Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Health Secretary says ‘tough’ travel restrictions needed to protect UK freedoms

Health Secretary says ‘tough’ travel restrictions needed to protect UK freedoms

It comes as reports have suggested that plans to scrap all Covid restrictions on June 21 could be watered down.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended the Government’s decision to remove Portugal from the travel green list by saying that the UK needs to be “tough” on international travel rules to protect the progress of lockdown easing.

It comes as reports have suggested the June 21 unlocking in England will be scaled down, with social distancing and the wearing of face coverings to continue, over concerns about new coronavirus variants.

Ministers have blamed fears over importing the so-called Nepal variant – a mutation that some think could have properties helping it to beat vaccines – for the decision to move Portugal to the amber list.

It means people arriving in the UK from Portugal after 4am on Tuesday will need to self-isolate at home for 10 days in a change that has left holidaymakers scrambling for pricey flights home in a bid to beat the quarantine deadline.

A beach in Portugal

A seat on a Ryanair flight from the capital Lisbon to Manchester on Monday costs £339, whereas travel on the same route is available for just £75 on Wednesday.

British Airways is charging £348 for flights from Faro to London Heathrow on Sunday and Monday, but the price drops to £137 on Tuesday.

The requirement for travellers to take a coronavirus test in the three days before a flight to the UK departs is also creating difficulties for people in Portugal.

But despite the hurdles facing those returning, Matt Hancock said the UK Government had been able to ease restrictions at home due to tight controls on travel rules.

His comments were made as the UK recorded its highest number of new confirmed coronavirus cases – 6,238 – since late March, according to official figures, with the Indian variant fuelling a fresh surge.

Portugal is not the only country which moved on the traffic light rating system on Thursday.

The Health Secretary, asked by reporters on Friday whether Britons were being asked to sacrifice a holiday abroad in exchange for greater freedoms at home, said: “Ultimately we are very cautious on international travel because we want to protect the success and the progress that we’ve made.

“We’ve opened up domestically and been able to do that without seeing an increase in the number of hospitalisations.

“And that is partly because we are tough on international travel.

“We have the green list there for countries where it is safe to go to but we’ve always said that we’re willing to act, to take countries off that green list if we need to.

“It doesn’t give me any pleasure that we’ve had to do that with Portugal but it is so important for protecting the vaccine rollout here at home.”

Portugal is not the only country which moved on the traffic light rating system on Thursday.

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago have also been placed on the red list, meaning people arriving in the UK from those nations must stay in a quarantine hotel for 11 nights.

People wait for Covid vaccination

While travel remains heavily restricted, freedoms in the UK have opened up in recent weeks, with further easing planned.

In England, two households or groups of six have been permitted since May 17 to socialise indoors, while the devolved administration in Wales plans to give the go-ahead for outdoor events with up to 10,000 people sitting, or 4,000 people standing, to resume from Monday.

But a report in the i, quoting a Government source, claimed that ministers were planning to water down so-called “freedom day” in England on June 21 – the target date for when the Prime Minister hoped to scrap all restrictions.

In a move already lambasted by a hospitality chief, the newspaper said it would likely see the Government backtrack on encouraging a return to the workplace, continue with the guidance to work from home if possible, and is also likely to continue with the policy of mask wearing and social distancing on public transport.

The report also said social distancing in bars and restaurants is likely to remain, along with limits on audiences in theatres and cinemas, as the focus turns to delaying easing all restrictions until most adults have been given both vaccine jabs in efforts to guard against the Indian variant.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed, in an interview with the BBC, that he is considering keeping social-distancing restrictions in place for the rest of 2021, calling the two-metre measure “one of the strongest defences that we have” against the virus.


But Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said keeping social distancing in place would threaten the viability of the sector.

“Sorry but leaving social distancing in place in pubs, restaurants, hotels and attractions means that June 21 is not freedom date at all,” she tweeted.

“It means that those businesses continue to operate at a loss and threatens the long term viability of businesses, jobs and the recovery.”

No 10 sources said the report was “speculation”, with Boris Johnson telling broadcasters this week there was still “nothing in the data at the moment that means we cannot go ahead with Step 4”.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) Government advisory panel, said the scrapping of all restrictions this month could be in jeopardy if ministers become “concerned” about rising hospital admissions and deaths as a result of the Indian variant.

Analysis by the PA news agency shows the majority of major hospital trusts in England are currently continuing to average no Covid-19 admissions despite rising case numbers.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×