Coronavirus: Summer holidays back on? Quarantine-free air bridges could be in place 'by end of June'

Air bridges between Britain and some countries with low infection rates could be in place by the end of the month enabling people to travel without having to spend two weeks self-isolating on their return.

Current plans mean all international arrivals - apart from people carrying out a limited number of specified roles - would need to quarantine for 14 days from Monday.

The plan has been criticised by travel and hospitality businesses, and ministers are understood to be considering introducing air bridges when the policy is reviewed three weeks after it comes into force.

Agreements would need to be reached with other countries before any policy could be introduced.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the prime minister is "personally in favour" of the idea.

Further details of the quarantine proposal are expected to be laid before parliament later.

Housing minister Simon Clarke would not "speculate" on suggestions some destinations could be exempt from the quarantine rules.

"We all want to be able to get foreign holidays back on the table as soon as it's safe to do so, but I can't speculate on policy questions of that nature," he told Sky News' Kay Burley @ Breakfast show.

"The policy is clear: a two-week quarantine effective as of Monday 8 June."

Defending the quarantine proposals, Mr Clarke added: "We've got case numbers coming down substantially now in the UK and we don't want to import new risk, new cases from abroad at this very sensitive and delicate stage."

But he stressed the government doesn't want the measures to "be in place longer than is necessary".

"We will be reviewing it on a three-weekly basis and hopefully we can transition out of it as quickly as possible as the numbers continue to come down," Mr Clarke said.

"But I think many of the public want to know we're taking robust action to stop new cases coming into the UK after all the sacrifices they've mades since March."

It comes as MPs return to Westminster after the government dropped virtual proceedings, despite concerns that shielding politicians will be unable to attend.

The government has tabled a motion preventing the resumption of virtual voting that allowed MPs to have their say from afar during the pandemic, but opposition parties are seeking to retain it.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the contact-tracing system was "up and running" and was "successful" following reports of problems with technology and staff saying they were being paid up to £27.75 per hour for doing nothing.

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Asked during Monday's daily media briefing why some contact tracers had no work, Mr Hancock said 25,000 had been hired and it was a good thing there were so many.

He said: "It's successful, I'm very glad to report that those who are asked to isolate by the contact tracers are expressing the willingness to do so and we track that very carefully.

"The level of incidence of disease has come down and so actually we have more capacity than we need, this is a good thing."

Professor John Newton, the government's testing coordinator, said the system was working well, adding: "We do have a lot of capacity."

This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.

We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.

If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk