Portugal 10 days

Some of the first people to check into quarantine hotels have had their first taste of freedom upon their release today after self-isolating for 11 nights. From last Monday, UK and Irish nationals returning to England from a "red list" country deemed at high risk for COVID-19 have had to check into quarantine hotels. Hotel "guests" have criticised the £1,750 fee for the stay , which is punishable by a fine of up to £10,000 or 10 years in prison if breached. The rule applies to people returning to Scotland from any destination. One couple, Wagner and Elaine Araujo, who were among the first people to be released from hotel quarantine, said the experience was "horrible" but they enjoyed spending quality time together. Advertisement More from Covid-19 Bus driver jailed for life after battering wife to death during first coronavirus lockdown COVID-19: People in their 40s first for phase two of vaccine rollout - no priority for … [Read more...] about COVID-19: First travellers released from hotel quarantine – ‘It was horrible’

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will deliver to the EU less than half the amount of COVID-19 vaccine doses that it pledged for the first quarter of 2021, company boss Pascal Soriot admitted to European lawmakers on Thursday. The drugmaker has long said it will not be able to fulfill its target, but the confirmation remains a blow to the EU's vaccine rollout. The bloc has fallen far behind the United States, Britain and Israel in vaccinating its public, blaming supply chain issues. About 8% of the adult population of the EU have been vaccinated, according to European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen. AstraZeneca will now try and deliver 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March, down from an initial 90 million. The pledge is in line with previous statements from the company. On Wednesday, AstraZeneca said it would only be able to deliver half the COVID-19 vaccines it was contracted to supply the EU in the second quarter of 2021. The EU has … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: AstraZeneca admits huge vaccine shortfall for EU

Boris Johnson gave holidaymakers a glimmer of hope as he announced the government's plans for easing England out of lockdown. Currently England has a ban on international travel for leisure, meaning it's illegal to go on holiday abroad. However, the policy on foreign travel is set to be reviewed in April as part of the lockdown roadmap, and could resume from May 17 at the earliest. Unsurprisingly, travel firms noted a surge in bookings for flights and holidays - and Skyscanner was no exception. The flight bookings website said it saw a 55% increase of traffic to its website immediately after Boris unveiled the roadmap in the House of Commons on Monday, with flight bookings from UK travellers increasing by 69% compared to the previous day. As for the destination top of the list? It was Spain where holidaymakers were keen to nab deals, with the country having the highest volume of bookings on Monday (February 22). It's not surprising considering Spain has been a firm … [Read more...] about Skyscanner saw bookings surge after lockdown roadmap news with Spain top of list