Javid wants to ditch PCR tests for travellers ‘as soon as possible’ – as vaccine passports axed
Sajid Javid has told Sky News he wants to remove the PCR test requirement for travellers returning from some foreign countries “as soon as I possibly can”.
The health secretary said he was aware of the cost for families holidaying abroad and that the measure should not be in place “for a second longer than is absolutely necessary”.
Mr Javid said he had asked officials to remove the rule “at the moment we can”.
Sajid Javid said PCR tests are costly for families looking to holiday abroad
Meanwhile, the health secretary also told Sky News he did not “like the idea” of vaccine passports and hoped to “avoid” introducing them.
“We have got a huge number of defences; of course we still want to remain very cautious, and there are some things that – when it comes to travel for example – there are some rules that are going to have to remain in place,” Mr Javid told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday.
“But the PCR test that is required upon your return to the UK from certain countries, look, I want to try and get rid of that as soon as I possibly can.
“I am not going to make that decision right now, but I have already asked officials that at the moment we can, let’s get rid of these kind of intrusions, the costs that generates for families, particularly families just trying to go out and holiday.
“We shouldn’t be keeping anything like that in place for a second longer than is absolutely necessary.”
Last month, the government announced the cost of NHS coronavirus tests for international travel were being reduced from £88 to £68 each
At present, passengers returning from green list countries, or amber list destinations if they are fully vaccinated, must take PCR tests on or before day two after they arrive in England.
Last month, the government announced the cost of NHS coronavirus tests for international travel were being reduced from £88 to £68 each, with the sum for two rests reducing from £170 to £136.
The travel industry, which has been hammered by the pandemic, has long complained that the costs of tests are too high.
In August, Mr Javid announced a “rapid internal review” of prices charged by government-approved companies after claims holidaymakers were being exploited over private testing.
Asked on Sky News whether Labour would support scrapping the need for PCR tests to be taken by those travelling internationally, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said his party “will have to see what the proposal is when it comes before Parliament”.
Mr Ashworth added that, “at first sight”, reports of the government plans “looks like a reasonable approach”.
International travellers returning to Wales will be offered a wider choice of COVID test providers from 21 September
The debate comes as the Welsh government announced that international travellers returning to Wales will be offered a wider choice of COVID test providers from 21 September.
The Welsh government said in a statement it would make the change from September 21 as “new standards and spot checks are being introduced, which will help to address long-standing concerns and issues about the market for PCR tests” for those returning to the UK.
Meanwhile, on the use of vaccine passports, Mr Javid said the government would not introduce the measure unless there is “no alternative”.
“I think if we went down the road of vaccine passports or vaccine certification as it is sometimes called, that is a big decision for any government to make,” the health secretary told Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday.
The travel industry has long complained that the costs of tests are too high
“We have been looking at that, we have been open about that, instinctively I do not like the idea at all of people having to, let’s say, present papers to do basic things.
“So if we do that, it has to be something that is looked at very carefully and something that we believe has to be done with no alternative.”
The health secretary said “rising” vaccination rates should be taken into account when making “a final decision” on whether vaccine passports should be used, adding: “But I hope we can avoid it.”
He continued: “I am not here today to rule that out, we haven’t made a final decision as a government.
“We have been looking at it, we have been very open about that, but as I have said, I think that if we did something like that it has to be supported by the evidence and it has to be something that is absolutely, absolutely necessary with no alternative.
“So as I say, I hope we can avoid it.”
Sajid Javid told Sky News he does not like the idea of vaccine passports and that they would only be brought in if there is ‘no alternative’
Earlier this week, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said an extension to use of vaccine passports will be looked at if there is a “public health need”.
Mr Dowden told Sky News the government “want as few restrictions for as short a period as possible”, but that if the situation with coronavirus worsens, ministers will consider requiring vaccine certification to attend more venues to “protect” the public.
The culture secretary did, however, emphasise that the government is “always reluctant to impose further burdens on businesses unless we really have to”.
It came a day after Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that vaccine passports will be introduced in Scotland for entry into venues with large crowds from 1 October.
COVID-19 certification will be required to enter events such as nightclubs, music festivals and some football grounds, Ms Sturgeon said.
MSPs in Holyrood voted by 68 to 55 in favour of the measure which will be introduced from 1 October after all Scottish adults have had the opportunity to receive both COVID-19 vaccines, with two weeks having passed to allow the vaccine to take effect.
Speaking on Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday, Ms Sturgeon said the measure “is part of a package of measures, it has a part to play”.
“Anybody who thinks there is one single magic wand solution to this virus probably haven’t learned a lot over the last 18 months, and secondly, any measure we take has upsides and it has downsides.”
She added: “This is a very limited scheme, it is in fact similar to what is being proposed in England as well, and it has a part to play.”
UK
UK weather: Fresh amber warning for rain into New Year’s Day as wind and downpours cancel celebrations
A new amber warning for heavy rain has been issued for parts of England this evening, as wet and windy weather elsewhere in the country forced the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Outdoor events planned for 31 December as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will not take place, and events on the 30th were also cancelled.
A spokesperson said events in the city centre of the Scottish capital, including fireworks from the castle, are unable to go ahead “on the grounds of public safety” due to “high winds and inclement weather”.
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Meanwhile, organisers of a planned fireworks display in Blackpool said it has also been cancelled due to the weather.
Visit Blackpool said only the pyrotechnics have been affected, with the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party to continue as planned, including free ice skating and a projection light show.
Weather warnings for the UK as of Tuesday evening. Pic: Met Office
More bad news came on Tuesday evening when the Met Office issued an amber warning for rain over an area from Preston to Bradford. It is in place as of 8.38pm on Tuesday evening until 9am on Wednesday morning.
“Persistent and, at times heavy, rain will continue overnight before clearing southwards on Wednesday morning,” the forecaster said.
“40-50mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100mm across west-facing hills. There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100mm.”
Heavy rain is likely to lead to disruption including flooding. Pic: Met Office
Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of multiple Met Office weather warnings over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Another fireworks event in Ripon, North Yorkshire, also succumbed to the weather, with the council posting on Facebook that the event planned to take place in the city’s Market Square could not go ahead due to high winds.
While a homemade boat race in Poole in Dorset, a sea dip in Lyme Regis in the same south coast county, as well as fireworks displays on the Isle of Wight and on Newcastle’s Quayside, were all cancelled on Tuesday morning.
Although London’s City Hall had said it was “monitoring the weather”, mayor Sadiq Khan this evening reassured visitors the fireworks would go ahead.
London mayor Sir Sadiq told the PA news agency: “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.
“Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”
Waves break on the seafront in Blackpool. Pic: PA
Rain, wind and snow warnings
Three separate weather warnings currently cover Scotland alone for Tuesday evening, including a yellow warning for “persistent snow” over Shetland and Orkney, a yellow warning for rain and snow in the north, which could bring possible blizzard conditions, especially over high ground in Sutherland and Caithness.
Three different warnings cover Scotland on Tuesday alone. Pic: Met Office
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Hogmanay event cancelled
A yellow warning for wind spans from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and the Met Office has warned of possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.
Train operator ScotRail warned its services were being disrupted by speed restrictions due to “very heavy rainfall”.
At least 11 lines have been affected, according to the ScotRail website, and 18 trains were cancelled on Tuesday morning.
Network Rail said it closed the Highland Main Line at Kingussie because of “more extreme rainfall overnight”.
Forecasters say the high winds and rain may also cause flooding, particularly in the Midlands and Pennines, with the Environment Agency urging people to stay away from swollen rivers and avoid driving through floodwater.
In the Highlands, flooding has forced the closure of the A9 at Tomich.
The A9 in Inverness. Pic: PA
‘Tricky couple of days’
As the clock strikes midnight in the UK, separate warnings for wind and rain are in place for Wednesday.
Pic: PA
Strong winds are forecast across much of England and Wales until 3pm on 1 January, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
A period of strong winds on Wednesday across most of England and Wales risks disruption, the Met Office said. Pic: Met Office
The period from Thursday to Saturday is expected to be a “widely cold but sunny few days, with wintry showers mainly confined to coastal areas.
“Northern areas may see patchy rain, sleet and snow move in on Saturday.”.
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Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.
“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”
Veteran radio DJ Johnnie Walker, who hosted BBC Radio 2’s Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show, has died aged 79.
Known for championing artists like Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, Walker in October announced he would retire from radio after 58 years.
He had previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung condition.
Weeks later, he presented his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show as he hung up his headphones due to ill health.
The DJ was awarded an MBE in 2006. Pic: PA
Tiggy Walker, Walker’s wife, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of Johnnie – how he kept broadcasting almost to the end and with what dignity and grace he coped with his debilitating lung disease.
“He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong, amazing man.”
She added: “And if I may say – what a day to go. He’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a stash of great musicians in heaven.”
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Walker’s death was announced on air by his friend and colleague, BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, who took over as presenter of Sounds Of The 70s in November.
Harris said: “I first started listening to him on pirate radio and we know what an incredible, wonderful, superb broadcaster he was.
“We also know how passionate he was about his music, went out on a limb many times to defend the music that he loved.”
The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said the organisation was “deeply saddened” by the passing of a “pop radio pioneer and a champion of great music”.
“No one loved the audience as much as Johnnie, and we loved him back.”
From fixing cars to hosting Drivetime
Born in Birmingham, he left school aged 15 to train to as a mechanic, later becoming a car salesman.
But his passion for music was already bubbling away, and he picked up a Friday night slot as a disco DJ under the name Peter Dee.
He began his radio career in 1966 on an offshore pirate station, Swinging Radio England.
But it was with Radio Caroline that he became a household name, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1969.
After a stint in San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly show for Radio Luxembourg, he returned to the UK in the 1980s, working on various BBC stations until landing his own weekly show on Radio 2, and then taking over Drivetime.
He gained a reputation as a DJ who placed more importance on the tracks he played than the chat between them.
Helen Thomas, head of BBC Radio 2, said Walker “loved radio and inspired a generation of presenters, passionately promoting the artists and music he cared about so deeply”.
She called him a “much-loved broadcasting legend” with a “wry sense of humour” and “warm, open style”.
Shaun Keaveny, who took over presenting Radio 2’s The Rock Show from Walker, described him as “a rebel, a soul searcher, and a seeker, a rocker, and a phenomenal broadcaster”.
The veteran DJ pictured in March 2004. Pic: PA
Walker ‘died’ three times
In October 2003, Walker underwent chemotherapy and an emergency operation for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He revealed his diagnosis live on air, and later revealed he “died” three times during surgery to repair his burst intestine.
IPF is a condition that scars lungs and makes it increasingly harder to breathe.
The NHS website says it is not clear what causes the condition, and although treatments can slow its impact, there is “currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs”.
West Ham forward Michail Antonio has said he has realised he “took life for granted” but is now thankful just for “being alive”, as he was discharged from hospital after a car crash in early December.
In a heartfelt message on Tuesday evening, he thanked the NHS, the air ambulance, and “everyone from top to bottom at West Ham United FC”.
“Every year around this time, I’m asked what I’m grateful for, and every year I’ve struggled to find the right words,” Antonio said in a post on Instagram, alongside a photo of him on crutches.
“But this year, I know exactly what I’m grateful for: being alive.”
A picture appeared to show Antonio’s damaged car
The 34-year-old Jamaica international needed surgery on a lower limb fracture after a one-car incident outside London on 7 December, and his rehabilitation is expected to take quite some time.
But he promised to be “back on that pitch soon” as he wished everyone a happy new year.
The striker said he realised he had spent “so many years taking life for granted”.
“I made plans for the next day, the next year, always assuming tomorrow was guaranteed.
“I’ve seen close friends pass away… and even then, I didn’t fully grasp just how precious life is.
“What I’ve been through recently has opened my eyes. Life is fragile, and every single moment matters. I’m so grateful to God for giving me the strength to keep going and for allowing me to still be here.”
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui previously described the outcome of the serious accident as a “miracle.”
In the first match after the crash, West Ham players wore “Antonio 9” shirts before kick-off.
The kit was then signed by the players, including Antonio, and auctioned off, generating almost £60,000 for the NHS and Air Ambulances UK Charity.
“Everyone at the club would like to reiterate their heartfelt thanks to the first responders, emergency services, air ambulance staff and the NHS for the incredible support given to Michail in the wake of the accident,” West Ham said in a statement earlier today.
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