Foreign summer holidays will likely be cancelled this year, says Matt Hancock

The Health Secretary added to the week's confusion when he told ITV's This Morning that the public probably won't be able to go out of the country for a getaway this summer.

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Mr Hancock was asked by hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby whether summer would be cancelled.

And he replied: "I think that’s likely to be the case. I think it’s unlikely that big lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer."

But he wasn't specific about whether it will mean Brits can take a stay-cation in the UK yet.

Adding to the lockdown confusion, the Health Secretary's comments came on the same day that Ryanair announced they would be restarting 40% of flights in July.

It also came a day after Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron were working on a deal to allow Brits to go to France and not have a two week quarantine, and vice-versa.

At the moment all non-essential travel is cancelled - whether that's within the UK or abroad.

Only people who absolutely have to be travelling should be.

The news comes as:

• The Chancellor today extended Britain's furlough scheme to the end of October - but with cuts in funding from July
• Ministers revealed how the workplace is going to change under new health and safety rules for lifting the lockdown
• Spain said international arrivals face a two week quarantine from Friday

And hotels and holiday parks are shut in the UK until at least July, the Government confirmed yesterday, meaning no trips are on the cards for now.

The Foreign Office has extended this advice to be "indefinitely" with no end in sight for when the public may be able to travel again.

The news comes just hours after it was announced that travellers to Spain would face a 14-day quarantine coming into the country.

The order comes into force this Friday, May 15 and will remain during the State of Emergency and its possible extensions into at least June and beyond.

It means anyone who could get to Spain would have to isolate for two weeks anyway.

Earlier this week Boris Johnson announced that anyone coming into the UK would face the same isolation period.

It means that Brits may have to take four weeks off if they were to take a two-week trip abroad, leaving many thinking whether they will even bother.

The EU Commission is demanding Britain tear up quarantine rules for all EU countries in the same way, or none at all.

Yet while Brits face a long summer at home, EU bosses will today [WED] launch plans to reopen their tourism sector from the lockdown.

Eurocrats are launching a new interactive map showing coronavirus cases and border restrictions as part of a blueprint to get tourism moving again.

People will be able to click on different holiday destinations and information on how to fly there, what hotels are open and whether they need to wear a face mask will flash up.

Brussels will also issue guidelines to EU countries on how to lift border restrictions - for example, by carrying out health checks on people arriving at airports.

Criteria such as the 'R rate' of Covid transmission and spare intensive care capacity may also be taken into consideration when easing controls.

Meanwhile, there will be guidance for hotels and restaurants on social distancing, disinfecting routines, and the wearing of masks.

Proposed rules on planes will include improved air filtration and restricting passengers' movements while on board - including for toilet breaks.

Greece is hoping to open back up to European tourists by June 15.

They are pushing for mandatory tests on tourists three days before their departure to see whether they have either the virus or antibodies.

Italy, which was one of the worst hit countries in the crisis, will decide in early June how to restart international travel.

But Germany is said to be opposed to border pacts between individual countries, preferring instead an EU-wide lifting of restrictions.

Spain announced a new two-week quarantine rule for all international arrivals starting on Friday.

The law will apply until at least May 24, and could be extended if Madrid renews the state of emergency then.

A leaked European Commission text sets out the EU’s plans to try to get tourism back up and running.

It states: "If epidemiological developments across Europe continue their current positive trend it may be possible for travel restrictions and border controls to be gradually lifted throughout the EU.
"Handled correctly, safely, and in coordinated manner, the months to come could offer Europeans the chance to get some well-needed rest, relaxation and free air, and to catch up with friends and family, in their own Member States or across borders."

However, the PM and French President Macron are working on a deal which would mean the two countries can have a "travel corridor" and the public may be allowed to travel.

At the moment any quarantine won't apply to people coming from France to the UK, and vice-versa.

But it will be dependent on the UK and France maintaining a similar R rate of virus contagion, as well as a descending number of cases.

A senior government source told The Sun: “There is a lot of work to be done yet, but the PM and the President both believe a travel corridor is possible, and desirable."

The news will give hope that the public may be able to go on a break to France in the coming months instead, but Matt Hancock's words this morning mean the situation is far from clear.

Entry into France is still heavily restricted until at least June 15, after Mr Macron extended the need for all visitors to the country to fill out a form stating their reason for travel.

Ireland is also excluded from the rules as it's part of the common travel area, but it's not yet known if Brits will be able to hop over for some time away there either.

The EU Commission will today unveil a new strategy for getting travelling up and running again as the continent emerges from the crisis.

In the same interview this morning, Mr Hancock also revealed that people may have to wait until a vaccine is found before they can hug each other again.

And Phil and Holly took him apart for the Government's "bonkers" policy which meant it was OK to see one parent at a time - but not both.