MP advises ‘not to travel to amber list’ countries, but it can’t be enforced

A government Minister has said on Wednesday that travel to amber list destinations is a “personal responsibility,” but do not advise to do so.

Skills Minister Gilliam Keegan further said that amber list countries are “not somewhere where you should be going on holiday.”

Keegan was asked over people travelling to amber list countries, she told Sky News, “This is the time for cautious personal responsibility… The British public have been amazing both in getting the vaccine and… adhering to all the lockdown rules…But… this first step is the first step in the next stage of the journey. And we think it’s the right step.”

The Minister added on the amber list, “This is guidance from the government. We haven’t legislated to ban people from going on holiday.

“And, as with many of these things that we’ve had throughout the pandemic, this has been about really relying on the great British public to be sensible and looking at the guidance that we put in place and taking their own decisions.

“We wouldn’t advise going on holiday to the amber list countries.”

The Labour Party are demanding that international travel to be halted immediately to prevent the Indian variant from spreading as well as importing other “dangerous strains.”

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth told Sky News, “People just want clear guidance about what is the right thing to do.

“I probably wouldn’t have introduced… the international travel restrictions easing, this week. I’d have done it in a different way.

“Our Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has long been calling on your programme and other programmes that we need a comprehensive border policy.

“Our borders have been as secure as a sieve throughout this crisis, it’s why we are seeing these variants bounce across the world and come and hit us and there’s probably going to be more of this as well.”

Thomas-Symonds said in a statement on Tuesday, “The Conservatives border policies have unraveled into dangerous chaos within a matter of hours since international travel was opened up.

“There is a lack of strategy, which has meant the UK government, and their own Ministers, are giving out conflicting and confused advice about whether people are allowed to travel, especially between ‘amber list’ countries.”

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson warned people on Tuesday that they should not be heading off on holidays to amber list destinations.

Despite the government’s warning, thousands of Brits flew out on Monday to Greece, France, Spain and Italy which saw around 150 flights take off, which are all on the government’s amber list.

Johnson said Brits should not travel to amber list destinations and said it was “very important” people understand the traffic light system.

He said, “It is not somewhere you should be going on holiday, let me be very clear about that.

“If people do go to an amber list country if they absolutely have to for some pressing family or urgent business reason… please bear in mind that you will have to self isolate, you will have to take tests and do a passenger locator form and all the rest of it.”

The prime minister’s spokesman said, “The position remains that people should not travel to amber list countries and that’s to protect public health.”

If people do travel to an amber list country then they are required by law to take a Covid test, fill out passenger locator forms and self-isolate for 10 days or face  fines of £10,000.