The UK government has said it's 'too soon' for people to start looking into holidays, whether 'domestically or internationally'.
While the vaccine rollout has given many people hope for some aspects of life to return to normal soon, the government has told prospective holidaymakers to hold off booking anything 'right now', reminding people it is currently 'illegal' to enjoy a trip in the UK or abroad.
Speaking on the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "First of all, I should say, people shouldn't be booking holidays right now - not domestically or internationally.
"The Prime Minister will say more about the route to unlocking this country, starting when he speaks about it on February 22.
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"But we don't know yet whether that will include information on things like holidays, simply because we don't know where we'll be up to in terms of the decline in cases, deaths, the vaccination.
"And not just the vaccination programme here, but the vaccination programme internationally, because people will be going outside of our borders. So it's too soon."
Addressing anyone who was considering booking a holiday, despite the fact that you 'cannot legally do that at the moment', Shapps added: "Please do not go ahead and book holidays for something that at this stage is illegal at home or abroad."
Shapps said it's too early to give detailed information about summer, but warned that 'the best advice is do nothing at this stage'.
His comments follow news that anyone breaking coronavirus travel rules could face fines of up to £10,000 and even a 10-year prison sentence, as Matt Hancock set out 'tough' measures for those who don't stick to government-imposed restrictions yesterday.
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These include a £1,000 fine for any international arrival who fails to take a mandatory coronavirus test, and £2,000 fine for failing to take a second test - with quarantine then extended to 14 days.
There will be a fine of between £5,000 and £10,000 for anyone failing to quarantine in one of the designated hotels.
Meanwhile, for anyone providing false information on their passenger locator form about having been in one of the countries on the red list, there will be a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Hancock has, however, also previously spoken about his hopes for a 'happy and free' summer.
Speaking to BBC Politics East last month, he warned that Britain will 'have a few tough few months between now and then', with many restrictions likely to be in place until the late spring.
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But Hancock added that by the summer, he believed most adults will have received their vaccine, which could help ease restrictions.
He said: "In six months we'll be in the middle, I hope, of a happy and free Great British summer.
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"I have a high degree of confidence that by then the vast majority of adults will have been vaccinated."
Hancock added: "We have to follow the data, we have to see the impact of the vaccine on the ground. It's a difficult balance: we've got to move as fast as we can but in such a way that keeps people safe."
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: UK News, News, holidays