Summer holidays face a fresh threat after Wales’ First Minister said he is pushing for some border restrictions to stay.
Mark Drakeford said the idea of allowing holidays like before the pandemic in two months’ time “fills me with horror” - despite hopes they could resume from May 17.
He told the i newspaper: “The idea that we will have international travel back as it was before in the middle of May fills me with horror, really.
“Because I just think there is such a risk that it will lead to the reimportation of the virus just as we’ve all worked so hard to get it under control.”
He added some border restrictions should stay in place over the summer, according to the newspaper.
And he warned the second wave of coronavirus in Wales had been “very significantly driven by people coming back from France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, bringing the virus with them”.
Foreign non-essential travel and domestic breaks with other households could be allowed from May 17 at the earliest for people living in England.
However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has warned there is “no cast iron guarantee” foreign holidays can resume from that date.
The top Tory, whose Travel Taskforce is due to report back by April 12 with future plans, said the May 17 was “at the earliest” only.
Suggesting people should not make bookings immediately, he said yesterday: “I would say it makes sense to see how the unlock proceeds.
“I’m hopeful, but you know, as with everything to do with this virus, you can't say for certain.
"There are a lot of issues that we need to work around.
"I am working with international partners, both governments and organisations to try to make it happen. We can't provide cast iron guarantees on that".
Boris Johnson has previously said roadmap dates could be pushed back if cases are surging or a new variant of Covid enters circulation.
And yesterday the Prime Minister said: “We must recognise that the rate of infection is still high – much higher than last summer.
“We can see the signs of a surge of Covid among some of our European friends, and we remember how we in the UK have tended to follow that upwards curve, if a few weeks later.”
Wales’ Health Minister Vaughan Gething today said he recognised that the rules on travel within Wales would need to be relaxed to allow self-contained holiday accommodation to reopen in time for Easter.
"We do know that if we're going to have an effective restart for parts of the tourism sector here, then a 'stay local' period probably doesn't mean those businesses can open," he said.
"We're asking people to stick with it for a period of weeks, and to be sensible about it."
He said people in Wales can expect varying travel restrictions depending on where they live if the country moves to "stay local" rules next week.
Mr Gething said those living in more rural areas would be given allowance to travel greater distances than those in urban towns and cities.
The current "stay-at-home" requirement is expected to be lifted in Wales by Monday, with First Minister Mark Drakeford due to announce changes to restrictions at a press conference on Friday.
Mr Gething said: "If, like me, you're fortunate enough to live in Penarth, then a few miles from Penarth you can do lots of things.
"If I lived in the middle of Powys or Anglesey, within a few miles I might not be able to do them, so we do recognise that if we go to stay local, it will be slightly different depending on where you live."
He said any new rules would likely last a "few weeks", adding: "Then we think we may be in a position to go beyond that."
