Boris Johnson says he's 'optimistic' summer holidays can go ahead this year

1 February 2021, 15:38

By Polly Foreman

The Prime Minister has spoken out about whether we may be able to go on holiday this summer.

Boris Johnson has said that he's 'optimistic' summer holidays might be able to go ahead this year.

The Prime Minister stressed that this would all depend on coronavirus cases falling and things going well with the vaccine rollout.

Mr Johnson said that he did not want to give 'concrete' dates for potential trips, but said that he would set out more details 'about the way ahead' on 22 February.

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Speaking on a visit to Batley, West Yorkshire, as reported by the BBC, he said: "I don't want to give too much concrete by way of dates for our summer holidays. I am optimistic - I understand the reasons for being optimistic - but some things have got to go right.

"The vaccine programme has got to continue to be successful.

"We have got to make sure we don't get thrown off course by new variants, we have got to make sure that we continue to keep the disease under control and the level of infections come down."

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He added that he would be able to give more details in the last week of February, and that "people should certainly be able to plan on that basis".

His words come after Matt Hancock predicted a 'happy and free Great British summer' with the 'vast majority' of adults receiving their Covid vaccination within six months.

In an interview with BBC Politics East, the Health Secretary predicted that that people in Britain would be able to enjoy the return of some freedoms this summer, but did not discuss whether overseas holidays might be possible.

He said: "In six months we'll be in the middle, I hope, of a happy and free Great British summer – I have a high degree of confidence that by then the vast majority of adults will have been vaccinated.

"That’s not just the clinically vulnerable groups but then going to all groups, people like me, I’m in my 40s and healthy and we’ll have got through everybody.

"That will give a high level of protection. The more people take up the vaccine the more we’ll be protected as a society…

"So I think we’re going to have a great summer but we’re going to have a tough few months between now and then."

Almost nine million people have so far received their jab in the UK, with 15 million due to be offered on by mid-February.

By the end of April, 32 million people will have been offered the vaccine, including everyone over the age of 50.

After that time, around 21 million adults will be left to be offered the jab.

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