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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Andy Gregory

Covid news - live: EU threatens export controls on vaccines and Hancock refuses to say when lockdown will end

Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
Matt Hancock says ‘end in sight’ for coronavirus restrictions

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said it is "too early" for people to think about summer holiday plans.

He told BBC Breakfast the “right thing to do now is to continue with our vaccination drive” as he warned there was still “a long way to go” in another interview with Sky News.

Boris Johnson is expected to approve plans to force some travellers arriving to the UK to quarantine in hotels to limit the spread of new coronavirus variants.

The prime minister will discuss the proposals with senior ministers on Tuesday before a final decision is made at a meeting of the Covid-O meeting.

Various options are said to be on the table, but Whitehall sources suggested ministers may opt for a more limited system after aviation leaders warned introducing tougher border rules would be "catastrophic" for the industry.

The officials said a less sweeping option would apply only to British residents returning from countries with more contagious variants - such as Brazil, South Africa and Portugal.

It comes after health secretary Matt Hancock warned the NHS is “stretched to the limit” as the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care and on ventilation has reached the highest level of the pandemic so far.

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