Downing Street has warned that people should thnk carefully before booking any summer holiday - as it hinted Britain's lockdown may continue.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that the official advice remained that people should not travel abroad for all but essential purposes.
It comes after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps admitted he personally would not commit to a break as the Covid-19 shutdown continues.
The PM's spokesman said: “While we are making progress in our fight against coronavirus, we aren't able to say with certainty the point at which the social distancing measures can be relaxed.
“In terms of travelling within the UK for holidays, that wasn't something which the current social distancing guidelines allow for.
“In terms of travelling abroad, the advice of the Foreign Office continues to be that you should go abroad for essential travel only.
“As of today it is a fact that both the guidelines and official Foreign Office advice do not allow for people going on holidays.”
Earlier Transport Secretary Grant Schapps said:“On the travel advice – should you book your holidays? – clearly people will want to see what the trajectory of this disease is in the next few weeks,” he told the BBC.
“I won't be booking a summer holiday at this point, let's put it that way.”
The Association of British Travel Agents blasted Mr Shapps' intervention.
A spokesman said: “It was a thoughtless comment and not based on any facts about what we know today about the future of the pandemic, but it shows complete disregard for the UK travel industry, the hundreds of thousands of people it employs and the struggle it is facing in this current crisis.
“It would be better if the Government focused on taking the necessary steps to support the sector rather than undermining confidence in it.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon said: “Families need clarity from the Government about when we might expect to exit the lockdown and be able go back to doing thing like seeing friends going on holiday.
“People in the travel and holiday industry will be rightly worried about the Government's lack of support for them both during this lockdown and after.
“We need a clear road map to transition out of this lockdown when the time is right but also a long term plan to help the jobs and industries that will see a knock-on effect for many months to come."
Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Grant Shapps’ comments will be kick in the teeth for Unite members in hospitality, aviation, transport and throughout the economy who are relying on the Government to get the country up and running as safely and quickly as possible.
“He is not exactly sending the message that the Government has a grip, or a plan for getting this country back on its feet and in a position where people can look forward with confidence to their holidays.”
Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Ministers must stop making off-the-cuff remarks that imply they hold insider knowledge about this crisis.
“Shapps' comment will almost certainly be taken as an indication by some households that they too should not make any summer plans.
“Unless the Government is going to issue official guidance to this effect, ministers must steer clear of such remarks, which could have a damaging impact on the travel and tourism industry, as well as worry families trying to plan for the future."
Mr Shapps also hinted at a phased return to normal as restrictions are eased, saying: “There maybe areas where we can relax things in the future, but there may also be areas where we still need to tighten things further. All of that will depend on the medical advice.”
He added: “Clearly it's unlikely in the extreme that, just as we didn't go into the lockdown in one go, we suddenly come out of it in a single press statement and everything returns back to normal.
"I don't think anyone expects that in Britain. But you can then look at different sectors and say, 'Perhaps these are the areas which can be loosened up first, perhaps in other areas we need to be equally as strict as where we are now or even a bit stricter.”
He hit back at Labour leader Keir Starmer who claimed Boris Johnson's recovery was Covid-19 was hampering an exit strategy.
Mr Shapps branded the claim “completely untrue”.
Car use has plummeted to a 65-year low as motorists stay home during the lockdown, Mr Shapps revealed.
The Cabinet Minister hailed the fewest number of vehicles on the network for six decades as proof the message was being hammered home.
"As Transport Secretary in the 21st Century I can now say that the level of car and road use is the equivalent to 1955 and I must be the first Transport Secretary in history who celebrates the idea that there are fewer cars on the road and there are fewer people using public transport than ever before,” he told Sky News.
