Friday evening news briefing: Quarantine-free countries revealed

Danny Boyle
·6-min read
Holiday-ready? An air passenger passes through Stansted Airport today. CREDIT: ALAMY - Alamy
Holiday-ready? An air passenger passes through Stansted Airport today. CREDIT: ALAMY - Alamy

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Travel takes off: Where you can - and cannot - go

It is all systems go for (some) foreign holidays. The Government has revealed the long-awaited list of destinations that English residents can visit this summer - bringing joy to some, but misery for others. Read the full list of 59 countries and overseas territories to which holidaymakers can travel without self-isolating on their return from July 10. But countries including Portugal, Canada and the US - which have been deemed by the Government not to have a sound enough grip on their coronavirus infection rate - have been excluded from the quarantine-free system. The Government is scrambling to agree more deals and was unable to convince the devolved administrations to sign off on the plan, which Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon described as "shambolic", before it was made public. Our Travel team have chosen the best hotels reopening in Europe for quarantine-free summer holidays. And this is how to get travel insurance should you choose to ignore Foreign Office advice.

PM warns ahead of Super Saturday: 'Let's not blow it'

Super Saturday is just hours away. Boris Johnson has urged the public not to "blow" the progress made in tackling coronavirus when lockdown restrictions are eased this weekend. The Prime Minister said he hoped the reopening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers in England from tomorrow would allow people to enjoy themselves, but in a "safe way". Speaking at this evening's Downing Street briefing, England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty urged people to keep following social distancing rules as lockdown restrictions are eased, adding: "If individuals, families and firms do not take them seriously the possibility of a second wave goes up sharply." Confused about what is within the new rules? Look no further than our simple guide - everything that you can, cannot and should not do in England from tomorrow.

The middle classes, who have mostly hibernated through lockdown, now find themselves booking staycations and organising socially-distanced dinner parties with unprecedented urgency. No matter how much you may try to resist being bracketed into this homogenous mass, clichés exist for a reason. From styling the garden to exiting the city, Alice Hall explains all the ways you might be a Super Saturday clone.

First taste of lunch in a Covid-secure restaurant

It is lunchtime and my colleague Eleanor Steafel is eating a meal that someone else has cooked, at a table that is not her own, which someone else has laid and - the real clincher - where someone else is going to do the washing up. It has been four long months since any of us went to a restaurant. As those in England prepare to throw open their doors after more than 100 days of lockdown, diners will return to a new world of hospitality. Read about Eleanor's "strange, but glorious" experience.

At a glance: Latest coronavirus headlines

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

Race row | Dr David Starkey has been removed from his jobs at two universities after making comments about slavery in which he referred to "damn blacks". The celebrity historian argued that slavery cannot be considered genocide because "otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain". Meanwhile, Twitter is stopping the use of racially-loaded terms such as "master", "slave", and "blacklist" in its programming language in favour of more inclusive language.

Around the world: Shadow parliament in exile

Simon Cheng Man-kit, the British consulate worker allegedly tortured by Chinese secret police, is working on a shadow parliament to keep democracy alive for Hong Kong after the launch of a controversial new national security law. Read Sophia Yan's report from Beijing.

Friday interview

Meet the star of 2020's Last Night of the Proms: Soprano Golda Schultz tells Ivan Hewett, our Chief Classical Music Critic, how honoured - and nervous - she is feeling. Read the interview.

Golda Schultz
Golda Schultz

Comment and analysis

Editor's choice: Features and arts

  1. Will Meghan's big ambition backfire? | Legal battle puts royal relations under further strain

  2. From 'Sewing Bee' to NHS frontline | Reality show winner has traded plaid for PPE

  3. Lesson in how to teach history | Hamilton's arrival on Disney Plus could not be more timely

Business and money briefing

Job cuts | Companies across Britain have seen their revenues decimated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic - and many have begun to announce job cuts ahead of the closure of the Government's job retention scheme in October. Sophie Smith has a comprehensive guide to where the jobs axe is falling across the UK.

Sport briefing

Bring back club cricket! | The England & Wales Cricket Board has hit back at Boris Johnson's claims that "teas" and "changing rooms" are preventing the return of grassroots cricket. A series of leading epidemiologists have said that - providing other measures are taken, such as regular hand-washing and disinfecting the ball - the risks of Covid-19 being transmitted through cricket are minimal.

And finally... for this evening's downtime

Out of step | Traditional photoshoots have been halted during the pandemic, meaning the front of magazines look notably different. But Vogue Portugal's new "Madness Issue" cover depicts a woman being treated in an out-of-date psychiatric facility. Senior Fashion Editor Caroline Leaper asks: What were they thinking

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