"We can't be deaf and blind" to rising coronavirus cases abroad

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned Sunday that "we can't be deaf and blind" to surging coronavirus cases outside Britain which could threaten the country's vaccination campaign, calling on the Britons to be cautions about their foreign travel plans, reported Xinhua.

"We can't be deaf and blind to what's going on outside the UK," Wallace told Sky News. "We can't put at risk the gains of our vaccination campaign".

Wallace said the country has to be cautious about foreign travel plans amid concerns over imports of new virus variants.

"If we were to be reckless in any way, and import new variants...what would people say about that?" he said.

"We've got good direction of travel, we're getting there, and I think we need to make sure we preserve that at all costs."

According to the British government's "roadmap" exiting the lockdown, the earliest date people in England could go for a holiday abroad is May 17.

Currently for the Britons, foreign holidays are not allowed and returning travelers have to quarantine.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has also said he is concerned about the rising infection rates in other parts of Europe as many countries are strengthening restrictions.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to be updated on April 12 about the possibilities for resuming foreign travel. It seems likely that summer holidays overseas this year will be canceled, according to Sky News.

Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group, which feeds into the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told the BBC on Saturday that "International travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely."

"We are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July, for instance, and August, because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country."

More than 26.8 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

More than half of Britain's adult population have now received the first dose, a milestone hailed by Johnson as a "fantastic achievement".

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.