Boris Johnson has hailed Monday’s easing of the lockdown in England as “a small step to freedom”, but warned that a new wave of the virus could hit the UK from abroad, overwhelming its defences. ‘Green list’But Mr Johnson warned that the country was still on alert for new variants of coronavirus arriving from abroad, suggesting ministers will be cautious about allowing foreign holidays to resume. Mr Johnson will give an update on plans for foreign travel on April 5th; government officials said they expected it to include a traffic light system depending on a country’s Covid-19 status. The earliest date for foreign travel to restart is May 17th, but some officials believe the date will be later than that. “We don’t know how strong our fortifications now are against another wave,” Mr Johnson said, adding that the arrival of new variants from abroad remained a constant threat.

Source: The Irish Times March 29, 2021 19:18 UTC