Covid: Boris Johnson rejects Wales-England travel ban

Boris Johnson has rejected a call by First Minister Mark Drakeford to ban people travelling from Covid hotspots in England to Wales.

People living in locked down areas of Wales can only leave with a "reasonable excuse" but there is no equivalent rule elsewhere in the UK.

It means people from locked down areas of England can holiday anywhere in Wales not under local restrictions.

However the prime minister said he did not want to introduce limits on travel.

"I don't want to impose travel restrictions within the UK generally," he said.

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"We are all one country, people should exercise their common sense.

"They should follow the guidance. And that's what we're going to do."

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Mr Drakeford told Members of the Senedd on Monday he had written to the prime minister urging him to impose a ban on non-essential travel in local lockdown areas in England, in the same way the Welsh Government has in Wales.

He said it was only "fair" to have the same rules on either side of the border.

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"As we act to prevent people who live in hot spots in Wales from travelling to England, and taking the risk of the virus with them, so the prime minister ought to do the same to prevent people from English hot spots from travelling elsewhere because of the risk that that undoubtedly poses," he said.

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While people are unable to go on holiday to any areas of Wales under local lockdown, many of the country's popular tourist attractions are in places where prevalence of the virus remains relatively low.

In an interview for Politics Wales, Mr Johnson said he heard Mr Drakeford's concerns "loud and clear" but dismissed imposing travel restrictions in the immediate future.

Mr Johnson said he was open to taking further measures in the future "if it's necessary".

"Of course we will look at that and I hear what Mark Drakeford is saying loud and clear," he said.

"But what we want to do is drive down the virus across the whole country, but particularly in the hot spot areas, and that's why we've put in the measures that we have.

"We do want to make sure people are responsible and I urge people who are coming from areas where there is a high rate of infectivity not to thoughtlessly go and risk spreading it.

"The most important thing is to drive the virus down across the whole country and that's what we are doing together."