HOLIDAYMAKERS have been told to stay outside and keep testing while away.
Public Health England warned Brits “the pandemic is certainly not over”, despite a fall in cases over the last week.
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Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: “If you are heading off on holiday in the UK this summer, remember it is safer to socialise outside and you should test yourself twice a week with free rapid tests.
“If you are travelling abroad make sure to check the rules for the country you are going to and remember just because you’re away, please continue to be cautious.
“Find out what you need to do when you return to England and book any tests or quarantine hotel packages you need.
“Case rates remain high across the country, and we continue to monitor the data closely so we can understand how the pandemic is progressing.
“The pandemic is certainly not over, and I continue to urge caution.”
It comes after Cornwall advised staycationers to get a negative Covid test before visiting this summer.
The holiday hotspot also warned families to pack Covid testing kits with them on holiday, as the region expects a huge boom in visitors this year.
The advisory, issued by Cornwall Council, follows a rise in cases in the area, seeing 2,241 new infections in the seven days leading up to July 17.
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It follows claims Britain is close to herd immunity, with the Covid pandemic “pretty much over for the UK”.
Case numbers steadily dropped for seven days straight until yesterday, puzzling experts and providing a glimmer of hope.
Nearly 92 per cent of adults have Covid antibodies now, according to the ONS, and a large swathe of under-18s have also been infected, which will all help on the way to immunity.
University College London has estimated the UK’s population immunity is at 87 per cent, with the Delta variant moving herd immunity threshold to 93 per cent.
And the latest PHE data suggests seven-day case rates fell across all regions of England.
The cases are highest in those aged 10-19, with the majority of other ages having had a vaccine.
Hospital admissions have risen on the previous week, with the highest rates among those aged 85 and over.
TEST AND TRAVEL
Holiday hopes for Brits have been raised today as more countries will go onto the green list next week, according to the Foreign Secretary.
Dominic Raab said he was “increasingly positive” that more countries would go green at the travel review next week.
Passengers coming from green countries do not have to isolate, and the fully vaccinated also avoid quarantine if they’re returning from an amber list nation.
Double-jabbed travellers from the EU and US will be allowed to skip isolation when they arrive in Britain next week, and the Foreign Secretary hinted more “high trust” countries could benefit from similar deals soon.
It won’t apply to France which remains on the hated amber plus list.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Raab said: “I think personally it feels like the momentum forward is positive, because the double vaccination reaching 70 per cent.
“We’ve done the job we’ve had to do domestically, as you see other countries catch up if you like, I think we’re increasingly confident that more countries will go either on the amber, or green.”
However, the US is still banning Brits from travelling over fears of new variants.
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Source: Sun
