Sturgeon promises ‘no countrywide travel restrictions’ for Scotland

Scotland is facing tighter shutdown measures, Nicola Sturgeon has warned – but restrictions will not include a nationwide travel ban.

Speaking at Scotland’s daily briefing this afternoon, the First Minister announced, “We are not about to impose travel restrictions on the whole country.” For areas where cases are particularly high, some travel restrictions on travel “may still be necessary”.

When challenged over the difficulties facing the travel industry amid the pandemic, Sturgeon said she “understand[s] how horrendously difficult this is” for business owners. 

Further announcements will be made tomorrow, with some curbs on hospitality and socialising expected. The new, temporary restrictions are set to be imposed within the next week.

Last month, the First Minister urged Scots not to go on holiday during the October school break. Mike Tibbert, vice president of the Scottish Passenger Agents Association, issued a damning statement in response to Sturgeon’s plea: “We seem to have government announcements actively designed to destroy travel jobs and the whole industry,” he said.

“Without immediate and targeted stimulus for the travel sector, Scotland will lose its global connectivity… [causing] irreversible long-term damage to our whole economy.”

Scroll down for more of today’s news. 

11:11 AM

Nationwide circuit breaker-style lockdown should be considered, Prof Neil Ferguson says

The Government should consider extra restrictions “for a concerted period”, a health expert has said, raising the prospect of a circuit breaker once again. 

Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, said the most important measures were reducing contacts between households.

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“We are in a more difficult position, if we want to keep schools open we have to reduce contacts in other areas of society by more,” he told the Today programme.  “You will have heard measures being discussed across society as a whole such as extended half terms where we try to reduce transmission for a concerted period. I think those measures should be considered.”

Closing venues should be considered in “hotspot” areas where case numbers are increasing but the risk of transmission from meeting people outside was low, he added.

“Of course as the weather gets colder meeting outdoors is less appealing, people obviously do want to meet indoors but that’s where transmission happens unfortunately.”   

11:05 AM

Fight breaks out on plane after passenger refuses to wear a mask

A fight broke out between two plane passengers after a man refused to swap his face shield for a face covering.

The incident on board Allegiant Air flight from Mesa-Phoenix, Arizona, to Provo, Utah, was captured on film by a fellow passenger:

Describing the incident, Instagram user Rylie Lansford – who was seated next to one of the men – recalled that one of the passengers was refusing to wear a mask, and being ‘rude and condescending’ to air crew. 

“The guy next to me starts up, they’re yelling at each other… He was being so rude. The flight attendant told him ‘These are not my rules – I just need to enforce them’.”

The passenger was removed from the flight, which later departed as scheduled.

10:51 AM

Compulsory tests for Britons arriving in Italy

British travellers to Italy could soon be subjected to compulsory Covid-19 tests as the country tries to contain what looks increasingly like a second wave of infections, reports Nick Squires from Rome.

According to reports in the Italian press, British, Dutch and Belgian travelers will soon be obliged to take swab tests on arrival. Currently, that applies to people arriving from the high-risk countries of Spain, Malta and Croatia, as well as some regions of France.

The government in Rome is due to issue a new decree on Wednesday with a raft of new anti-virus measures. It is likely to include an obligation for all Italians to wear face masks in public outdoors – currently just a handful of regions, such as Lazio which includes Rome, have introduced the measure.

In Rome, the vast majority of people are now wearing masks on the streets and in piazzas, as well as on public transport, in shops, bars and restaurants.

10:33 AM

Just a regular Tuesday

Let’s take a look at daily life around the globe today…

10:25 AM

‘Rebel MPs need to kill off this foolhardy curfew and bolster UK city breaks’

As foreign travel options shrink for Britons, more of us are turning to the United Kingdom for a holiday – but the Government’s ‘foolhardy’ hospitality curfew is killing the staycation too, writes Benjamin Parker. 

Read the comment – and let us know if you agree.

10:00 AM

‘Hopefully not another anti-climax’ – travel industry weighs in on upcoming airport testing announcement

Members of the UK’s travel industry have reacted to the news that the Government will make an announcement about airport testing “in the coming days”. 

More details will be released this week in a government address, but so far testing trials are expected to start at Heathrow later this month, with a coronavirus testing facility on stand-by at the London airport. 

The upcoming testing announcement was mentioned by Steve Barclay, Chief Secretary to the Treasury at the Conservative party conference on October 3. As well as the promise of further details, Barclay told Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye airport that testing was a “key priority”. 

Emma Cooke has the latest.

09:48 AM

Airport testing ‘step in right direction’, says Virgin Atlantic boss

Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss said an expected Government announcement on coronavirus testing for international travellers was a “step in the right direction”.

Steve Barclay, the Treasury minister, and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, have both said an announcement is due imminently. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, the aviation boss said further “swift action” was needed to protect the 500,000 jobs in the UK which relied on aviation.

Mr Weiss added: “We are suggesting testing pre-departure as the way to go to free up the need for this quarantine and get passengers moving freely.

“We welcome this potential news from the Government but further swift action is required if we are to save the 500,000 jobs which rely on travel and aviation in the United Kingdom.

“And of course our economy needs to get going and the only way it can take off is for the free movement of goods and people between countries.”

09:45 AM

New Zealand ‘travel bubble’ for Cook Islands?

Singapore and Hong Kong aren’t the only destinations that could benefit from a travel bubble: New Zealand and the Cook Islands are considering a restriction-free travel arrangement, too. 

The Cooks’ Prime Minister Mark Brown told the New Zealand Herald that formal arrangements have been made. However, any travel bubble would be dependent on both destinations remaining virus-free for 28 days beforehand. 

The Cook Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific, has reported no Covid-19 cases to date. Talks to arrange a travel bubble were ‘well advanced’ in July, however a virus outbreak in Auckland prompted officials to pause the plans. 

09:27 AM

Singapore considers ‘travel bubble’ with Hong Kong

Singapore and Hong Kong may soon form a ‘travel bubble’ to enable quarantine-free movement between the two cities. 

“We hope to commence discussions with Hong Kong and other partners soon,” Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told parliament today. A travel bubble would allow a more relaxed approach to reciprocal tourism, removing tourists’ need to quarantine or adhere to controlled itineraries. 

Singapore’s travel industry has been badly hit by the pandemic, with Changi Airport warning yesterday of a ‘daunting period’ ahead. 

“The battle with Covid-19 has only just begun,” Changi Airport Group said in its annual business report. “The future does appear daunting with the situation showing no signs of abatement.” 

According to the airport’s yearly results, 2020 profits plunged 36% to S$435m (£246m). In addition to the terminal closures, the airport has also suspended the construction of its fifth terminal for at least two years.

Changi is routinely voted the ‘World’s best airport’ by industry body Skytrax, as well as various consumer bodies. 

09:11 AM

Mexico reports record number of deaths and infections

Yesterday, Mexico reported a sharp increase in the daily number of coronavirus infections and deaths, breaking previous records due to what the government said was a change in methodology.

The Health Ministry reported a jump of 2,789 deaths and 28,115 cases, far outstripping the prior daily records of 1,092 deaths and 9,556 cases. Total confirmed cases now stand at 789,780, with a reported death toll of 81,877.

The Health Ministry said the record jump includes additional cases and deaths that date back to June.

Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the public face of the government’s coronavirus strategy, said Monday’s increase was a one-off event. He said critics would use the figures to attack the government.

08:54 AM

‘Milan is back in business – and it’s easier than ever to plan a city break’

An empty St Mark’s Square; a queue-free Colosseum. Italy’s empty art cities have been a hot topic post-lockdown, but few of the drooling social media posts have featured Milan, which, as Lombardy’s capital, was at the heart of the pandemic.

That looks set to change, however, with ‘Fly to Milano’, the city’s new initiative to woo back tourists.

Julia Buckley heads to Milan.

08:40 AM

What’s the latest in Asia?

Covid-19 cases are surging in Malaysia and Myanmar, while Indonesia and the Philippines are also struggling to control the spread of the virus.

Elsewhere in Asia, other countries are seeing a return to ‘normal’ – including Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, who are expected to forms travel corridors.

Malaysia currently has 12,813 cases after reporting record daily cases last week, partly because of clusters linked to an election in its second-largest state of Sabah.

In Myanmar, coronavirus infections have soared, and a record 41 deaths were recorded on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 412 from only seven a month ago.

The country’s toll of 18,781 is now the third-highest in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and the Philippines, and both deaths and case numbers are rising more quickly than anywhere in the world. Myanmar also faces nationwide elections next month. 

08:29 AM

End of the ski season in Australia

As ski resorts in Europe lay out their plans for the upcoming ski season, their counterparts in Australia are winding down as summer approaches.

After a postponed opening due to the pandemic, resorts in the state of Victoria were closed for much of the season because of local lockdowns. Meanwhile, slopes in New South Wales were restricted to operating lifts at half their usual capacity, and skiers were required to pre-book. 

However, snow-sport fans were still able to return to the slopes – the tonic that many needed after months in lockdown. Bosses at Perisher in NSW, the country’s largest resort, are thanking their supporters for visiting during the “challenges”. 

Colin Hackworth, Chief Executive of the Australian Ski Areas Association, told the Sydney Morning Herald recently that NSW resorts had managed to “eke out a season”, noting “Covid-19 has had a profoundly devastating impact on the Australian ski industry this year.”

The economic impact of the virus on the country’s ski season is yet to be confirmed. “Precise numbers are not known at this stage but the impact will be shockingly cruel,” Hackworth continued.

08:23 AM

What’s the situation in Scotland?

Speaking at her daily press conference on Monday, Sturgeon told Scots that while she was reluctant to bring in new restrictions, there was an urgent need to bring the virus back under control following a rapid rise in its spread. So, let’s take a look at the numbers.

To date, Scotland has reported 32,906 cases of Covid-19. Yesterday, 697 new positive tests were recorded.

Cases are increasing among the highly vulnerable elderly population. Among the 75-84 age group, the number of positive cases has risen to the highest levels since the middle of May. There has been a sharp rise in the number of people in hospital with the virus over recent days.

08:10 AM

Pandemic forces Tui to retire Marella Dream five years early

Marella Cruises has announced that it will be retiring one of its cruise ships, Marella Dream, from its fleet after a decade of service.

The Tui-owned brand had originally planned to retire its popular 1,506-passenger ship in five years, but the cruise industry’s hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic has hastened Dream’s demise.

The decision to axe the vessel leaves the line with only four ships – Marella Discovery, Discovery 2, Marella Explorer and Explorer 2 – and has resulted in a large number of cruises being cancelled in 2020 and beyond.

All sailings onboard Marella Dream that were due to take place from October 26, 2021, have been scrapped, while her summer 2021 sailings are being transferred to sibling ship Marella Discovery. 

Kaye Holland has the latest.

08:02 AM

Yesterday’s news

Before we begin, here’s a quick recap of Monday’s headlines: 

• Announcement on airport testing expected shortly

• Venice holds back the water for first time in 1,200 years 

• Ski resorts in America announce strict new Covid rules for winter

• Welsh Government considering new quarantine plan 

• Wizz Air reveals sharp drop in passenger numbers

Now, on with today’s news.