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?'
— Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) 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?
— Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) 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.
— Department 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
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Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
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The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
The Manc -
27th July 2020 
