Coronavirus live: Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel on England travel ‘green list’; China’s Sinopharm jab gets WHO approval | World news

Sky’s Paul Kelso asks if it is realistic to think that we will see mass travel this summer and questions if travel has become the preserve of the rich.

In response, Shapps urges people to check very carefully when it comes to terms and conditions when booking holidays. He adds that the list was not created to think about where people want to lay on beaches and then “twist the science” to fit those destinations. He says this would betray the sacrifices people have made since the outbreak of the pandemic. Shapps says we will “gradually see an opening up”, referring to the effectiveness of the vaccines. But he says there is uncertainty about people carrying variants of concern back with them from holiday.

ITV’s Tom Clark has asked how concerned we should be about the number of variants of concern originally from India rising in the UK. He asks how worried we should be about the Indian variant compared to those from South Africa and Brazil.

Harries says that we should be concerned, but it is complicated. She says one of the three Indian variants have been designated as a variant of concern. She says it takes a while to understand the severity of the disease or what it means for vaccine effectiveness. “We have enhanced contact tracing” and are working with “public directors of health” in response to the rising variant numbers.

Q from the BBC’s Caroline Davis: There are only 12 countries on this list, why are there so few?

What does putting Turkey on the red-list mean for the UEFA championship final that is due to be played there?

Shapps says that a cautious approach is needed to not undo the progress made. He accepts that the rollout is slow, but is very “deliberate”. He says Heathrow agrees with the “steady, slow process” he has outlined, stressing that checkpoints and reviews will mean the situation can rapidly change.

Shapps says putting Turkey on the red list means that fans should not travel to Turkey. “We are very open to hosting the final but it is ultimately a decision for UEFA,” Shapps says.

Harries says assessing effectiveness of vaccines against variants is essential.

Harries says the number of people testing positive for coronavirus has continued to decline across all four UK nations.

“The case rates per 100,000, which have been in the hundreds, are now down to 23 on average,” she says.

But she adds there is an element of plateauing, saying hospital admissions rates are at just above one per 100,000 people on average, compared to around one per 39,000 at the peak.

Harries adds that people should get both vaccine doses as it is a “really strong part of the armament in the UK”.

Dr Jenny Harries says “we are just coming into” vaccinating the under 40s, so it is wrong to conclude younger people will not take up vaccines, as they have been largely compliant with following the rules to date.

Lincoln says it may take 14 or 15 times longer to process passengers. Explaining the quarantine rules to those arriving from elsewhere and making sure people have completed the passenger locater form are among the reasons that may contribute to delays, though some services will be digitised, Lincoln explains. He has now finished speaking. Questions will follow.

Lincoln says travel will be different from 17 May, with additional health checks for people crossing borders, meaning it will take longer to enter the UK. He says every passenger, every seaport and airport has a role to play in the endeavour.

Paul Lincoln, the director general at the Border Force, is now speaking. He followed Dr Jenny Harries.

Shapps, who has now finished speaking, says from 17 May English residents can use their existing NHS health apps to gain access to vaccine records, or, alternatively, can request a letter to verify vaccination status.

Shapps says: “We want a summer in which we can reunite family and friends, travel to places we love. “We want to start looking outward again.”

Shapps says Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel will be on initial green list of countries.

France and Spain are not yet included in the “green list” of countries but every three weeks from opening there will be a review on expansion, Shapps says. He suggests that as the summer progresses, more “traditional” destinations are hoped to be included in the list. Green list countries will be placed on watch list, with the government withdrawing green status if the Covid situation there changes. Do not book holidays without refund status, Shapps says.

Turkey, Maldives and Nepal will be added to red-list today, Shapps says. He acknowledges there is simply no substitute for human contact.

But he adds: “I have to be absolutely straight with you. Our success in combatting Covid here is not yet replicated in many places abroad.”

Shapps says countries we re-connect with have high vaccination rates but low infection rates.

Shapps says “there is simply no substitute for human contact”, as he says travel is essential to rebuilding the economy. But he warns the success in combatting Covid in the UK is not yet replicated in “many countries abroad”. He notes the case in India.