Double-jabbed travellers arriving from amber list destinations should 'lie' about their intention to self-isolate, in order to avoid lengthy border control queues, an immigration source has advised.
Yesterday evening, Heathrow T5 E-gates appeared unable to process the new rules for fully vaccinated travellers, forcing them into 2.5-hour immigration queues.
Among them was Telegraph Travel correspondent John Arlidge, who was advised by an immigration officer that travellers should 'lie' on their PLF, stating that they will self-isolate, even though the legal requirement to do so has now ended.
'There is currently no button on the UK's Passenger Locator Form (PFL) to declare that you are exempt from self-isolation because you are fully double vaccinated and coming from an amber country,' writes Arlidge.
'If you tell the truth on the locator form and say you are exempt and tick the ‘Government / Assembly Approved’ reason – which is the only option that makes any sense – you cannot use the E-gates.'
A Government spokesperson responded: "Our utmost priority is protecting the safety and health of the public. That means, occasionally, passengers will need to accept an increase in the time taken to cross the border."
Scroll down for more updates.
04:48 PM
Five stories you need to know about from today
That’s all for today. Here are five stories to read up on below:
Scotland considers use of vaccine passports
Home Office says it has updated forms that caused Heathrow chaos
Farmers and landowners setting up temporary campsites for the summer holidays are being urged by the Environment Agency to have a flood plan in place to keep campers safe.
In a release from the Government body, it said:
"Campsites can be particularly vulnerable to flooding.
"Flooding can happen very quickly bringing a significant risk to life and campsites can be particularly vulnerable. Taking steps to prepare for flooding, and knowing what to do in a flood, can significantly reduce risk to life and reduce the damages to a business."
The Environment Agency is advising all campsite owners to:
Ben Johnstone, Environment Agency Area Flood Manager for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly said: "We urge all campsite owners to be aware of their responsibilities and to check their flood risk; owners should consider flood risk as seriously as fire risk."
Flash floods can happen at any time of year. In Devon and Cornwall some of the area’s most severe flooding has happened during the summer months, such as Boscastle in August 2004 and Coverack in July 2017.
04:31 PM
Britiain records highest death toll since March
Britain has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus-related deaths in four months, following a spike in infections amid the spread of the delta variant and lifting of lockdown restrictions.
Government figures Tuesday showed 96 new virus-related deaths, the highest since March 24. The UK also recorded 46,558 confirmed cases. The numbers on Tuesday have traditionally been higher because of a weekend reporting lag.
The increase in deaths comes a day after the British government ended lockdown restrictions in England, including on social distancing and mask-wearing. Critics warn it will lead to further spread of the coronavirus and potential deaths in the coming weeks.
Britain's confirmed virus-related death toll stands at 128,823, the seventh highest in the world.
04:09 PM
Watch: Bezos mission towards space a success
03:51 PM
Vaccine passports being considered in Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she is considering vaccine passports for Scots, but warned of ethical and civil liberty dilemmas from imposing them on citizens.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK government was looking at requiring vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs from the end of September, possibly along with other venues.
But Ms Sturgeon warned: “We haven’t taken a decision on whether or not to require vaccine passports in any particular setting. It’s something we’re considering over the next period.
"I have said many times before that while there are arguments for requiring vaccination to enter certain places, it raises sensitive ethical and equity considerations, not least because there are some people who can’t be vaccinated because of health conditions."
03:23 PM
Home Office says it has now fixed Heathrow form problem
The Government has expanded on its statement regarding the calamity at Heathrow today.
A spokesperson for the Home Office, which is responsible for Border Force said:
“Our utmost priority is protecting the safety and health of the public. That means, occasionally, passengers will need to accept an increase in the time taken to cross the border.
“We are aware that a number of passengers arriving from amber list countries encountered difficulties passing through e-gates as the option they selected meant they needed to be assessed by an officer rather than use eGates.
“We have now updated our form so it is clearer for those who do not need to quarantine and we continue to review and modify our approach to ensure full compliance with border and biosecurity checks.”
A spokesperson for London Heathrow said:
"We welcome the move to allow fully vaccinated Brits to travel to amber list destinations without the need to quarantine on return. We understand the Government has now rectified some confusion regarding the use of eGates and exemption status by amending the language used on the Passenger Locator Form to provide further clarity, improving the experience at the border.”
03:00 PM
Disabled climber missing after breaking record to climb world's 14 highest peaks
The record-breaking climber is believed to have slipped while descending a mountain in poor weather
The first person with disabilities to scale all 14 of the highest peaks in the Himalayas has disappeared on the descent from his latest conquest.
Kim Hong-bin, a 57-year-old South Korean mountaineer who lost all his fingers to frostbite in 1991, reached the summit of 26,401-foot Broad Peak, on the border of Pakistan and China, shortly before 5pm local time on Sunday.
The four-day ascent meant he had stood on the peak of all 14 of the highest mountains in the range. According to the Union of Asian Alpine Associations, Mr Kim was the 44th person to ever achieve the feat, and the first with a disability.
Seventeen hours after Mr Kim reported his success, however, he sent a distress call after apparently becoming lost at an altitude of around 25,900 feet. He is believed to have later slipped and fallen while descending the Chinese side of the mountain in poor weather.
Air Mauritius will resume its services from Heathrow on October 3, flying to and from the island on Saturdays and Sundays.
The route will be served by a new Airbus A330-neo, with 260 economy and 28 business class seats.
The airline was hit hard by the onset of the pandemic travel restrictions last year, and placed into administration in May 2020. It is set to meet with creditors in January 2022.
02:15 PM
e-Gate fiasco: 'Passengers will need to accept delays,' says Home Office
Heathrow and the Home Office have responded to our top story today, detailing how amber-list passengers arriving at Heathrow were advised to 'lie' on their Passenger Locator Form (PLF) to avoid lengthy Border Control queues
A Home Office spokesperson said:
Our utmost priority is protecting the safety and health of the public. That means, occasionally, passengers will need to accept an increase in the time taken to cross the border.
We are aware that a number of passengers arriving from amber list countries encountered difficulties passing through e-gates as the option they selected meant they needed to be assessed by an officer rather than use eGates.
We have now updated our form so it is clearer for those who do not need to quarantine and we continue to review and modify our approach to ensure full compliance with border and biosecurity checks.
The Telegraph understands that Heathrow's Border Control E-gatesautomatically flag all PLF declarations of an 'exemption' to isolation to be checked by an officer.
A Heathrow spokesperson said:
We welcome the move to allow fully vaccinated Brits to travel to amber list destinations without the need to quarantine on return. We understand the Government has now rectified some confusion regarding the use of eGates and exemption status by amending the language used on the Passenger Locator Form to provide further clarity, improving the experience at the border.
02:03 PM
Indonesia extends lockdown amid surging cases
Indonesia will extend its pandemic-linked restrictions to July 25, aiming for a gradual easing of curbs next week if infections drop, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.
Covid cases in Indonesia are currently among the highest in the world due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, despite the imposition this month of the strictest restrictions on the movement of people so far during the pandemic.
A man wearing a face covering walks past traditional Indonesian puppets – now also with masks – in Jakarta - Reuters
Indonesia had imposed Covid-linked restrictions on July 3 for the island of Java and Bali and other cities across the archipelago, including having workers of non-essential businesses work from home, curbing travel, and closing shopping malls.
"If the trend of cases continue to decline, from July 26 the government will initiate gradual easing," the President said in a virtual address.
Infections have been repeatedly around 50,000 per day in the past week. The number of fatalities has also stayed above 1,000 for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday.
The health system in some areas has been pushed to breaking point by a deluge of patients, and on Monday, Indonesia reported a record 1,338 coronavirus deaths.
01:50 PM
Tokyo Olympics 2020 officials refuse to rule out 11th hour cancellation of Games
Taiwanese athletes arriving in Tokyo yesterday - AFP
The head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee has refused to rule out cancelling the Games at the 11th hour amid mounting worries over surging Covid-19 cases.
Responding to outbreaks in the Athletes Village in the week leading up to the opening ceremony, Toshiro Muto sounded a cautious note around infection numbers.
Cancelling the multi-billion pound games with days to spare seems unthinkable for the International Olympic Committee, but Muto admitted "we can't predict what will happen."
When asked at a news conference if the Games might yet be cancelled, Muto, the Japanese organising chief, said he would keep an eye on infection numbers and hold discussions with organisers if necessary.
"We will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases," he added. "At this point, the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises."
Finnair trialling Covid 'travel pass' on Heathrow-Helsinki flights
Finnair has begun trialling the IATA Travel Pass on its Heathrow-Helsinki route, giving passengers the opportunity to prove their vaccine and/or test status, and access real-time updates on their destination's requirements.
The trial is taking place from July 14 to August 11, on flights in both directions between London and the Finnish capital.
IATA Travel Pass checks each customer’s certification-status with the requirements of their destination and ascertains whether they are ‘OK to travel’, in line with the latest test and vaccination regulations.
Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer of the Finnish airline, said: “The app is currently on trial in both directions from our hub in Helsinki to London... and we look forward to hearing our customers’ thoughts on the new solution to decide our next steps with it.
“We are also exploring other digital solutions to ease travelling and coronavirus related travel document management.
“The industry is in need for current protocols to be replaced with more effective, digital solutions to simplify coronavirus travel procedures.”
01:22 PM
Travel writer Robert MacFarlane to feature on Desert Island Discs
You can catch the Landmarks author on BBC Radio 4 this Sunday, at 11am:
Hello -- just to say that, in case you'd be interested to listen in, I'll be the castaway on Desert Island Discs this coming Sunday. Guesses at the 8 tracks, book & luxury welcome (but I can neither confirm nor deny, etc...).@laurenlaverne was the best!https://t.co/h6gF1Daecn
Conwy county, renowned for its castle, suspension bridge, mountains and seascape, has submitted its "expression of interest" to become UK City of Culture 2025.
The bid is being made under the title Conwy 25, the Welsh region's council declared, adding : "Conwy county is ambitious and dynamic. Constantly changing and evolving whilst still deeply connected to its communities, culture and heritage. A county full of talent, experience, opportunities and cultural awakenings."
It suggested : "Utilising the transformational power of culture, Conwy 2025 will create a new model of respectful and sustainable tourism and bring long-lasting social and economic benefits to a spectacular destination.
Council leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey said : "Conwy 2025 will be the adventure of a lifetime. The county already has an unrivalled reputation for delivering world class events and being a world class destination. Conwy 2025 will create a spark within our communities which will lead to economic growth, wellbeing and connection."
Conwy Castle - Getty
12:35 PM
Watch live: Amazon founder and Blue Origin crew to launch New Shepard
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and world's richest man, is minutes away from taking a historic leap for private space flight when he is blasted into space aboard his New Shepard rocket.
The rocket will take off from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas, in less than 30 minutes, and take Mr Bezos up 62 miles, above the Karman line and briefly into space. The crew are just about to board the Blue Shepard crew capsule.
Mr Bezos has been in a race with Sir Richard Branson and SpaceX boss Elon Musk to accelerate private space flight and exploration.
Tokyo 2020 chief does not rule out cancellation of Games
The head of the organising committee for the Tokyo Olympics has not ruled out a last-minute cancellation of the global sporting showpiece, amid rising coronavirus cases that have presented organisers with mounting challenges.
Asked at a news conference if the Games, which are due to open on Friday, might still be cancelled, Toshiro Muto said he would keep an eye on infection numbers and hold discussions with organisers if necessary.
Covid-19 cases are rising in Tokyo rising and the Games, postponed last year because of the pandemic, will be held without spectators.
12:06 PM
Singapore bans restaurant dining as cases rise
Singapore will halt restaurant dining and ban gatherings of more than two people for one month from Thursday, the health ministry said, as a further rise in coronavirus cases deals a blow to the country's reopening plans.
The restrictions will be reviewed in two weeks as the country nears its milestone of vaccinating two-thirds of its population by August 9.
New cases almost doubled on Monday from the previous day and 184 new infections were expected to be confirmed on Tuesday.
The Singapore skyine - Moment RF
11:57 AM
Travelling to Madeira 'is like a holiday in the ‘before times’'
'Travelling around felt so normal' - Mary Ann Haslam
With the lowest Covid cases in Europe, the Atlantic island of Madeira is a safe bet for a summer escape with plenty of outdoor activities, writes Mary Ann Haslam:
The hotels I checked into only required masks while moving around public spaces and sanitiser before entering. The latter hotel even provided a “hygiene kit” by the bedside, containing a disposable mask and two sachets of antibacterial gel.
Spas throughout are open, with some restrictions. The Laurea Spa at the famed Savoy Palace, where I booked in for a massage, could only allow 10 in the gym and 25 in the spa maximum – but no mask was needed for my treatment or in the spa itself.
All that was required to fly back to the UK was to complete an antigen test within 72 hours before departure and the passenger locator form, plus a Day 2 test at home.
‘There’s never been a better time to fly… actually, I take that back’
Meanwhile, over on Instagram, Giles Coren is at Heathrow Airport today.
With the lounges shut, he’s having to sit with the hoi polloi for the first time in 30 years. He is not impressed.
11:38 AM
Australian man ties bedsheets together to escape fourth-floor hotel quarantine
The makeshift rope dangling from the window and, right, the view down to the car park below
A man in the Australian city of Perth escaped mandatory quarantine in a hotel by scaling down a rope made of tied bedsheets from a fourth-floor window, police said on Tuesday.
After arriving in the West Coast city on a flight from Brisbane, the man had his application for entry refused under the state's tough border entry rules.
He was told to leave the state within 48 hours and taken to a hotel for temporary quarantine, but just before 1am on Tuesday (local time) "he climbed out a window of the fourth-floor room using a rope made of bed sheets and fled the area", Western Australia Police said in a Facebook post.
The latest travel news from Canada, India, Australia and Japan
A quick look at the headlines around the world this lunchtime:
Fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents will be allowed into Canada for non-essential travel from August 9 without quarantine, and all vaccinated foreign travellers can enter from September 7.
The virus death toll in India is up to 10 times higher than the nearly 415,000 fatalities reported by authorities, likely making it the country's worst humanitarian disaster since independence, a US research group says.
Adelaide is the latest Australian city to lock down, meaning more than 14 million people are now under stay-at-home orders, as the largely unvaccinated nation struggles to contain a fast-spreading outbreak.
In Japan, Olympics chief Thomas Bach has revealed his "doubts" and "sleepless nights" over the postponed Tokyo Games as the opening ceremony nears.
11:10 AM
Travel industry launches #SaveInboundTourism campaign
UKInbound, which represents the UK's inbound tourism sector, is leading calls to extend the furlough scheme for travel businesses.
Tourism leaders nationwide have joined its #SaveInboundTourism campaign, with events planned at Westminster today and a social media 'Twitterstorm' happening now.
It is also appealing for a Tourism Export Recovery Fund, to assist those whose livelihoods have been impacted by the continuing travel restrictions.
Why Europe's rivers are the ideal way to ease yourself back into cruising
A river cruise on the Rhone promises fine food and wine - iStock
New ships and bright ideas make Europe’s rivers an enticing proposition, whether you take the plunge this summer or plan ahead to next, writes Sara Macefield:
As the dark clouds of this modern-day contagion start to lift and travel restrictions are rolled back, exploring the rivers of Europe is more appealing than ever.
With continued confusion around Foreign Office rules on international sea cruises, rivers may be the way many return to the water. “This is one of the best options for getting back to cruising,” says Giles Hawke, UK chief executive of cruise operator Avalon Waterways. “The river cruise experience is tailored to customers who want more space, which is offered by river ships, and I think we will see a desire for more outdoorsy activities.”
UK court rules government acted lawfully over Covid travel rules
London's High Court ruled this morning that Britain did not act unlawfully over its traffic light system for travellers, in a case brought by Manchester Airports Group and backed by a number of airlines.
While the court accepted part of the argument against the government, it did not find that the transport minister had acted unlawfully, and the government will not have to disclose more information on how it reaches decisions over its travel rules.
"British businesses and consumers deserve to understand how the Government takes decisions on the traffic light system so that they can book their travel with confidence," said a joint statement from the bosses of the airlines involved, including easyJet and Ryanair.
10:32 AM
Around the world in pictures
Worshippers circle the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca yesterday - Getty Meanwhile in Normandy, Jean-Olivier Petrich, co-owner of The Domaine de La Flaguerie checks the old oak barrels used to age Calvados (apple brandy) - Getty The island of Phuket, Thailand, is trialling quarantine-free holidays for international travellers that have been fully vaccinated - Getty
10:19 AM
Global pingdemic? How the rest of the world does test and trace
Although test and trace can be an effective tool to contain the spread of the virus, it’s also becoming increasingly controversial and hard to enforce.
So how are other countries dealing with it?
Italy: If you are ‘pinged’, there is no requirement to self-isolate, but you are told to contact your local doctor for further advice.
US: There is no national contact-tracing program in the United States, and local attempts to promote and enforce schemes have largely failed.
China: Nobody is exempt from contact tracing. Being ‘pinged’ means being tested and at least a 14 to 21-day quarantine that is strictly enforced.
'Looking forward to a summer holiday? Prepare for chaos...'
A flexible outlook is key, as last-minute setbacks and unpredictable interventions from the government make it difficult to plan ahead, warns Nick Trend:
The sun may be beating down on the Mediterranean beaches, but storm clouds are gathering over our summer holidays. They are causing anxiety for those who have booked and making it impossible to plan for those who are still hoping to.
We are clearly in for a bumpy ride, with last minute setbacks and unpredictable interventions from a government which seems to revel in raising and then suddenly dashing our holiday hopes.
That’s not to say that the whole summer is doomed. But it is clear that there will be a lot of chopping and changing, cancellation and rebooking.
Watch: Australia deports Katie Hopkins after she boasted about breaching hotel quarantine
09:26 AM
'Do not travel to the UK': Latest advice for US citizens
Following the updated advice from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US has placed the UK on its highest warning level, meaning Americans should not visit except in an emergency.
It is now classed as Level 4, or "Very High", in the CDC's Covid warning levels.
The State Department's advisory said: "Do not travel to the United Kingdom due to Covid-19. Exercise increased caution due to terrorism.
"The CDC has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for the United Kingdom due to Covid-19, indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country.
"There are restrictions in place affecting US citizen entry into the United Kingdom."
It comes after Joe Biden last week suggested that travel between the US and the UK was close to reopening, promising an update on talks "within the next several days".
09:18 AM
More than half of Australia's population under Covid lockdowns
Sydney, where the latest Delta outbreak started before spreading elsewhere, is currently in the fourth week of a five-week lockdown - Getty
More than half of Australia's 25 million population were under lockdown on Tuesday after a third state adopted movement curbs to rein in the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus.
Australia's infections and deaths are well below other developed nations, but its use of lockdowns, prompted by a sluggish vaccination campaign, is putting pressure on the national government, with polls at their lowest in a year and just months before elections are due to be held.
South Australia, a state of 1.8 million, imposed a seven-day lockdown after detecting five infections linked to a returned traveller, just as the neighbouring state of Victoria extended by a week a five-day lockdown that had failed to stop new cases.
"We hate putting these restrictions in place but we believe we have one chance to get this right," South Australia premier Steven Marshall told reporters.
08:51 AM
International cruise holidays poised to restart next month
The UK's international cruise ban is set to be lifted by the end of this month, the boss of Saga Travel has told industry website Travel Weekly.
According to chief executive Nick Stace, ministers are set to set to meet tomorrow to decide whether the current international cruise bans can be lifted, as cruise companies have now fulfilled the government's requirements to restart operations.
Stace told Travel Weekly: “Firstly, government wanted a memorandum of understanding signed, that if there is a future pandemic, or this pandemic goes on for some time, that all the repatriation will come at the cost of the cruise sector.
“This is what we did anyway, but they wanted an MOU signed and that happened last week. So that was one of the hurdles.”
“Secondly, government needed a body of evidence that the cruise industry is committed to reporting on cases on board and since May 17 we now have 49,000 passenger journeys recorded.”
He added: “The decision [whether to lift the cruise ban] is due to be taken by a committee chaired by aviation minister Robert Courts 10 days prior to that date, so on July 21.”
08:36 AM
France ready to make Covid passports mandatory for bars and restaurants
Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters gathered outside the Louvre gallery over the weekend - Shutterstock
The French government is poised to draft legislation requiring proof of full vaccination, immunity or a recent test to enter bars, restaurants, shopping centres and long distance trains.
The draft French law, which will then be rushed through parliament this week, was necessary to stem “stratospheric” infection levels due to the rise of the more contagious Delta variant, said the French government spokesman Gabriel Attal.
New daily infections reached 12,532 on Sunday, more than double the number of a week ago but well below new daily cases in the UK, which stand at more than 48,000.
This prompted the French Europe minister on Monday to slam Britain’s restrictions on travellers from France as “excessive”.
“We don’t think that the United Kingdom’s decisions are totally based on scientific foundations. We find them excessive,” Clément Beaune told BFM TV after the UK decided that visitors would need to quarantine for 10 days after arriving from France amid concern over the Beta variant.
08:16 AM
Amber-plus list decisions 'not just about the numbers'
When asked whether Spain was going to be added to the amber watchlist of travel restrictions, business minister Paul Scully told Sky News this morning that the decisions were "taken at Cabinet level".
He told interviewers: "They'll look at the data, and they'll make sure that they can work out what is best to make sure that we keep transmission of the virus low, we keep the transmission of the variants low, because it's the variants that are really key here to work out how they're interacting with our vaccine programme."
Asked whether the fact that rates are higher in Spain than in France – where those returning from the country are no longer exempt from quarantine – indicated that Spain would be added to the amber list, Mr Scully said: "It's not just about the pure numbers.
"It's also about the variants, and the style of variants, the Beta variant, for example, that's quite prevalent in France at the moment, we're looking at how that interacts with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"And so it's... there's a lot of factors that are involved in the decisions that are taken around travel."
08:00 AM
Thousands blocked from ferries to Greek islands amid spike in cases
An officer of the Hellenic Coast Guard supervises the boarding of a ferry at the port of Piraeus near Athens - EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
More than 2,500 foreign and local tourists have been barred from boarding ferries in Greece in the last three days because they did not have the right Covid documents, according to the country's shipping minister.
Amid a worrying increase in coronavirus cases, the Greek coast guard has been brought in to check that tourists have the right paperwork, apparently because port authorities have been failing to do it properly.
“The coast guard has assumed the responsibility for the passenger checks because they were found to be deficient,” Giannis Plakiotakis, the shipping minister, told a local television station.
Passengers on Greek ferries are required to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated or have antibodies because they recently recovered from the virus.
07:50 AM
Fears Spain could be added to ‘amber plus’ list as beta variant rates outstrip France
Concerns are growing that Spain could be added to the "amber plus" list after new figures revealed that its beta variant rates are nearly three times higher than those of France.
The data, compiled by the respected Gisaid research centre, showed 9.3 per cent of the Covid cases in Spain in the past month were the beta variant, which originated in South Africa and is regarded as the biggest threat to the efficacy of the vaccines.
That compared with 3.7 per cent over the same period in mainland France, which on Friday became the first amber list country to be barred from the Government's opening of quarantine-free travel for double-jabbed Britons.
Scientists and travel experts said it raised questions over why France had been singled out as other figures suggested Spain's rate of 21 per cent was five times higher than France's 4.2 per cent and nearly twice Greece's 13.4 per cent.
'The greatest barrier to travel this summer? Nobody wants us'
So says Rory Boland, travel editor of consumer group Which?, in the wake of the US strengthening its advisory against travel to the UK:
The government can tinker with traffic lights all it likes, but what we’ve seen in the last week is that our ‘experiment’ with high infection rates has caused countries to ban entry from & warn against travel to the UK
EasyJet ramps up summer capacity to 60% of pre-pandemic levels
EasyJet plans to fly 60 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity in the July-September period, up from 17 per cent in the previous quarter, as Covid restrictions ease and travel appetite builds across Europe.
The group said this morning it was confident about the demand for summer and autumn travel, adding that it was gearing its schedule towards European routes, given that Europe had opened up faster than Britain.
EasyJet's boss has been one of the most vocal critics of Britain's approach to travel over the last two months, slamming last-minute changes which have resulted in booking surges and mass cancellations.
For now, the airline said it had scheduled 60 per cent of its flights for intra-European Union routes, whereas normally its business is split evenly between Britain and the EU.
But the company said it expected bookings from the UK to improve in the coming period as quarantine is scrapped for fully vaccinated arrivals from some European countries.
07:14 AM
Americans urged not to travel to UK
The State Department has elevated the UK to "do not travel" status amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Britain.
Following the updated advice from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, Britain has been placed at the highest warning level, meaning Americans should not visit except in an emergency.
The UK recorded more than 48,000 new cases on Monday, and there is concern in Washington that the virus could spread even among the vaccinated.
07:02 AM
Yesterday's headlines
Before we begin, a quick recap of Monday's news:
Travel industry is 'on its knees', MP tells Commons
French travellers lambast UK Government's 'incoherent' quarantine rules
UK flight numbers soar as restrictions eased
Freedom Day farce as Boris Johnson urged to end ‘pingdemic’
Australia extends lockdown in Victoria after 13 cases on Monday
Former New York Yankees left-hander Fritz Peterson died at the age of 82. He is probably best known exchanging wives with teammate Mike Kekich in the 1970s.
It's another edition of 'Mock Draft Monday' on the pod and who better to have on then the face of NFL Network's draft coverage and a giant in the industry. Daniel Jeremiah joins Matt Harmon to discuss his mock draft methodology, what he's hearing about this year's draft class and shares his favorite five picks in his latest mock draft.
