London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Matt Hancock confirms there IS a second wave 'rolling across Europe'

The Health Secretary says the Government will not hesitate to reintroduce emergency measures to keep Britain safe as cases soar in Europe.
Speaking to Sky News, Matt Hancock said: ‘I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe, and we’ve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores, and to tackle it.’

He added that ‘it’s not just Spain’ that is a concern, despite the Mediterranean country being the centre of a row over quarantine rules for British holidaymakers coming home.

It follows reports that the Government is set to announce changes to self-isolation rules later today. The changes could see those with Covid-19 symptoms told to quarantine for 10 days instead of seven.

Hinting that these changes could go ahead, Hancock said: ‘This is a decision that’s clinically led. The chief medical officer will be setting out details later today. I can’t steal his thunder but what I will say is we will always do what is necessary to protect people and we’re guided by the clinical judgement, by the science in this.’

The Health Secretary also said ministers were investigating ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals to the UK from at-risk countries. He added: ‘We’re always looking at how we can have the least-possible burden of the measures that we have to put into place so that is something on which we’re doing some work but we’ll only come forward with a proposal when we’re confident that it is safe to do so.

‘So again this is very much guided by the clinical science and the CMO (chief medical officer) will be speaking on it later today, but the broader point is that there’s a serious concern about a second wave that’s clearly now moving across Europe and we need to take action.

‘If that means increasing the number of days that people who test positive have to self-isolate then so be it because these measures are necessary to keep people safe.’

It comes after the UK decided to remove Spain from its list of safe countries following a rise of infections, requiring holidaymakers returning from the country to self-isolate for 14 days.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the decision ‘unjust’ and argued parts of Britain are more prone to infections than the Balearic and Canary islands as well as a regions of Valencia and Andalusia.

It follows reports of ministers discussing plans to cut the self-isolation requirement for those coming back from Spain to 10 days. The proposal would involve testing arrivals from high-risk countries eight days after they land.

If they test negative they will be allowed to come out of self-isolation two days later, reducing the mandatory quarantine period by four days, according to the Telegraph.

The ‘R rate’ is now thought to be above one in two areas of the UK – the South West and South East. Earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to be ‘extremely concerned’ that a second wave could hit the country within two weeks.

While the country is past its initial peak of infections, rises were recorded each day last week for the first time since April. This brings the seven day average to nearly 700 – up 28% from the previous three weeks.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×