UK signals overseas travel limits will remain as Covid spreads

The UK government signaled it will keep restrictions on overseas travel in place for now to control a surge in coronavirus infections and the risk of new variants of the virus taking hold. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said “normal” holidays were “never going to be the case” this year because of increasing Covid-19 cases. His comments indicate increasing concern about a third wave of cases in the UK despite one of the world’s most aggressive vaccination programs. “There are going to have to be significant trade-offs” Buckland said Sunday. “We’ve tried to strike the right balance between the natural need in some cases for international travel, but also the imperative of making sure that we do everything we can at home to contain and prevent inadvertent spread of new variants.” The remarks are a blow to airlines and a growing number of members of Parliament in the ruling Conservative Party pressing for the government to loosen restrictions. While the US and European Union are starting to open borders for travel, Britain has rules requiring quarantine and Covid testing for travelers arriving from most places.<br/>