UK airlines hoping Johnson will announce ease of travel ban on Monday

Airports and airlines in Northern Ireland and Britain are hoping that the UK government eases Covid-19 travel bans on Monday, the Observer reports.

News of a possible easing of restrictions comes as several Sunday newspapers say that in the Republic, the Government could cave in to pressure from advisers and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, to add EU countries to its hotel quarantine regime.

Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, plans to announce an update on the UK’s foreign travel rules tomorrow, a week earlier than planned. Foreign holidays are banned from anywhere in the UK, while there is a bar on overnight stays in Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.

The Observer says that airlines and airports “hope the early announcement heralds a change to the rules”.

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Heathrow Airport, Europe’s biggest global hub before Covid-19 struck, has urged the British government to rejig quarantine rules to make more destinations accessible to travellers, according to the newspaper.

Pub test case against Slovenian insurer

Solicitor Brian Winters is taking a test case against the Slovenian insurer of his pub in Loughrea, Co Galway, the Sunday Times says.

Winters set up Save Irish Pubs last year to encourage bar owners to pursue business interruption cases against insurers refusing to pay out after Covid-19 restrictions forced them to shut.

Charwin, the company that operates Charlies Bar in Loughrea, has filed proceedings against Slovenian insurer, Zavarovalnica Sava, which last year refused the business compensation.

Sava covers more than 1,000 pubs in the Republic, and operates through Limerick-based broker, Frost Insurances, the newspaper reports.

Winters tells the paper that under the Central Bank’s supervisory framework, his claim could be treated as a test case in the Commercial Court.

Covid borrowing

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told Fine Gael TDs that the Government will need to borrow more money to fund Covid supports beyond the summer, the Sunday Business Post says.

The Government set aside €5.5 billion in the budget to pay for possible extensions to the wage subsidy scheme, pandemic unemployment payment (PUP), and grants to businesses shut by lockdown restrictions, according to the paper.

“However, the combined costs of paying the PUP for 443,000 workers, the wage subsidy scheme for 350,000 workers and the Covid restrictions support scheme for 21,000 shut down businesses is now running at almost €1 billion per month,” reports the Post.

“Varadkar told Fine Gael TDs at their parliamentary party meeting last week that the Government would need to borrow more money to pay for further extension to the pandemic supports beyond the current cut-off date of June 30th.”

Waterford whiskey site

Family business Stafford Bonded plans a €57 million store to mature whiskey at Waterford Airport Business Park, says the Sunday Independent.

Waterford City and County Council last week gave permission to the business to build the complex at the Ballygarran site.

Once it is fully developed, the store will include 38 warehouses to store maturing whiskey, as well as offices and meeting rooms, says the newspaper.