Planning a Summer Vacation? Not So Fast, U.K. Government Warns

(Bloomberg) -- Britons looking forward to a summer vacation will have to put their plans on hold, as the government said there is no certainty on when lockdown restrictions will be lifted.

“As of today, it is a fact that the guidelines and the official Foreign Office advice do not allow for people going on holidays,” government spokesman James Slack told reporters on a conference call on reporters Friday, when asked if people should be making any vacation plans. “We are not able to say with certainty the point at which the social-distancing measures can be relaxed.”

The U.K. extended its nationwide lockdown on Thursday for at least another three weeks as the death toll from the virus continues to rise. The restrictions have left airlines such as EasyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc and the leisure industry reeling, forcing them to ground planes.

“I won’t be booking a summer holiday at this point, let’s put it that way,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC’s Today program earlier.

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