at the St Giles Hotel and other government-supervised sites.

Lindsey Scott, 36, a supervisor on an offshore oil rig in the Black Sea, off the Turkish coast, told The Washington Post he was reevaluating a planned visit home to see his family in Scotland.

“I'm sure there are a lot of people worse off than me right now,” he said. “Just seems a bit extreme. Would be happy to isolate at home and get the two tests so I could at least be with my family.”

Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said that once Britain’s new measures come into effect on Monday, it will have some of the strictest border controls in Europe. She noted that Norway and Iceland also have some managed-quarantine protocols.

She said that in addition to risks from new variants, there’s a recognition from some research that Britain “should have had a quarantine system in place some time ago” and that international travel contributed to the second wave of coronavirus cases here.

In Scotland, Bauld said, “we got infection levels down to two to three cases a day in July, and then people were allowed to go off on holiday. And the genomic sequencing shows that lineages of the virus were reseeding into the country by people coming back from elsewhere.”

Johnson’s government and the National Health Service have been running one of the most efficient vaccine campaigns in the world, and they’ve held out hope that if everyone lines up and gets their jabs, restrictions could be lifted in the spring — and summer might feel more normal.

But on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned on BBC radio: “Please don’t go ahead and book holidays for something which, at this stage, is illegal to actually go and do, whether it’s here or abroad.”

Earlier this week, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said, “The more elaborate your plans are for summer holidays — in terms of crossing borders, in terms of household mixing — given where we are now, I think we just have to say, the more you are stepping into making guesses about the unknown at this point.”

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2021-02-10 19:47:00Z
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COVID-19: Boris Johnson says 'it's too early' for decision over summer holiday plans - Sky News

It is "too early" to say if people will be allowed to take summer holidays abroad or in the UK, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister stopped going as far as his transport secretary, who said this morning "people shouldn't be booking holidays right now - not domestically or internationally".

Grant Shapps' comments had prompted fury from Charles Walker, a senior Tory MP who told Sky News it was a "stupid thing to say".

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'These vaccines are safe and effective'

Mr Johnson tried to skirt round the subject at a No 10 coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, saying: " I'm afraid it is just too early for people to be certain about what we'll be able to do this summer."

More details will be announced in the week beginning 22 February as part of the promised roadmap out of lockdown, Mr Johnson vowed.

He added: "I understand why people want to make plans now, but we're just going to have to be a bit more patient."

Mr Johnson also did not deny the government was working on developing an app for people to show when travelling internationally, containing details about their COVID-19 status.

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Passport and medical mask on travel suitcase.
Concept the ban on travel during of the epidemic.
Image: A Conservative MP says travel abroad in 2021 is 'unlikely'

We're looking at all sorts of things that we may wish to do in the months ahead, he said.

The idea of immunity passports has been floated for several months, with Sky News confirming last Friday that ministers are looking into the creation of a digital vaccine document.

Research groups are said to have been set up on the subject as attention turns to what will happen once jabs are more widely rolled out across the world.

Tory MP Simon Clarke said the "bottom line" is that "travel abroad this year is unlikely".

"Holidays within the UK are likely by the summer, but the government can't make a hard and fast statement to this effect at this stage," he tweeted.

"If you book (as I have), you do so at your own risk."

It comes as the number of people to get a first COVID-19 jab passed 13 million - proof, Mr Johnson said, that the government is on track to offer a jab to everyone in the top four priority groups by 15 February.

He repeated a call for anyone in those groups who has not been offered a vaccine yet to book one with the NHS directly.

The prime minister also cautioned that while cases, deaths and hospitalisations are down, with his "layman's eye" he could not yet see results "directly attributable to the vaccine".

Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government's chief scientific adviser, said that was "not surprising" because it takes time for immunity to build up - so there should start to be a noticeable difference "within the next couple of weeks".

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2021-02-10 18:38:05Z
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