Sage scientist says he won’t travel abroad until 2022

A Sage scientist has said he won’t travel abroad until “after 2022”.

Self-contained accommodation, likely including campsites and caravan parks, could open from 12 April at the earliest; while the mainstream travel industry, including hotels, B&Bs and overseas travel, could restart from 17 May.

But Graham Medley, a professor of infectious disease modelling and chair of SPI-M, a sub-group of Sage, told LBC that he wouldn’t go on holiday until after 2022.

When asked by presenter Nick Ferrari whether he would go abroad this year, he responded: “I didn’t last year and I won’t next year probably either. It’s a time of caution.

“We’re doing very well with the vaccine in this country, other countries are not.”

He added: “I wouldn’t book anything. The whole situation will be very uncertain for a long time.”

Yesterday’s announcement brought a degree of much-needed clarity to the travel industry, which has been campaigning for a start date for overseas holidays for months.

Leisure travel both domestically and internationally has been banned since the start of January.

Travel is currently allowed for a tight set of circumstances, including for business and for compassionate reasons, and the government has repeatedly warned people that holidays are illegal.