Fears are growing that soaring Covid-19 cases could derail families’ summer holiday hopes.
TV doctor Hilary Jones said while UK governments could decide if they wanted to reimpose coronavirus curbs, other countries may reintroduce measures or tests for foreign tourists - including those from Britain.
UK infections are surging, fuelled by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, while cases are also climbing on the Continent.
Good Morning Britain medic Dr Jones warned: “There are large numbers of cases in Italy at the moment.
“They could say, ‘Right you’re going to need a Covid pass, you’re going to need proof of vaccination or recent infection’ or, ‘You’re going to need a test before you travel’.
“I would say to people who are travelling - look at the foreign travel advice for that country, see if you need a test before you fly and see if your NHS Covid pass works.”
Dr Jones said some Covid measures also need to be taken in the UK as cases rise.
He added: “We’re still in a pandemic, but this is going to become endemic,
we’re going to have to live with this virus.
“So while I don’t think we need mandatory precautions such as mask-wearing and other lockdowns, I think what we do want is hand sanitisation to be routine, and I think it’s sensible to give people the advice to wear a mask on a crowded tube train.”
Lib Dem Layla Moran, who chairs Westminster’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, feared climbing infection rates may hamper sunshine escapes.
She said top holiday destinations spooked by a fresh spike could slap curbs and testing requirements on British tourists desperate for a foreign break.
Staff shortages triggered by self-isolating travel and aviation workers could also scupper plans.
Ms Moran told the Mirror: “It is possible that holiday plans will be ruined due to rising Covid rates in the UK.
“Other countries could reintroduce restrictions on arrivals from Britain and transport companies, already in crisis from the Government’s mishandling of Brexit and industrial action, are likely to see an increase in staff shortages with more people off sick with the virus and Long Covid.”
The number of people in hospital in England who have tested positive for Covid-19 has climbed above 10,000 for the first time since April, as the latest infection wave accelerates.
Some 10,658 patients were in hospital as of 8am yesterday(MON) - up 36% in a week, NHS England figures showed.
BA.4 and BA.5 are more transmissible than other strains and can evade immune protection built up by vaccines or previous infections.
But there is “currently no evidence” they cause more serious illness than earlier variants, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The Mirror told yesterday(MON) how the agency’s chief executive Dame Jenny Harries believed hospital cases are set to soar to an 18-month peak.
A total of 2.3 million people in private households were estimated to have had the disease last week - up 32% from a week earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Cases are also rising overseas, including in sunshine destinations popular with British holidaymakers.
Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias has recommended people wear face masks in indoor public settings as Covid cases and hospitalisations surge.
She urged “caution” and “responsible mask usage”.
Professor Tim Spector, of the ZOE Covid symptom study app, has warned that large summer events such as last month’s(JUN) Glastonbury Festival could “potentially have a big effect” on infection rates.
“Events like Glastonbury will drive up cases but the question is how much do they account for,” he said.
Latest figures show 93.2% of people aged 12 and over in the UK have had a first vaccination, with 87.2% having a second dose and 69.4% having a third or booster.
