Government ministers have cast potential doubts over Brits’ summer holiday plans following quarantine measures imposed this weekend for those travelling to the UK from Spain.
Foregin Secretary Dominic Raab appeared on Sky News to speak to Sophy Ridge on Sunday morning.
He addressed and defended the government’s decision to impose two-week quarantine measures on those travelling to the UK from Spain – which took effect on Sunday – by stating that “we took the decision as swiftly as we could” and that “we can’t make apologies for doing so”.
He continued: “We must be able to take swift, decisive action, particularly in relation to localised, or internationally in relation to Spain or a particular country, where we see we must take action. Otherwise, we risk reinfection into the UK, potentially a second wave here and then another lockdown.”
“So yes, I understand it is disruptive for those going through this who are in Spain or have been considering going, but we must though be able to take swift, decisive action to protect the UK, because we’ve made such progress in getting the virus down, and prevent the virus retaking hold in the UK.”
The 14-day quarantine affects Britons coming back from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa), and the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera).
'Why was the decision taken with so little notice to introduce a quarantine for Britons returning from Spain?'
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) July 26, 2020
In relation to countries being removed from the government’s ‘safe travel’ list in the future and whether ministers would ever consider placing similar travel restrictions or quarantine measures onto any other countries, Mr Raab revealed that no guarantee could be given to that at this point.
He stated that: “As we’ve found with Spain, we can’t give a guarantee”, and added that there was “an element of uncertainty this summer if people go abroad”.
Mr Raab said the government could not risk giving any “vague advice” to holidaymakers.
He continued: “There is a cutoff with changes in rules and advice we give, so I appreciate that that’s difficult and it can be disruptive, but it would be far worse to either muddy the waters or to hold back and delay from taking the measures when we need to take them.”
“The reason this was taken at reasonably short notice was the spike in Spain that we’ve responded to… so it was the real-time response.”
Late on Saturday the government still said Spain was safe for travel. Shouldn't it have warned people about a possible quarantine?
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) July 26, 2020
Health Minister Helen Whately has also spoken to a number of media outlets this morning regarding the government’s plans to impose quarantine measures onto travel into the UK from other countries in the future.
Speaking to Sky News – particularly in relation to the widespread speculation that France or Germany could be next to join Spain in being removed from the ‘safe travel’ list, she stated that: “We have to keep the situation under review and I think that is what the public would expect us to do.”
“If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine, we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK.”
She also said that individuals that have booked, or are currently booking holidays need to understand that “we are in a global pandemic” and the government was right to take “rapid action” where necessary.
"We had to take rapid action."@Helen_Whately says the govt has "done the "right thing" in adding Spain to the quarantine list after a "rapid increase" in #coronavirus cases.#KayBurley
Following up on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she added that: “What we said throughout the time when we’ve put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries.”
“That is exactly what we’ve done in Spain, so we are enacting the policy that we committed to doing.”
“The rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action.”
“If we hadn’t taken that decisive action, I imagine you would be asking me ‘Why are there delays, why haven’t we taken robust action?'”
“We have taken decisive action.”
If you arrive in the UK from Spain including the Canary and Balearic Islands, on or after 26 July 2020 you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
— Dept for Transport (@transportgovuk) July 25, 2020
Public Health England (PHE) is confirmed to be closely and continuously monitoring travel situations globally, and travellers are advised to continue checking this updated advice regularly.
All current and latest travel advice can be found via The Foreign & Commonwealth Office website here.
For further information and guidance amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, do refer to official sources via gov.uk/coronavirus.
#StaySafeSaveLives
News
The first new tenant of the old Debenhams department store on Market Street has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The first new resident of the Rylands Building on Market Street in central Manchester has been revealed, and it’s a foodie one.
Set to be the maiden opening inside the old Debenhams department store, which closed after more than three decades back in 2021, Rylands’ debut won’t be for another year or so, but it will soon welcome Mancs with an increasingly popular food hall operator making its way up north.
Simply called Market Place, the ever-growing brand is fast becoming a well-established name, with four venues in the capital already and a fifth coming soon.
Rylands will be their first location outside of London, and with 1,300 sqm of space at their disposal, Market Place Manchester is set to make a significant splash on the high street.
A look at Market Place Peckham.A rough idea of what the Manchester branch could look like.
Developers managed to green-light plans for the Grade II-listed building last November, sharing the first details and glimpses of their vision for the instantly recognisable city centre spot, including a whole new rooftop terrace.
Currently earmarked for a late 2026 launch, the former department store (previously Paulden’s) consisted of seven floors but is now set for a four-storey extension that promises to be a massive and varied retail, leisure and business destination that makes the most of the expansive structure.
Not to be confused with the famous John Rylands Library – a much older, more gothic, historic and hallowed hall over on Deansgate – this task of ‘revitalising a Manchester icon’, to quote property firm AM ALPHA, is a huge undertaking.
In charge of the redevelopment since 2023, the group have been outlining a pretty complete overhaul, with plans to convert the upper floors into premium office space, and the creation of a retail arcade at ground level, on which Market Place Manchester will sit.
This particular Manc corner was a bustling food, drink and shopping complex for the longest time, but has been derelict and covered up by boards for what feels like forever, with urban explorers even roaming the large, abandoned building.
Credit: Supplied
Now, though, the new long-term 15-year lease agreement will see the latest food hall kick off a new era for Rylands, delivering socially focused venues and the range of flavourful, vibrant choices of scran that Market Place have become known for.
With sites in St Paul’s, Vauxhall, Peckham, Harrow and soon Baker Street – as well as their eventual Manchester outpost, of course – the chain is getting bigger and better, meaning its arrival in the North West is an exciting one.
AM ALPHA manager Paul Hodgkiss said in an official statement: “Manchester is a city with a vibrant cultural scene – the perfect environment for forward-thinking concepts like Market Place Food Hall…
“The early commitment to Rylands is no coincidence: it reflects the strength of our strategic and forward-looking approach to development. We are not just creating high-quality space – we are setting new standards for urban mixed-use concepts. Interest from further prospective tenants is strong.”
It was only last week that Greater Manchester’s latest market hall, Campfield Studios, said hello to the general public and with House of Social also opening this summer, among several other similar projects, soon you won’t be able to move for more social hospitality scenes like this:
Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)
Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.
So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.
Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10.
Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.
2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied
“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.
“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”
While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.
Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.
“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.
“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”
The Manc -
27th July 2020 
